A Sampling of Extracts from Evaluation forms from MBSR course
taught at SUMMIT MEDICAL GROUP'S Education Center, Berkeley Heights, NJ, Winter and Spring, 2008.

1. If you only knew where I was a year ago…well, you would probably believe it! A patient of mine at the internship I’m finishing up commented a few days ago that my face had changed and it was because I am becoming more PEACEFUL. It’s something I’ve striven for my whole life and obtained for brief pockets. I believe I now have the tools to possess that peace at this very moment. It’s not as elusive or as lofty as I once thought it was! I’m so excited for the future for the first time in so long, and as I’ve said, my gratitude for you and your course is etched in my heart. I’ve told many of my own patients about your course because I can see the suffering of my patients, not just the physical, but the mental and emotional and spiritual damage that my patients are carrying. As a health care practitioner I so deeply desire to give them the gift of healing, or at least show them the door!
   – A.M., Physical therapist
   
2. I have learned to manage the anxiety of the current issues of my life by using MBSR. It has allowed me to view the anxiety clearly as just that, not to color the rest of my experiences in my life and rest of the day. – B. J.
   
3. This mindfulness experience has created a turning point for me – in my life as a mother, a cancer patient, and as a whole human being. Taking the time for myself has been a gift in itself. Learning about how unconscious my breathing has been has given me an incredible, valuable tool to respond to the stresses of my life. I am breathing through daily challenges with my teenager, which has enabled a dramatically lighter tone to prevail in our home. Having a number of practices to use gives me the variety I crave and enables me to exercise all parts of myself mindfully. Mindfulness surrounds me in surprising ways now too as I watch how I do things – the shower, bedtime rituals, getting dressed, etc. I feel so much more connected to myself after this experience!
   I can’t say enough about the quality of the program. – M. H., life coach
   
4. Meditating, staying more in the moment, and new insights have removed the disabling aspects of anxiety, for the most part. I believe my continued use of sitting meditation, which I like best – and yoga (which I’ve done in the past) along with my 5 X / weekly fast walking that I do – will accrue and change the effort I need to put forth to feel good and in the moment. – M. M., psychotherapist
   
5. I have taken away from this course to really be in the moment. I used to worry about the future and always re-examine the past. I’ve learned to just live for the moment. Perhaps I will be a little more selfish because I plan on taking every Wed night off to just be with myself and do things solely for myself to try and find who I am. I think the road ahead will be full of light. – G. A., lawyer
   
6. Now I am aware that the present moment is in the arrival, the transition as well as in the silence. Each of these are all I have in that moment. I have slowed down. I feel more collected – maybe safer in the moments I am in. I remind myself to breathe – to realize I am thirsty, to stop and breathe and to drink, eat, reach out with intentionality. – M. J.
   
7. I recognized that I have a hard time being kind to myself. I am inherently distrustful, especially of anything that hints of zealotry. I surprised myself by attending all the sessions. – M. K., business man
   
8. I feel, however, it has been an effective tool for reducing my mostly subliminal anxiety. Thank you all for your giving and gentle ways. – E. E., board member of a nonprofit organization
   
9. Present moment: this course has given me the opportunity to stop and seek the silence, be in the moment, and appreciate what is all around me. The process is helping me know myself better; but I have a lot to learn. I am starting to carve out my own space and ask for what I need. I am at a very painful time in my life; both physically and emotionally. It seems that I am being bombarded with problems and issues; too many at one time. But I am, thanks to this course, pushing to really reflect with a short prayer and meditation to start the day. – P. H., nurse
   
10. The key piece that I have learned about the nature of the present moment is that “it is what it is” and forever changing. This I feel more accepting of myself recognizing that these moments are neither good or bad; perhaps I am more aware of letting go of the “shoulds”. – C. I., nurse
    
11. Last week I was passing a door at the mall, a reflective door, and I saw an image of a peaceful loving person and I thought to myself – what a pretty woman. Looking closer I recognized myself!! The strange moment by moment I am learning to act back in touch with the I that is impermanent – the joy that was already there. More peace and serenity are spouting in my soul, and I am indebted to mindfulness. I could go on forever with examples! I am learning to be more accepting of the totality of my experience – the “bad” and the “good”. In turn this is helping me love myself more and to be more present and compassionate for other people.
    I cannot thank you enough for helping me change my life. –physical therapist
    
12. I have been practicing mindfulness for about 10 years, but I really tried to come to this class with a beginner’s mind. What I really appreciated about Jon Kabat-Zinnn’s (and your) presentation is its “everydayness” – that the language of spirituality is not overbearing, but naturally emanates from the practice. There is always waxing and waning in personal practice and lately I had been going through a great loss of motivation because of real pain coming from the practice. Coming to this class fulfilled my hope – that I would be able to reconnect with basic being, remembering what brought me to this work in the first place all those years ago. Thank you for your genuineness and your kindness in bring this vital work to people. – C. S., neuropsychologist
    
