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  • Movement & Meditation

Mindfulness Based Cancer Recovery (MBCR)

Intended Audience

All members including people living with cancer, family members and significant caregivers.

Program Description

A cancer diagnosis brings about many uncertainties: What treatment is offered? Will it be effective? What will life look like in the future? What if cancer returns? With no definitive answers, many struggle with these uncertainties and their diminished sense of control.

Mindfulness is defined as present moment nonjudgmental awareness of your current experience. Mindfulness Based Cancer Recovery (MBCR) is an evidence informed mindfulness training program designed to bring the benefits of this practice specifically to those living with cancer. Created and scientifically tested by Dr. Linda Carlson and Dr. Michael Speca at the University of Calgary, this program is well established and endorsed by the medical community. Over the past two decades, MBCR has brought immeasurable calmness and stress relief to thousands of people, and Wellspring Alberta is honoured to be able to bring it to our members. To learn more visit the Mindfulness-Based Cancer Recovery site.

Benefits and Impact

Mindfulness-based interventions have been suggested by many studies to play an important role in the health of people living with cancer. Research on mindfulness-based cancer recovery (MBCR) and other mindfulness-based interventions has shown that it can improve health-related outcomes such as stress, mood, and fatigue in those with cancer (Carlson et al., 2015; Carlson et al., 2016; Oberoi et al., 2020; Schellekens et al., 2017). Moreover, one Calgary-based study in 2014 corroborates the observed improvement in stress in cancer survivors when MBCR was delivered online (Zernicke et al., 2014). 

What to Expect at a Session

MBCR is a 10-week program that introduces participants to a range of meditation and yoga techniques to help train them to use these practices to achieve a sense of calmness and acceptance of what is. Once you complete this program, we additionally offer Mindfulness-Based Cancer Recovery (MBCR) Graduates weekly to enable practice.

Program Details

Online

Register

Articles of Interest

Mindfulness Impacting Healthcare – EBC Medical Journal

Evidence of Benefits for Mindfulness and Cancer – US Library of Medicine

Mindfulness and Depression – The Harvard Gazette

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Mindfulness Based Cancer Recovery

MBCR is a 10-week program that introduces participants to a range of meditation and yoga techniques to help train them to use these practices to achieve a sense of calmness and acceptance of what is.