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Nourish Your Mood:
Meditation and Eating with the Brain in Mind

one Sunday afternoon/month, live online, California



Discover how to nourish your mood,
informed by science
and guided by your own awareness ​and self-compassion
​

The latest research shows that mental health is a whole-body issue.

Painting of 2 eggplants, garlic bulb, tomato“Tuscan Plate and Eggplant”  •  Sally Baker Watercolors, click image for www.sallybaker.com
Feeling frazzled?

Anxious before you open your eyes,
searching for coffee to brighten your energy,
fading and shaky by late morning,
spacey and slumping in productivity after lunch,
people irritating you in the evening,
so exhausted but can't sleep,
waking at 4 AM with regret and the to-do list…
 
It’s not you. So many people are experiencing similar blocks to achieving goals and connecting with others.

​


Imagine being deeply nourished...

When you are engaged on a path toward nourishing mood,
you’re more able to connect with your beloveds and create a better world.

 
Eating with the Brain in Mind involves:
  • treating oneself with compassion and love
  • eating in ways that prioritize the incredible functions of the brain and body
  • taking digestion seriously
  • individually discovered solutions
  • pleasure and abundance

Hand Raising Up Sun
Nourish Your Mood: Meditation and Eating with the Brain in Mind

is a comprehensive program for your mood that:
is evidence-based and open-hearted,
gives you accurate support for your physiology and respects you as your own best teacher,
lets you discover your own answers and gives you mutual support.


 
When you nourish your mood, you:
1. Craft your own strategies for eating to balance your mood
2. Learn the delicious foods research indicates support mood and brain health for some people
3. Increase confidence in choosing foods that make you happy and well
4. Carefully chart what changes you notice over time to discover what works for your:

    -  mood
    -  concentration
    -  pain
     - energy
     - sleep
     - sex drive 
5. Celebrate your uniqueness


How this Program is Different...

Body-positive, fat-positive, food-positive, transgender/LGBTQI-positive
 
Nourish Your Mood is committed to a body-positive, fat-liberation approach.

Nourish Your Mood is transgender and non-binary-affirming. We welcome bodies living with disability and health conditions.
 
Eating with the Brain in Mind does not involve:
  • Deprivation
  • Weighing yourself or calorie talk
  • Using nutrition or mindfulness as more reasons to criticize yourself

Berries in Bowl
 When you Nourish Your Mood, you'll learn:

  • How to regulate your nervous system
  • Which foods -- and fats! –have been shown by research to support mood and brain health for some people
  • Confidence in feeding your unique mind
  • An affirming and transforming relationship with your body
  • How our amazing bodies come in a normal range of sizes
  • What one of the missing pieces might be to support your:
                         ○  mood
                         ○  concentration
                         ○  pain
                         ○ energy
                         ○ sleep
                         ○  sex drive
  • Daily practices -- and practices to have in your back pocket for moments of stress -- of:
    • Self-compassion
    • Eating meditation
    • Mindfulness
    • Yoga
    • And energy medicine, including tapping/Emotional Freedom Technique
 
Listen to my recent interview "Food, Mood and Renewal" here.



Heart made of black beans
You will receive:

  • An original manual developed by Reba, with mindfulness practices, worksheets, and a curated collection of research on food that research has shown can support mental health for some people
  • Access to an audio library that guides you through the practices, from 3-45 minutes in length

Topics include:
  • The gut/brain connection
  • Inflammation and depression
  • The human microbiome
  • Hunger, blood sugar, and mood
  • Cortisol, stress, and digestion

Each month, you are invited to try mindfulness practices, foods of a color of the (b)rainbow, and other foods research shows can support mental health in some people. You can carefully track how the foods and mindfulness practices support your particular issue -- mood, anxiety, memory, attention, energy, pain, or sex drive.

This 9-month in-depth program consists of:

Orientation on Sunday, January 31, 2021 , 2-4:00 pm PST.  
Register for a separate link for the orientation here.
 