13. The Bottom Line is I find myself at that end of the course wanting to spend much more time being in the present – not the past and future – not judging – and with affection. F.C., business woman
    
14. I used to get this shaky feeling inside when I was stressed or aggravated. The feeling is almost never there anymore and when it is, if I do some mindful breathing, it really helps.
    Before this course, I was often doing other things while I was with my kids. Talking on the phone, checking email, etc. I’m not sure why, but I wasn’t really “being” with my kids. Being able to stay at home with my kids is a privilege and a gift. I’m not clear on why I found it necessary to multitask with them. So now, I am trying really hard not to be doing several things at once. Practicing the different meditations (sitting, body scan, yoga) has changed my life in so many ways. I find that when I get up before my kids are up and dedicate this time just for me, my days seem so much more calm. I have more energy, even though I slept less. I am, simply put, a better mother and person. – V. C., housewife
    
15. I am so happy to have had your course and have had several opportunities to breathe mindfully to restore my balance in the last week. We are so fortunate to have learned how to reach inside ourselves and grow new ways to handle life’s complexities. – M. J.
    
16. I benefit from looking nonjudgmentally at myself and my surroundings. This process allows me to appreciate how we have all done so much to evolve to our current selves. And that more possibilities for growth are around every corner. The teachers were flexible leaders of this course. Through exercises, discussion, and repetition of key points, they provided a warm and engaging place for self-exploration. The discipline has been key to making progress. The class’s structure helped me “stay the course”. – S. B., clinical psychologist
    
17. I found the course very informative, very fulfilling. I learned that the present moment is worth capturing, but often missed if I do not consciously become mindful. I learned that I had lost touch with my body and spend too much time in my mind. When I had fewer responsibilities, long ago, I was in touch with my body, but over time I stopped making space for it. I am grateful to discover that I can include it in my life again and that it is a source of untapped power and comfort that I have been largely unaware of. - T. M., neuropsychologist
    
18. How do I even begin? MBSR has changed my life – and enriched it. My greatest fear has always been that I’ll be full of regret – in that I’ll look back at my youth and feel I missed out – that I’ll wake up next to a woman I don’t love and go to a job that I hate …etc. I realize now that that fear was fulfilling itself! Not consciously, of course, but that I spent so much time worrying about how I would look back on things that I was missing out on doing them. I realize I have been rushing through life constantly disappointed that it didn’t meet my expectations. Right before the course I found myself disengaging from life in a vain effort to slow things down – and in so doing I felt guilty I wasn’t accomplishing anything. Now I realize how important and easy (paradoxically easy in that it’s hard work – perhaps attainable is a better word) it is to let go of the guilt and to be in the moment – to stop rushing through everything. - J.G., businessman
    
19. From this experience I recognized how little I take for myself in the way of time, energy, resources, etc. This experience felt like a “spa” to me. Ironically or fittingly I’ve never been to a spa, but I imagined this was how it should be. I’ve always meditated, but as I’ve aged, I recognized how essential it is to my being no less than the daily shower or cup of coffee, or lunch I need to have. I could do without all of those elements for a day, but certainly no more than that. This course confirmed my interest in pursuing and following meditation as a way of life for all – one person at a time … - J. A., neuropsychologist
    
20. I am really enjoying the class and the benefits of meditating. My life is changing every day and things that used to seem tedious are now enjoyable. My husband and I take turns putting the girls to bed while the other one does the dishes and stays with the baby. After being with the girls all day I often preferred when it was my dish night. Just recently I noticed that I am enjoying it when it’s my night to be with the girls. I now see it as an opportunity to be with them without Jack needing all of my attention. The girls often take turns brushing my hair while the two girls read us a story. It’s really relaxing and enjoyable. Amazing, because the routine has not really changed at all. Just me and my heart.
    
21. When my oldest daughter was 4 years old, I noticed her eye was crossing sometimes and took her to the doctor. It turned out she had very poor vision in her right eye and needed glasses. I was very concerned that she wouldn’t want to wear them. The day we picked up the glasses and we were driving home, she said in her cute little four year old voice, “Mama, look at those trees and those pretty flowers!” It was as if she was “seeing” them for the first time. It had never occurred to me that she couldn’t see well. I was so grateful that she was happy with her glasses and didn’t see them as a burden, but a way for her to experience the world like she never had before.
    
    Ever since we did the homework a few weeks ago about observing positive experiences, I feel like my daughter with her new glasses. I was holding my baby one day after he woke up from a nap and he was cuddling up against my face. I was amazed at how soft his skin felt and how my skin seemed more sensitive to touch than ever. It literally brought me to tears. I am so grateful to all of you and this incredible workshop.
    – V.C., currently stay at home Mom