Mindfulness

Mindfulness is in itself, something very simple and familiar. It is a universal and basic human capacity, which consists of the possibility of being aware of the contents of the mind moment by moment. It is the practice of self-awareness.
~ Vicente Simon
IN WESTERN PSYCHOLOGY a maturation of cognitive therapies is taking place, within what are called third generation therapies. Cognitive therapies constitute a fertile ground in which techniques related to mindfulness can be implanted and bear fruit.
Mindfulness it is characterized by the cultivation of attention and concentration. It is natural that, when mindfulness became known in Western psychological circles, cognitive psychologists guessed the enormous therapeutic possibilities that it possesses.
At present there are already various therapeutic techniques that have emerged in Western psychology, in which mindfulness plays a prominent role. The best known are: Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR: Kabat-Zinn, 2003); mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT: Segal, Williams, Teasdale, 2002); acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT: Hayes, Strosahl & Houts, 2005) and dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT: Linehan, 1993; García Palacios, 2006), used in the treatment of borderline personality disorder.
Following Thich Naht Hanh, mindfulness is keeping awareness alive in the reality of the present. On the one hand, there is the basic component, the fundamental characteristic of mindfulness, which consists of keeping the attention focused on the immediate experience of the present.
It is, so to speak, the core instruction to be followed; be aware of what is happening in the immediate present. And the second component of the definition is the attitude with which the exercise of the first component is approached, that is, how those experiences of the present moment are lived.
One of the fundamental attitudes in the practice of mindfulness is what Kabat-Zinn calls a beginner's mind, no doubt after the title of a well-known Suzuki book: Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind. When practicing mindfulness imbued by this attitude, one tends to free oneself from all previous knowledge, from any acquired expectations and opens up to perceive reality as if it were the first time that it was seen. In turn, this liberation opens the possibility of change.
Inscription
Speakers, topics and / or times may vary
The professional can access a Continuing education certificate (CEC) for 10 hours accredited by the Health Examination Boards of PR for $ 15, you must sign your attendance at the table of the UPR, Medical Sciences Center (located in the lobby) and take the pre and post tests .
To register, choose between ATH Móvil or credit card
Students and / or over 65s
(must present evidence the day of the event)
If you do the registration on or before February 16: $ 95 with code D100
If you register after February 16: $ 145 with code D50
Professionals
If you do the registration on or before February 16: $ 145 with code D30
If you register after February 16: $ 175
Program | Topics and schedules
About the day
Speakers, topics and / or times may vary
All conferences will be face-to-face (there will be no video conferences)
SATURDAY AM
7:30 am - 8:00 A.M
Record
8:00 A.M - 8:10 am
Introduction to the conference
Dr. Mauricio Conejo
8:10 am - 8:30 am
Meditation session | Counting the breath
Dr. Mauricio Conejo
8:30 am - 9:20 am
The contemplative brain and its effect on mental health
Dr. Mauricio Conejo
NEUROCOGNITIVE THERAPY Its purpose is not only rehabilitation in case of stroke, stroke, trauma, heart attack or ischemia, but also tries to preserve and power cognitive abilities, particularly executive functions. As part of neuropsychological interventions, the contemplative practice of mindfulness is increasingly used to exercise attentional processes vital for the correct execution of neurocognitive skills vital for life and the correct performance in activities of daily life. Contemplative practice in older adults facing cognitive impairment helps to manage the uncertainty generated by the disease and improves the management of anxiety typical of emotional states linked to neurocognitive pathology.
