Hello! I am Hala. My journey into mindfulness began in the mid-2010s, inspired by personal experiences that revealed its incredible benefits. In 2016, I participated in a 14-day intensive meditation programme with the World Peace Initiative in Thailand. This experience taught me how inner peace can lead to peace in our external world.
Wanting to share mindfulness with others, I am now studying for a master’s degree in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy at the University of Oxford in the UK. Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) was developed in the early 2000s to help prevent depression by teaching people to see negative thoughts as temporary events rather than facts. Unlike cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), which challenges negative thoughts, MBCT encourages acceptance and perspective. Research led by Professor Willem Kuyken at Cambridge has shown that MBCT is an effective alternative to long-term antidepressant use.
My focus is on Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Life (MBCT-L), also known as Mindfulness for Life. This programme, developed by the University of Oxford, is designed for the general population and can be adapted to different settings. My goal is to integrate mindfulness into my work, reach more communities in various contexts, and promote wellbeing, mental health, and self-awareness. My dissertation explores how mindfulness-based interventions can serve as psychological first aid for survivors of wars and conflicts.
In addition to teaching MBCT-L, I will also be teaching “Finding Peace in a Frantic World,” a course that was delivered to the UK Parliament. You can find more information about it here and here. I will also offer short introductory courses on mindfulness.
Beyond mindfulness, I have an extensive career and global health, women empowerment and healthcare, hold a master’s degree in Global Health from Maastricht University and a bachelor’s degree in Dentistry and Maxillofacial Surgery from the University of Khartoum in Sudan.
Check my full profile on LinkedIn here.
Mindfulness with Hala 