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Karen Kissel Wegela Ph.D.

About

Karen Kissel Wegela, Ph.D., is a professor at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, where she has taught "Contemplative Psychotherapy," an integration of Buddhist psychological principles and the practice of psychotherapy, since 1981. She is a psychologist who has worked in a variety of settings and is currently in private practice. The author of numerous articles and chapters as well as two books, The Courage to Be Present: Buddhism, Psychotherapy, and the Awakening of Natural Wisdom (2009) and What Really Helps: Using Mindfulness & Compassionate Presence to Help, Support, and Encourage Others (2010), she has presented at workshops and conferences both nationally and internationally.

Books by Karen Kissel Wegela Ph.D.
Recent Posts
Mindfulness in Motion
By including walking in our meditation practice, we prepare to bring the fruit of our mindfulness practice into the rest of our lives.
The Most Important Moment in Meditation

The issue isn't whether we get distracted when we meditate. What matters is what we do when we notice.

The issue isn't whether we get distracted when we meditate. What matters is what we do when we notice.

Working Mindfully with Anxiety

A Buddhist-based mindfulness approach to working with anxiety suggests a couple of things. First, of course, if there's an easy way to relieve one's anxiety-a way that doesn't involve masking it or just distracting oneself-that should be used. The second approach is to work with anxiety by bringing mindfulness to our actual experience. For most of us, this feels counter-intuitive. We want to get rid of our anxiety, not get to know it better!

A Buddhist-based mindfulness approach to working with anxiety suggests a couple of things. First, of course, if there's an easy way to relieve one's anxiety-a way that doesn't involve masking it or just distracting oneself-that should be used. The second approach is to work with anxiety by bringing mindfulness to our actual experience. For most of us, this feels counter-intuitive. We want to get rid of our anxiety, not get to know it better!