Breathworks

Breathworks CIC is an international mindfulness organization founded in the United Kingdom, which offers mindfulness-based approaches to living well with pain, stress, and illness.[1][2] It is known particularly for developing the approach of mindfulness-based pain management (MBPM), which shares many elements with mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) but is adapted specifically for those living with chronic pain and illness, and incorporates a distinctive emphasis on the practice of 'loving-kindness'.[3][4] Breathworks is a registered Community Interest Company (CIC) in the United Kingdom, and has nearly 500 accredited teachers working in 35 countries.[5]

Breathworks CIC
Founded2004
FounderVidyamala Burch
Sona Fricker
Gary Hennessey
Founded atManchester, United Kingdom
TypeCommunity Interest Company
Region
Worldwide
ServicesMindfulness-Based Pain Management
Mindfulness for Health
Mindfulness for Stress
Websitewww.breathworks-mindfulness.org.uk

History
Main article: Vidyamala Burch

Breathworks was founded in 2004 by Vidyamala Burch, Sona Fricker, and Gary Hennessey,[6][7] growing out of a 2001 pilot scheme funded by a grant from the UK's Millennium Commission.[8] This grant supported Burch to receive training from Jon Kabat-Zinn in mindfulness-based stress reduction, and enabled her to begin a "Peace of Mind" course in Manchester that used mindfulness and loving-kindness meditations to help those suffering from chronic pain.[8][9] Drawing on her own experience of severe long-term back pain and partial paraplegia, Burch emphasized the need to turn towards difficult experiences with acceptance and kindness rather than continually struggling to defeat or overcome them.[10] The pilot course received a positive response from participants, and was inundated with inquiries.[8][9] An ordained member of the Triratna Buddhist Order, Burch worked with other members of the Order to found Breathworks, and initially focused the organization on creating a community of trainers who could share the "Peace of Mind" program more widely.[8][9]

Current work
See also: Mindfulness-based pain management

Subsequent to its foundation in 2004 Breathworks has grown rapidly, playing an active role in the UK mindfulness teaching community and establishing an international presence. In 2005 Breathworks was a founding member of the UK Network of Mindfulness-Based Teacher Training Organisations (later renamed the British Association of Mindfulness-based Approaches, or BAMBA), and since then has adhered to this organization's Good Practice Guidelines for training mindfulness teachers and delivering courses.[11][12][13][14] The majority of Breathworks trainers and teachers now come from a very wide range of professions and backgrounds and Breathworks is clear that, while drawing on contemplative training derived from Buddhism, it offers a secular mindfulness pathway appropriate to a wide range of applications.[15] Breathworks established its Teacher Training Pathway in 2005,[16] and by 2019 there were almost 500 accredited Breathworks teachers working in 35 countries, reaching 11,000 people.[5][17][9] Breathworks is a registered Community Interest Company in the UK, meaning that its profits are used to provide bursaries and scholarships for its programs through the Breathworks Foundation charity.[5][7]

Breathworks now offers a range of mindfulness programs catering to people with varied needs and circumstances. The "Peace of Mind" program evolved into the 8-week Mindfulness for Health course, which in 2015 was delivered to over 800 people in the UK.[18] This course is aimed primarily at those suffering from chronic pain and illness, and is the main vehicle through which Breathworks delivers mindfulness-based pain management (MBPM).[19][20] A parallel 8-week course for those suffering primarily from stress - the Mindfulness for Stress course - was developed by Gary Hennessey,[20] and in 2015 was delivered to over 1000 people in the UK.[18] Breathworks also offers bespoke Mindfulness in the Workplace programs.[21] In 2020 Breathworks began offering live online versions of its Teacher Training, Mindfulness for Health, Mindfulness for Stress, and Mindfulness in the Workplace programs, allowing it to continue to reach significant numbers during the COVID-19 pandemic.[22][23]

Mindfulness-Based Pain Management (MBPM)
Main article: Mindfulness-based pain management

Breathworks is known particularly for developing the approach of mindfulness-based pain management (MBPM).[3] Drawing on the experience of Breathworks co-founder Vidyamala Burch, MBPM adapts the core concepts and practices of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) to create a program specifically tailored to those living with chronic pain and illness.[19] In addition to using shorter meditations and integrating a pacing program into the course,[19] MBPM includes a distinctive emphasis on the concepts of "primary" and "secondary" suffering, and on the practice of "loving-kindness".[24][19] Utilizing a "six-step process" oriented towards the cultivation of qualities such as awareness, acceptance, sympathetic joy, equanimity, loving-kindness, and choice, MBPM has been seen as sensitive to concerns about the dangers of removing mindfulness teaching from its original ethical framework, while also providing a secular evidence-based approach appropriate for people of all faiths, and none.[25][3] MBPM is delivered primarily through the Breathworks Mindfulness for Health course, but has also been adapted to those suffering from stress in the Mindfulness for Stress course.[20] A 2018 literature review found that research on the Mindfulness for Health and Stress courses has shown them "to be very helpful for people with severe chronic pain and illness", but also noted that further randomized controlled trials were needed.[19]

