Tara Brach (born May 17, 1953) is a American psychologist and expert on Buddhist meditation. She is also the founder and senior teacher of the Insight Meditation Community of Washington, a spiritual community that teaches and practices Vipassana meditation. This group's Wednesday night meeting in Bethesda, Maryland, which is taught by Dr. Brach, regularly attracts hundreds of people per week.[1] She has worked with Jack Kornfield and other Vipassana meditation experts.[2] Brach also teaches Buddhist meditation at many meditation and yoga centers in the United States and Canada including Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California, the Kripalu Center,[3] and the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies.[4]
A clinical psychologist, she has taught on the application of Buddhist teachings to emotional healing.[1] In 2003, Brach authored Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life With the Heart of a Buddha, which encapsulated Brach's application of Buddhist teachings such as mindfulness to the psychological process of accepting and healing trauma. Brach is a peace activist, and an engaged Buddhist. She founded the Washington, DC Buddhist Peace Fellowship.[5] which is a subsidiary of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship.
Brach presently resides in Virginia with her husband, Jonathan Foust, who is also a yoga and meditation teacher.
Contents |
Brach received a doctorate in clinical psychology from the Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara, California.[1] She wrote a dissertation analyzing how individuals with eating disorders can utilize meditation as a healing technique.
She helped evolve the Community Dharma Leader 4 Program, that provides aspiring meditation teachers with a 2-year training regime that includes retreats and mentoring, at Spirit Rock Meditation Center.[6] She now holds conferences at conference centers such as Omega Institute for Holistic Studies in conjunction with Kornfield.[7]
|
|||||||||||