Psychological and Quantitative Foundations

Student Develops Meditation DVD

Derek Turesky, a doctoral student in Counseling Psychology, has created a DVD to guide users in mindfulness meditation, a form of meditation that focuses on living in the moment.

“Instead of perpetually worrying about the future or past, mindfulness teaches us to embrace our lives in the now,” Turkesy said. “Through regular practice of mindfulness meditation, one learns to enter into a state of ‘being’ rather than ‘doing.’”

Turesky became interested in mindfulness meditation eight years ago, while recovering from a car accident. “I discovered the incredible power of the mind to heal the body,” he said.

Since then, he attended specialized training under Jon Kabat-Zinn, a pioneer in the practice.

The DVD, Mindfulness Meditation and Stress Reduction for Beginners: The Garden of NOW, is available on Amazon.com and integrates visual and auditory step-by-step guidance and training.

Turesky, who has held practicums at University Counseling Service, the Iowa City Senior Center, the Iowa City Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center, and University Hospitals’ Spine Center, said the meditation is a powerful tool for his clients

. “Scientific research suggests that mindfulness is not only a powerful tool for managing stress, but that it is also helpful for many other physical and psychological problems including depression, anxiety, chronic pain, immune functioning, psoriasis and more,” Turesky said. Jay Greenfeld, a fellow doctoral student, said he uses the DVD himself and has presented it to students in his “Understanding Stress and Coping” course as well as in workshops.

He said his students find the guidance useful.

“It has helped them begin their day with a deeper relaxed connection to their mind and body and end their day with a more lasting sense of self fulfillment,” he said. “The DVD will help individuals step back, slow down, and truly be present in the moment.”