Eight monthly Sunday meetings, Live online, February 21 - October 17, 2021, 2-4:30 pm PST, including breakout rooms so you can share more deeply. Find all the program dates here. 
 
Eight monthly conference calls, First Tuesday of the month, 7-7:45 pm PST, to support you in remembering to practice and to be self-compassionate. 
 
One all day Sunday mindfulness retreat, 9-4 pm PST, August 8, 2021



Past Students Have Experienced:

“I have much more energy ...that is a huge improvement...I am now sleeping through the night. I have no anxiety and my body pain is reduced to a level I can tolerate....I learned a great deal, and I am very glad to have this program’s tools as an ongoing resource.”
 
“I have changed....recognizing that I benefit from really checking in with my senses/various kinds of hunger to find out if a particular practice is good for me. I also stop and chew more and notice the sensations, feelings as I eat more. This feels more satisfying now.”


Walnuts
Is This Program For You? 

Nourish Your Mood: Meditation & Eating with the Brain in Mind may be of support to you if:
  • You’ve tried so many things, but still your anxiety persists
  • You live with autoimmune or digestive issues
  • You want to boost your mood in a holistic way
  • You can’t seem to implement change in your life even though you know the science
  • You want an experiential training in how to support your clients/patients
  • You’re willing to step off the scale and take a break from weighing yourself
 
This program may not be right for you now if:
  • You don't want to take a break from weighing yourself
  • You're dealing with an acute eating disorder
  • Directly exploring foods that might nourish you feels too triggering
Thank you for your clarity about what makes sense to you. I encourage you to explore Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction, Health at Every Size, Mindful Self-Compassion, Intuitive Eating, body liberation, fat acceptance, and/or eating disorder treatment.


Sounds intriguing? We'd love to have you join.
Enroll in "Nourish Your Mood: Meditation
​& Eating with the Brain in Mind" today.


Generosity Practice:

Register Now:
$950 for 9-month program.

Early-bird price is $850 until February 1, 2021 (Save $100)


Or Sliding Scale/Payment plan available.

Make a $50 deposit, then split the remainder into 2 payments, on 2/21/21 and
5/23/21.

Pay what you can for people on Medicaid/no household income. 


Continuing Education
Teachings are appropriate for healthcare professionals as well as the general public.
 CE credits for psychologists, LCSW, LPCC, LEP, and LMFT, and RNs are provided by the Spiritual Competency Resource Center (SCRC) which is co-sponsoring this program.

More info on CE here: https://www.centerforstressreduction.com/continuing-education.html

L. Reba Connell Headshot
About Reba 

I’m Reba Connell, Certified Mental Health Integrative Medicine Professional and clinical social worker. I've been focused on mindfulness and mental health nutrition and have taught therapists, health care providers, and stressed-out people to balance their mood and investigate the connection between mood and food with curiosity and self-compassion.
 
I have completed professional training in teaching Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction under the direction of Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn and Dr. Saki Santorelli and a training in teaching Mindful Eating through UCSD.
 
I have studied with Dr. Leslie Korn and many of the leaders in Mental Health Nutrition and the Functional Medicine. 
 
I deeply care about food justice and hope you'll envision and collaborate with me to create a world where nourishing food is available to all.


Satisfaction: Refunds as More Generosity Practice

If you are unsatisfied with the program, you can to request your money back as a donation to Urban Tilth free farm boxes for low-income people, or as a refund back to you.
​The contents of this website are for informational purposes only and are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
 

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Please give me a call to learn more about how I can help you, 510-594-8224.

Contact: I do not use email for confidential communication. I prefer to make a personal connection with you by phone.


Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Mental Health Nutrition, Eating Meditation, Couples Counseling, & Psychotherapy

Oakland, Rockridge, Berkeley, East Bay, San Francisco Bay Area, live online in California

Spanish-speaking therapist • psicoterapia y consejería en español


Copyright © L. Rebecca Connell. All Rights Reserved. Images courtesy of Margaretta Mitchell, deflorare.com, Sally Baker, and L. Rebecca Connell.