Esalen Institute is open! However, Highway 1 to the south is closed — please review the current travel advisory.
Learn More.

Learn more.

Due to road closures along Highway 1 to our north and south, Esalen is closed through April 11.
Esalen Institute is open! However, Highway 1 to the south is closed — please review the current travel advisory.
past workshop

Cultivating Vitality in Body, Mind, and Spirit: The Ecosystem of Mental Well-Being

May 27–29, 2022

with Cassandra Vieten and Elissa Epel

What is vitality? Exuberance, vibrance, sparkle, spirit, and verve — terms rarely found in psychology textbooks. Vulnerability to depression and anxiety is widespread, and our culture’s traditional emphasis is on reducing symptoms with drugs that alter certain neurotransmitters, which is only part of the picture. We are living in a new era where vulnerabilities can become strengths, and where what used to be stigma becomes common humanity. Good mental health is being redefined in terms of stress resilience, post-traumatic growth, and vitality.

This workshop explores evidence-based tools for living a vibrant life, even in the presence of stress, depression, anxiety, or any pain we may be carrying. We will help you build your own ecosystem of mental well being — including new ways to foster vitality and purpose, through caring for the brain, body, and gut, including:

  • Hot and cold exposures
  • Optimal physical challenges
  • Breathing techniques
  • Meditation
  • Embodied movement

A mental health renaissance is underway. Mental well-being is being redefined, and a range of evidence-based, whole-person approaches are gaining ground. Learn from renowned authors and scientists actively engaged in the field how to create an ecosystem of mental well-being for yourself and your clients.

Continuing education credit is available for some professionals through the Spiritual Competency Academy. See detailed approval information and learning objectives.

Cassandra Vieten

Cassandra Vieten, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist, mind-body medicine researcher, author, consultant, and public speaker. She is a clinical professor in the Department of Family Medicine's Centers for Integrative Health at the University of California, San Diego, where she serves as the director of the Center for Mindfulness and as Director of Research at the Arthur C. Clarke Center for Human Imagination. Cassi is also co-founder and Clinical Psychology Director at the Psychedelics and Health Research Initiative at UCSD, Senior Advisor of the John W. Brick Mental Health Foundation, and Senior Fellow at the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS), where she worked for 18 years. She served as CEO/President from 2013-2016.

Full Bio

Elissa Epel

Elissa Epel, PhD, is a professor at UCSF, author of  New York Times bestseller, The Telomere Effect, and past president of the Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research. She is an expert on stress and contemplative practices, including mindful eating for optimal metabolic balance.

Full Bio