See also

References
  1. Tracey, Emma (2015-01-06). "Managing pain with the power of the mind". BBC News. Retrieved 2020-05-22.
  2. "Our Mission and Values". Breathworks CIC. Retrieved 2020-05-22.
  3. Cusens, Bryany; Duggan, Geoffrey B.; Thorne, Kirsty; Burch, Vidyamala (2009). "Evaluation of the breathworks mindfulness-based pain management programme: effects on well-being and multiple measures of mindfulness". Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy. 17 (1): 63–78. doi:10.1002/cpp.653. PMID 19911432.
  4. "What is Mindfulness based Pain Management (MBPM)?". Breathworks CIC. Retrieved 2020-05-22.
  5. "Vidyamala Burch". Shaw Trust Disability Power 100 List. Retrieved 2020-05-22.
  6. Burch, Vidyamala (2010). Living Well with Pain and Illness: The Mindful Way to Free Yourself from Suffering. Sounds True. pp. xxx. ISBN 978-1-60407-637-0.
  7. "Our history". Breathworks CIC. Retrieved 2020-05-23.
  8. Vajragupta (2010). The Triratna Story. Windhorse Publications. p. 65. ISBN 978-1-909314-28-3.
  9. "Interview With Vidyamala Burch". www.everyday-mindfulness.org. Retrieved 2020-05-23.
  10. Burch, Vidyamala (2010). Living Well with Pain and Illness: The Mindful Way to Free Yourself from Suffering. Sounds True. pp. xxix. ISBN 978-1-60407-637-0.
  11. "About Us – Bamba". Retrieved 2020-06-11.
  12. "British Association of Mindfulness-Based Approaches (BAMBA) Launched". Breathworks CIC. Retrieved 2020-06-11.
  13. "Good Practice Guidelines – Bamba". Retrieved 2020-06-11.
  14. "Good-Practice Guidelines for Teaching Mindfulness-Based Courses | Online Resources". study.sagepub.com. Retrieved 2020-06-11.
  15. Burch V (2016). "Meditation and the management of pain". The Psychology of Meditation. Oxford University Press. p. 165. doi:10.1093/med:psych/9780199688906.003.0007. ISBN 978-0-19-968890-6.
  16. "Our history". Breathworks CIC. Retrieved 2020-05-23.
  17. "Breathworks - Mindfulness and Compassion Training". Breathworks CIC. Retrieved 2020-05-23.
  18. Breathworks Social Value Forecast. The Social Value Business. December 2015. p. 6.
  19. Mehan, Suraj; Morris, Julia (2018-05-02). "A literature review of Breathworks and mindfulness intervention". British Journal of Healthcare Management. 24 (5): 235–241. doi:10.12968/bjhc.2018.24.5.235. ISSN 1358-0574.
  20. "What is Mindfulness based Pain Management (MBPM)?". Breathworks CIC. Retrieved 2020-05-23.
  21. "Workplace Mindfulness Training". Breathworks CIC. Retrieved 2020-06-11.
  22. Kineke, Liz (2020-05-18). "Buddhists with Physical Disabilities Access Digital Dharma". Tricycle: The Buddhist Review. Retrieved 2020-05-23.
  23. "The Joys of Online Mindfulness". Breathworks CIC. Retrieved 2020-05-23.
  24. Burch, Vidyamala (2016), "Meditation and the management of pain", The Psychology of Meditation, Oxford University Press, pp. 153–176, doi:10.1093/med:psych/9780199688906.003.0007, ISBN 978-0-19-968890-6, retrieved 2020-05-24
  25. Lt, Pizutti; A, Carissimi; Lj, Valdivia; Cav, Ilgenfritz; Jj, Freitas; D, Sopezki; Mmp, Demarzo; Mp, Hidalgo (2019). "Evaluation of Breathworks' Mindfulness for Stress 8-week Course: Effects on Depressive Symptoms, Psychiatric Symptoms, Affects, Self-Compassion, and Mindfulness Facets in Brazilian Health Professionals". PMID 30689206. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

Further reading
  • Burch, Vidyamala (2010). Living Well with Pain and Illness: the Mindful Way to Free Yourself from Suffering. Boulder, CO: Sounds True.
  • Burch, Vidyamala and Danny Penman (2013). Mindfulness For Health: A Practical Guide To Relieving Pain, Reducing Stress And Restoring Wellbeing. London: Piatkus.
    • Published in the United States (also in 2013) as: You Are Not Your Pain: Using Mindfulness to Relieve Pain, Reduce Stress, and Restore Well-Being. New York: Flatiron.
  • Burch, Vidyamala (2016). "Meditation and the Management of Pain". In Michael A. West (ed.) The Psychology of Meditation: Research and Practice. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Hennessey, Gary (2016). The Little Mindfulness Workbook: Everyday Techniques to Help You Combat Stress and Enhance Your Life. Bath: Crimson Publishing.
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