History

The Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course at the Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine at UC Irvine School of Medicine is modeled after the work of Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD, at the University of Massachusetts Stress Reduction Clinic in the Department of Medicine.

Since he founded his clinic in 1979, Kabat-Zinn has provided training to more than 7,000 physicians, researchers, healthcare professionals and educators.

Today, MBSR is a regular aspect of complementary medicine. The National Institutes of Health National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine has given research grants to study the effectiveness of such programs.

Studies have found that MBSR leads to increased activity levels, improved self-esteem and a reduction in the need for pain medications.