Enrollment now open for Nalanda Institute's Certificate Program in Contemplative Psychotherapy

May 18 2013

The Nalanda Institute announced that enrollment is now open for their inaugural Certificate Program in Contemplative Psychotherapy to begin in Fall 2013. The program offers therapists, health workers, coaches, educators and other professionals in the healing arts an opportunity to immerse themselves in the inspiring new field of contemplative neuropsychology.

The two-year Program offers an intensive, step-by-step learning experience integrating mindfulness and four progressive systems of Buddhist psychology and meditation, with the most promising breakthroughs in contemporary neuroscience, health psychology, and psychotherapy. Dr. Joseph Loizzo, Founder and Director of Nalanda says: "We hope this program will provide the knowledge and skills caregivers need to weave the full spectrum of contemplative insights and methods into their professional practice and personal lives, while also providing a vital network for lifelong inspiration, learning and development."

The program assembles world pioneers in contemplative research and clinical practice including Prof. Robert Thurman, Sharon Salzberg, Drs. Dan Siegel, Rick Hansen, and Richard Davidson. They will be joined by top experts in neuroscience, psychology, Buddhism and education who will discuss the practical applications of broad concepts in their fields of study. Dan Siegel notes the importance of this integrated approach: "Science brings knowledge and technology but not necessarily wisdom. It is natural then to seek a weaving of the important contributions of all the sciences with the deep understanding of our subjective mental lives in the wisdom traditions of contemplation."

Year One of the Certificate Program prepares participants to build mindfulness practice into psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioral therapies, and to build loving-kindness practice into object-relational, interpersonal, and family therapies.

Year Two of the Certificate Program, prepares participants to build compassion-training practices like self-analysis and giving-and-taking into self-psychology and transpersonal psychology, and to build role-modeling imagery and sublimation practices into guided imagery, narrative therapy, somatic therapy, deep affect therapy, and gestalt therapy.

The Program will include an initial 4-day weekend retreat, 30 weekly 3-hour evening classes and intensive instruction in meditation from world masters Sharon Salzberg and Robert Thurman. Enrollment will be limited to 30 people in order to facilitate personal access to mentors and faculty and to develop a sense of community among participants.

The program will be hosted by the Tibet House in New York City. Bob Thurman, President of the Tibet House says, "It is my pleasure to offer the Nalanda Certificate Program, the first complete introduction to Tibetan Buddhist mind science that locates all four of its systems of self-healing and self-transformation in the context of current developments in medicine, psychology, and neuroscience."