The Embodied Mind: The Somatic Language of Thoughts and Emotions (JS1D26)

Please only register for one of the two formats: On-Land or Online.

Registration closes at 9:00am (Pacific Time) on October 18, 2026. A waiting list will be created if the program fills early. A recording* will be available following the program.

This program offers 4 CEs at $40. For more CE details, see below.

Description:
Emerging research on the predictive aspect of the nervous system suggests the body doesn’t just react to our thoughts and emotions — it can and does anticipate them, generating predictions that may shape what we’re about to feel and think even before we’ve consciously registered it. The hair rising on the back of your neck, a gut feeling before you know why: these are signs of the nervous system registering and responding to signals caring for us, before they’ve been consciously processed as thought or story. What we experience as spontaneous is often the tail end of a process that began in the body moments earlier. This daylong workshop trains attention on that predictive layer and develops interoception, or internal awareness, the felt sense arising in real time prior to story or interpretation. We’ll explore meditation and mindfulness practices along with self – guided breathing as a bridge between body and mind — to build sensitivity to early signals of the raw data that the nervous system is constantly generating. Through breathwork and nervous-system-informed relaxation techniques, we’ll practice intervening at the point of origin, where there is still room to choose a different response rather than being carried by a habit reaction, already set in motion.

On-Land Sliding Scale: (JS1D26)**
Benefactor – $310
Sustainer – $235
Basic – $140
Scholarship Rate (BIPOC, Mudita/Karuna, Young Adult) – $70
**Volunteer/Work Exchange opportunities, which include full or partial Scholarships, may be available for the in-person program. For more information, please contact the Volunteer Coordinator at volunteering@spiritrock.org.

Online Sliding Scale: (JS1Z26)***
Benefactor – $175
Sustainer – $95
Basic – $75
Scholarship Rate (BIPOC, Mudita/Karuna) – $45
***Online Program: All are welcome! No one will be turned away for lack of funds as space allows. For more information, please email Registration@spiritrock.org no later than 12:00pm (NOON) PT on the day prior to the program date.

Access to Recording

• Registration includes unlimited access to this program’s recording. You must register by the deadline above. The recording will be available in ~10 days after the program.

On-Land Attendees

• The on-land program will take place in the Community Meditation Center (CMC) in the Great Hall.
• Bring a lunch and a water bottle. Lunch is not provided.
• This is NOT a residential retreat. Overnight accommodations are not provided.

COVID Safety Protocols for non-residential programs: details here.

Cancellation Policy for On-Land: Daylongs, Multiday Programs (1-3 days), Family Programs, CE fees:

• NO REFUNDS.
• Open Credit or Donation to Spirit Rock = cancel 2 or more business days prior to program (Pacific Time)
• No Open Credit = cancel less than 2 business days prior

This program is applicable for licensed and license-eligible mental health and health care professionals, including psychologists, social workers (LCSW, LSW), counselors (LPC, LCPC, LMHC), marriage and family therapists, nurses (RN, NP), chiropractors, and other health care professionals, seeking education in interoceptive awareness and nervous-system-informed mindfulness and body-based approaches to emotion regulation. Please review our Continuing Education information page for provider details, and to determine if your association or board will accept credits offered by Spirit Rock.

Participants will explore the predictive and interoceptive dimensions of the nervous system — how the body registers and responds to internal signals prior to conscious cognitive appraisal — and practice mindfulness, breathwork, and attention-based techniques to build awareness of these early physiological signals. This program supports professionals seeking to deepen their understanding of body-based awareness practices relevant to client work involving stress, emotional regulation, and nervous-system responsiveness. In clinical and caregiving settings, this heightened capacity for interoceptive awareness can support professionals in recognizing early physiological cues — in themselves and in their clients — informing a more attuned, responsive engagement around stress and emotional regulation.

Learning Objectives for participating health care professionals-
At the end of the program, participants will be better able to:

• Describe the framework of predictive processing and interoceptive inference as a construct for understanding how the body may anticipate and shape emotional and cognitive experience.
• Differentiate between an automatic physiological reaction and a consciously chosen response, using interoceptive awareness skills practiced in session.
• Utilize one or more mindfulness-based breath and body-focused attention techniques to build sensitivity and identify early interoceptive signals, as they arise in the body and mind.

Attendance policy for CE participants:

• Full, live attendance is required. Incomplete attendance nullifies CE eligibility, as board regulations do not permit partial credit for partial attendance.
• Sign in and out at the CE table, on time.
• Submit your professional information within one week of receiving the link. This link will be emailed within 2 business days after the program to all participants who met the attendance requirements.
• Certificates are issued only to those who meet the attendance requirements—without exception—to maintain compliance with our provider licenses and ensure the continuation of future CE programs.

Please note:

• Visit our Continuing Education information page for complete provider details and additional CE information, including attendance requirements and our cancellation and grievance policies.
• Continuing Education is sponsored by Mindful CECs.
• Mindful CECs is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Mindful CECs maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
• Mindful CECs is a provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider Number CEP17985 for 4 contact hours.
• Participants are responsible for determining whether this program meets the CE requirements of their licensing board or certifying organization. Spirit Rock does not confirm CE applicability for license types beyond the scope of Mindful CECs’ provider approvals.
• Credit is awarded for instructional time only and does not include extended silent meditation, if offered.
• Conflict of Interest Statement: This instructor may have authored publications relevant to the subjects covered in this course, and may teach additional programs. The instructor might reference these publications and programs during the course, and may receive financial compensation if participants choose to purchase them.