9:30 am - 10:00 am
Coffee break
10:00 am - 10:20 am
Meditation session | Open consciousness
Dr. Vicente Simón
10:30 am - 11:20 am A.M
Living in Mindfulness: Life as the setting for practice
Dr. Vicente Simón
BETWEEN THE MINDFULNESS EXERCISES those that have to do with formal practice stand out. However, not much is said about the informal practices that can be done at any time of the day and that are as important as the formal practices. In this context, life takes on vital importance as it becomes the best setting for practicing mindfulness amid bustle, calamity, and uncertainty. Mindfulness is not only a practice of meditation in silence and in complete stillness but it is also a practice where the consciousness observes objectively, attentively and without judging each action of daily living with the purpose of discovering our automatic reactions and knowing ourselves in an integral and deep way. We will explore Mindfulness together from action.
11:30 am - 12:30 pm A.M
Mindfulness as a tool for social change
Dr. Claudio Araya
BEYOND BEING SOMETHING PASSIVE, Mindfulness is a lifestyle that requires congruence between practice and individual ethics. Therefore, there has been an increase in the number of initiatives that come from the meditation hall to concerted social action under the premise of compassion and help from consciousness. Mindfulness in this context it becomes a bridge between mind and society. It is also the point of confluence between psychology, social work and public health. Among the most innovative efforts that empower impoverished or special needs communities are some in Latin America. In Chile, for example, there are already proposals that have yielded results and that by being accepted under legislation promise a fairer and more sustainable future for society. By putting the human being at the center in social relationships, mindfulness helps to generate a climate where the Communication is objective, nonjudgmental, caring, and compassionate.
12:30 md - 2:00 pm
Lunch break
SATURDAY PM
2:00 pm - 2:20 pm
Meditation session | Body scan
Dr. Claudio Araya
2: 3 0 pm - 3 : 30 p.m
Interrelational mindfulness
Dr. Sonia Cepeda
MINDFULNESS, ALTHOUGH IT IS A PRACTICE individual, it is not dissociated from others. As a way to strengthen and develop the Attention and objectivity, establishes the appropriate context for the correct relationship with our fellow human beings, with other sentient beings and with the world around us. From contemplation emanates the understanding of the interrelation of all things and the lucidity to discern the best way to relate to the outside. The current proposal of Mindfulness is to place ourselves within a context where consciousness has the opportunity to express itself, while the ego is the object of a rigorous study through observation during interaction with others. From that direct study, the light of understanding about the true nature of each human being appears, while the illusion of the self fades allowing a freer and happier life.
3:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Coffee break
4:00 pm - 5: 0 0 p.m
Mindfulness and compassion in psychotherapy
(Lecture in English)
Tim Desmond, LMFT
WITHIN THERAPIES of the third generation, mindfulness is occupying a leading place and compassion inevitably emerges from its practice, which today is also an object of study for neuroscience. Hence compassion within psychotherapy it begins to occupy an also relevant place. From the early investigations of Christopher Germer and Kristin Neff to the most recent findings of Richard Davidson, everything indicates that compassion as active empathy is a willingness to bear the pain of others as your own. The ideal of compassion is to act selflessly to alleviate suffering wherever it appears. Psychotherapy, like medicine, He not only pursues that same ideal but also proposes specific techniques to alleviate it. This lecture aims to explain the intrinsic relationship between psychotherapy and compassion.
5:10 pm - 5:30 p.m
Meditation session | Counting the breath
Dr. Mauricio Conejo
CLOSING ACTIVITY
5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Closing cocktail and social activity
Speakers

