Cultivating Emotional Balance (CEB)

Cultivating Emotional Balance (CEB).

In 2010, Geraldine took part in the first Cultivating Emotional Balance (CEB) Teacher Training Programme at the International Mind Acadamy, Phuket.  She has gained accreditation from Professor Paul Ekman and Dr. Alan Wallace to teach this programme in the UK, currently she is only one of three in the UK to have gained accreditation to teach CEB.

Cultivating Emotional Balance (CEB) is a ground breaking evidenced based 'contemplative and emotional regulation' training programme.  It was devised by Professor Paul Ekman, a world renowned psychologist within the field emotions and Dr. Alan Wallace, a highly respected academic within the field of meditation and contemplative science. This programme is unique, focussing on both theory and practice, enabling participants to integrate their experiential understanding into a theoretical framework. There are two components to this programme; a psychological component looking at emotions, how they arise and express themselves through the body and behaviour. The second component is the contemplative component where for the past 2,500 years these traditions have developed great insight into the nature and workings of the mind to overcome destructive emotions and cultivate positive emotions conducive to overall wellbeing and genuine happiness.

This programme explains four aspects of mental balance needed for psychological wellbeing namely; conative, attentional, cognitive, and emotional. Conative balance has to do with cultivating meaningful desires and aspirations that truly contribute to one's own and others' wellbeing. Attentional balance focused on overcoming attention deficit and hyperactivity, replacing these imbalances with a sense of inner calm, centeredness, and clarity. Cognitive balance is achieved through the cultivation of mindfulness so that we can experience the world without cognitive distortions. Finally, emotional balance has to do with emotional resilience, composure, and inner wellbeing.

Research for this programme was conducted on school teachers (see abstract-compassion research). 

Mindflow offers Cultivating Emotional Balance for teachers and has developed a programme, Mind Body Balance, specifically for primary school children.  Teaching all aspects of mental balance needed for psychological wellbeing through the practice of mindfulness meditation, attentional training, contemplative training and mindfulness yoga.

Although the evidence base for CEB has been carried out on school teachers, CEB is open and applicable to all.