SWK 8120 Jewish Meditation and Psychotherapy

This course builds upon the successes of Grounding the Strengths Perspective' and 'Spiritual Therapy,' and constitutes a renewal and re-envisioning of the Wurzweiler School of Social Work of Yeshiva University's founding tradition of Jewish Social Philosophy; it reflects core commitments to the highest levels of both Torah U'Madda and Humanistic, Strengths-Based, Social Work practice. The course is designed to teach authentic Jewish meditation to students of all backgrounds, as learned from traditional Jewish sources, complete with its integrating macro framework of consciousness and psychology, known in English as the 'Blueprint Model' or 'Core Faculties of Consciousness.' The course also shows the therapeutic applications and use of these meditation practices and its underlying system in conjunction with, as well as its ability to clarify the mechanisms of efficacy behind, cutting edge clinical modalities (e.g., 'IFS,' Internal Family Systems, Mind-Body Healing Modalities, e.g, Hakomi/Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, EMDR, etc.). It empowers students of traditional Jewish learning and those of all backgrounds, to draw from the riches of the meditative and spiritual and psychological traditions of Judaism, while simultaneously making a contribution to all of humanity on the analogy of 'Buddhism to Mindfulness.' No prior background in Jewish learning or Hebrew language and texts is required for the course; all students are welcome.

Credits

3