Trainer
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Dr Bruno CayounDirector | Trainer | ResearcherDr Bruno Cayoun is a clinical and research psychologist and developer of Mindfulness-integrated Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (MiCBT). He is the founder and Director of the MiCBT Institute, a leading provider of MiCBT training and professional development to mental health services and professional associations internationally since 2003.
Bruno keeps a private practice in Hobart, Australia, undertakes mindfulness research at the MiCBT Institute, and regularly cooperates on mindfulness-based research with various universities in Australia and abroad. He has a strong interest in Buddhist psychology and has practised mindfulness meditation in the Burmese Vipassana tradition of Ledi Sayadaw, U Ba Khin and S. N. Goenka and undergone intensive training in France, Nepal, India, and Australia since 1989.
Bruno is the author of several books, including Mindfulness-integrated CBT: Principles and Practice (Wiley, 2011), Mindfulness-integrated CBT for Well-Being and Personal Growth: Four Steps to Enhance Inner Calm, Self-Confidence and Relationships (Wiley, 2015), co-author of The Clinical Handbook of Mindfulness‐integrated Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (Wiley, 2019) and The Mindfulness and Meditation Workbook for Anxiety and Depression (New Harbinger, 2024). His mindfulness training audio instructions are used worldwide in various languages, and he is the principal developer of validated questionnaires, including the Short Progress Assessment , the Mindfulness-based Self Efficacy Scale, and co-developer of the Equanimity Scale 16.
Dissociative and avoidant states are integral human survival strategies. However, these states are also found to be maladaptive responses to a perception of threat in chronic pain conditions and emotional disorders. Dissociation can range from common daily experiences of being on automatic pilot and absentminded to clinical symptoms of derealisation and depersonalisation. Pathological avoidance may be seen as an analogue behaviour state whereby avoiding contact with a stimulus prevents discomfort. Because MiCBT involves various exposure techniques in each of the four stages, it is helpful for therapists to understand the most profound nature and mechanisms of dissociation and avoidance and how to address the unpleasant effects of meditation—the so-called “adverse effects of meditation”. Therapists may also find their clients’ avoidance of practice challenging to address. This can range from difficulty adhering to treatment protocol to a regular absence at appointments and eventual dropping out of the programme.
This masterclass will provide a helpful explanation of dissociation and avoidant states and assist you in adapting the MiCBT skills to minimise and overcome their effects. It will also offer ways of normalising avoidant habits with clients to prevent guilt and keep them engaged.
You will learn:
- How to understand and case conceptualise dissociation and avoidance with the co-emergence model of reinforcement
- A rationale for using MiCBT with dissociation and avoidance
- How dissociation and avoidance act as mutual reinforcers in memory
- How to better understand and address the so-called “adverse effects” of mindfulness meditation