Easing the Cycle of Distress in Serious Illness: Three Mindfulness Approaches for Clinical Therapeutic Work

LIVE Workshop: Tuesday, January 20th, 2026

When individuals face serious illness, their minds can stir a storm of thoughts and emotions—regrets about the past, fears of what lies ahead, and worries about how others perceive them. These mental patterns often cycle between worst-case scenarios and self-blame, amplifying emotions like fear, sadness, and anger, and leaving people feeling overwhelmed and stuck.

Guided by Susan Bauer-Wu, author of Leaves Falling Gently, this workshop invites helping professionals to explore how mindfulness can offer a way through cycles of distress. Participants will explore foundational knowledge about the interplay between thoughts, emotions, and the body. We’ll examine how thoughts and emotions interact, learn simple yet powerful practices to ease their intensity, and discover how to bring these approaches into clinical and caregiving settings. Through insight, compassion, and practical strategies, participants will gain tools to better support those navigating the emotional challenges of illness.

In this workshop, you will:

• Understand how unhelpful thoughts and overwhelming emotions manifest in serious illness and their cyclical impact on emotional and physical well-being.

• Engage in three mindfulness approaches to help manage overwhelm—including observing, redirecting, and non-judging—to help clients ease the grip of distressing thoughts and emotions.

• Apply inquiry-based prompts and sensory awareness strategies into client work to foster insight, compassion, and emotional resilience in those facing serious illness.

This workshop includes on-demand CE learning and resources:

• A PDF Facilitation Guide: Supporting Clients Through Cycles of Distress
• On-Demand learning on:
  
  • Understanding the Cycle of Distress in Serious Illness
  • Three Mindfulness Approaches for Managing Unhelpful Thoughts and Cycles of Distress
  • Inquiry and Integration Tools for Guiding Clients Through Distress
• Professional transcripts for easy reference.
• A replay of the live workshop.

CE Hours = 1.5

MEMBER ACCESS: Click Here

NOT A MEMBER? Gain access to this event with a free trial membership:

Susan Bauer-Wu is a healthcare leader and book author who integrates her experience as a clinician, mindfulness teacher, end-of-life doula, and contemplative scientist. She previously served as president of the Mind and Life Institute, an organization co-founded by the Dalai Lama. Susan began her career as an oncology, psych/mental health, and palliative care/hospice nurse, and later received a PhD in psychoneuroimmunology and post-doctoral training in psycho-oncology and behavioral medicine, and held faculty positions at the University of Virginia, Emory University, and Harvard Medical School. In 2021, Mindful recognized her as one of “the most powerful women in the mindfulness movement.” She is the author of the recently refreshed and released book, Leaves Falling Gently: Living Fully with Serious Illness through Mindfulness, Compassion, & Connectedness (2025), as well as A Future We Can Love (2023).