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Mindful Awareness in Body-oriented Therapy (MABT)

7 Days course

MABT combines manual therapy, mindfulness, and psychoeducational approaches to teach interoceptive awareness and related self-care skills



* The training is in English *

Interoceptive awareness is the ability to access and process sensory information from within one's own body.

Interoceptive awareness and self-care skills can be especially helpful for individuals living with chronic physical or mental health conditions, or recovering from trauma or pain and disconnected from their own bodies.

The MABT training protocol was developed by Dr. Cynthia Price and science-based.

MABT for therapists

Interoceptive awareness and self-care skills can be particularly helpful for individuals living with chronic physical or mental health conditions, or in recovery from trauma or chemical dependency as they provide alternative coping strategies to the bodily disconnection and experiential avoidance that can be quite prevalent and distressing for individuals with these health challenges.

MABT for trainers and coaches

MABT also promotes well-being in healthy individuals, important for preventative health care. Through skill training and practice, MABT helps to integrate sensory and cognitive processes, facilitating embodiment through cultivation of inner connection and an expanded sense of self. MABT practice facilitates self-awareness and emotion regulation, and thus can be useful for coping with stressful life events, symptom management, and health promotion.

Interview with Cynthia Price

In the videos below, Cynthia explains how the MABT came about, what you can expect from the method and its scientific basis.

Mindful Awareness in Body-oriented Therapy (MABT) - How it started

Mindfulness on the massage table! Delivered individually, MABT is particularly useful for individuals who are disconnected from their bodies due to stress, pain, & trauma. This in depth course focuses on embodiment training with an emphasis on developing capacity to attend to inner body experience and integrating interoceptive awareness into daily life for self-care

Mindful Awareness in Body-oriented Therapy (MABT) - The treatment

Interoceptive awareness and self-care skills can be particularly helpful for individuals living with chronic physical or mental health conditions, or in recovery from trauma or chemical dependency, as they provide alternative coping strategies to the bodily disconnection and experiential avoidance that can be quite prevalent and distressing for individuals with these health challenges.

Mindful Awareness in Body-oriented Therapy (MABT) - Research

This training will give practitioners the information and practice needed to teach their clients how to develop interoceptive awareness and related self-care tools that can be integrated into their daily life to promote emotion regulation.

MABT is now an empirically-validated protocol for interoceptive awareness training to promote health.

Content of the MABT training

MABT is unique among mindfulness-based programs in its use of touch to teach and develop interoceptive awareness.

This training offers participants:

  • The theoretical framework of the MABT methodology.
  • Plenty of room for hands-on practice of the methodology needed to teach clients how to develop interoceptive self-care awareness and integrate it into their daily lives to promote emotion regulation.

  • The training is in English and the exchange in the small group is in Dutch.

  • The protocol consists of three different phases.
    Phase 1: Identifying bodily awarenesses
    Phase 2: learning and developing strategies for interoceptive awareness
    Phase 3: further developing the ability to integrate interoceptive awareness into and promote emotion regulation.

Learning goals

  • The intervention itself involves individual 90-minute sessions over approximately 8-10 weeks Learning goals
  • The professional can apply the core elements of the MABT training within his/her professional working environment.
  • The professional has both theoretical and experiential knowledge of the different components of MABT and the role of interoceptive awareness for self-care and emotion regulation.
  • The professional has knowledge of the relationship between interoceptive awareness and mindfulness.
  • The professional is aware of the importance of continuous mindfulness practice and mindful awareness within the therapeutic framework in which he/she works and propagates this.
  • The professional recognizes and responds appropriately to clinical aspects/problems that may occur within MABT training.
  • The professional has the clinical skills necessary to deliver the MABT training through the interaction, feedback and assessment of instructors.

Trainer Cynthia Price

Mindful Awareness in Body-oriented Therapy (MABT)

Cynthia Price is a Research Professor at the University of Washington and director of the Center for Mindful Body Awareness. 

Cynthia is committed to increasing access to health care for underserved populations and partners with local and international programs to provide and improve complementary and integrative health care through its research, education and service. More information about the trainer can be found here:

Center for Mindful Body Awareness and University of Washington

Assistant trainer Dana Colgan

Dana (Dharmakaya) Colgan, PhD is a clinical psychologist and a long-time student of mindfulness.

An Assistant Professor in the Dept of Neurology at the Oregon School of Health Sciences,  Dharmakaya will be assisting with the course.

A unique 7-day course in Maastricht, The Nederlands

Adress location

Duitsepoort 13 A, 6221 VA Maastricht

Maastricht station is a 10-minute walk away.

You can park nearby, at the Heerderweg (on the other side of the track).