He is a doctor, psychiatrist and professor of Psychobiology at the University of Valencia, Spain. After a long teaching and research experience, he has dedicated himself to the practice of mindfulness and the teaching of meditation, through groups of meditation, online courses, conferences, face-to-face courses and direction of retreats. He has published books such as: "Learning to practice mindfulness", "Initiation to mindfulness" and "Living with full attention". Dr. Simón is without a doubt the best exponent of mindfulness in Latin America.

He studied for a doctorate (Ph.D.) in Cognitive Neuroscience from the Maimonides University in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Prior to his doctorate, he completed a master's degree in Neuroscience of Pablo de Olavide University in Sevilla Spain. He also has a master's degree in Design of the University from Northumbria in England. He worked in the laboratory of Dr. Thomas Schikorski of the Central University of the Caribbean. He is currently director of the design program at the EAPD and executive director of the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience.

He is a psychologist graduated from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile where he obtained his doctorate in Psychotherapy Research.
He also has a master's degree in Clinical Psychology from the Adolfo Ibáñez University where he works as a teacher at the School of Psychology. Develop workshops and research on the subject of Mindfulness for coping with stress and cultivating well-being. Provides private clinical care in consultation with adults. He is the author of the book: The greatest advance is to stop, mindfulness in everyday life (Mago Editores).

He has a doctorate (Ph.D.) from the Universidad Interamericana, Recinto Metropolitano, in San Juan, Puerto Rico and a master's degree in Psychological Counseling from the same University. She has been a curriculum designer, editor, and coordinating workshop for Paz para la Mujer. He has published several scientific articles on mindfulness. She is currently an associate professor at the UCA and a professor in the Professional Certification of Neuroscience and Mindfulness offered by the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience together with the Medical Sciences Campus of the UPR.

He is a mindfulness teacher in addition to being a therapist with private practice and co-founder of the Morning Sun Mindfulness Center in Alstead, NH. He is the author of Self Compassion in the Psychotherapy and offers training and consultation to therapists of everywhere around the world, helping them integrate positive psychology and mindfulness practices into their work. Her essays on mindfulness and positive psychology have appeared in the Psychotherapy Networker and the Mindfulness Bell magazine. He has studied in the Zen tradition by Thich Nhat Hanh.
Place
Address
The Congress will take place at the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico in Santurce. There is parking in the main building of the Conservatory and in the surrounding areas for an inexpensive rate.
From Carolina
Take Ave. Baldorioty towards San Juan, get off at Ave. Roberto H. Todd exit, turn left until the intersection with Ave. Ponce de León and there turn right, continue until Calle Hoare, turn to right to Marginal de Ave. Baldorioty and you will immediately find the parking lot entrance on your right. In front, the Pueblo supermarket shopping center also offers parking (next to Fine Arts).
From Caguas / Hato Rey
Take Expreso Las Américas in the direction of Old San Juan. Take the Calle Hoare exit and continue straight until you cross Ave. Fernández Juncos and Ponce de León until you come out onto the Marginal of Avenida Baldorioty and a few steps away you will find the parking entrance on your right. In front, the Pueblo supermarket shopping center also offers parking (next to Fine Arts).
From Bayamón / Cataño
Take Ave. Kennedy until you reach Ave. Ponce de León, there turn left, continue to Calle Hoare, turn right until Marginal de Ave. Baldorioty and you will immediately find the parking entrance on your right. In front, the Pueblo supermarket shopping center also offers parking (next to Fine Arts).
Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico
The Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico is a public university offering undergraduate and graduate programs and studies geared towards the community at large. It is dedicated to the comprehensive training of musicians and teacher training.
The historic building was the last one that the Spanish Provincial Council ordered to be built in Puerto Rico before 1898. Designed by the architect Tulio Larrínaga and built in 1882 for the Order of the Mother Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Mary. In 1985 it was designated a historic site on the United States National Register of Historic Places. In 1999 the Government transferred ownership of the building to the Conservatory of Music, going through a restoration process that began in 2001 and concluded in 2008.
It has complete and modern facilities that include computer rooms, Internet access, libraries and auditorium. Nearby are a variety of places to eat with a wide range of options. Being integrated in the metropolitan area, it is located close to places of historical, cultural and artistic interest.
Parking lot
The Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico has ample parking for a modest fee. However, there is the possibility that the parking lot will fill up for this activity. In the Miramar area, just two blocks from the Conservatory, There is the parking of the Supermercado Pueblo, near Fine Arts that also offers parking at a reasonable cost.
Vicente Simon | Interview in TVE2
VICENTE SIMÓN He is a doctor, psychiatrist and professor of psychobiology.
After a long teaching and research experience, has dedicated himself to the practice of mindfulness and the teaching of meditation and compassion, through groups of meditation, online courses, conferences, face-to-face courses and direction of retreats.
He has published the following books: Learn to practice mindfulness, Initiation to mindfulness and Live mindfully.