Teacher Training in Mindful Eating
Richard Shankman
Mindful Eating Teacher Training Alliance
(METTA)
Wrestling with Desire:
The Challenges of Mindful Eating
This innovative and dynamic Mindful Eating Teacher Training is now open for registration. The course is designed for professionals interested in integrating mindful eating and meditation practices when working with groups and/or individuals dealing with compulsive eating issues. It's also an opportunity to meet like-minded professionals, work together on interesting assignments in between class sessions and have access to up-date-research, helpful resources and information.
Wrestling with Desire: The Challenges of Mindful Eating explores the dynamics of compulsive eating and specific ways to transform its grip. We will examine different types of craving, voices of desire and false promises of satisfaction that feed and sustain compulsive eating habits. In addition, we will examine the mindful eating guidelines and disciplines practices that are part of every tradition, ancient and modern, and the ways they employ physical food, including the imperative to share abundance with others, to access the transcendent desire for spiritual wholeness. Some other areas of exploration include:
The “crisis of desire” that comes from mindlessly chasing after and relying on fleeting pleasures such as a certain body weight, clothing size or food plan;
The pushes and pulls of pleasure that distort our thinking;
The link between compulsive eating and feelings of inner lack, deprivation, despair and insatiable hunger;
Insight into the paradoxical nature of desire: no matter how much, how often or what we eat, the craving for “more” is destined to return;
Ancient recipes, “food for the heart,” based on cultivating qualities that focus on gratitude, generosity, intention, virtue and contentment;
Opportunities to “wrestle with desire” through creative uses of food in everyday life (snacks, meals, eating in restaurants, shopping in supermarkets, etc.)
Some of the key goals include:
Core meditation and mindful eating skills based on direct practice, intellectual knowledge, METTA precept-practices and professional support;
Qualify to teach the core METTA outline to students, clients and groups.
Ronna Kabatznick, Ph.D., is a Berkeley-based social psychologist and specializes in mindful eating, depression and relationships. Dr. Kabatznick is on the Board of the Center for Mindful Eating (www.tcme.org) and teaches mindful eating classes for both clients and professionals. For nine years Dr. Kabatznick worked as a Consulting Psychologist and spokesperson for Weight Watchers International and helped develop their behavioral weight management program. She is the author of the bestselling book, The Zen of Eating: Ancient Answers to Modern Weight Problems.
Class size is limited to 10 participants; Enrollment is on a first come, first serve basis.
Time/Dates : October 2010 - May 2011
Mondays: 10:00 am – 12:30 pm
October 18, November 15, December 20, January 10, 2011, February 7, March 7, April 4, May 2 (last class 10:00 am to 2:00 pm)
Tuition: $ 900.00 for 8 classes and one 50-minute private consultation. Tuition is non-refundable.
To apply: Send an email to info4...@gmail.com and include a
Brief description of your professional background;
Previous meditation and/or mindful eating training;
2-3 reasons why you would like to participate in this course;
2 times you are available for a 15-minute phone interview.
Location: Close to the Claremont Hotel; two hour parking is available; a 25-minute walk or 10 minute bus ride from Rockridge Bart Station.
Please note:
At the current time, CEU credits are not available;
METTA is an educational training program not a clinical or diagnostic-based program intended for clients with eating disorders.