Feeling Secure in an Unstable World
Buddhism and Psychology meet
Internal investigation plays a key role in our ability to overcome feelings of insecurity, develop a secure base, and establish healthy relationships. In this six-unit course, Buddhist teacher Josh Korda will explore variety of insights and practices—drawn from early Buddhism as well as contemporary psychology—that can help us acknowledge and process emotional experiences that destabilize us, eventually enabling us to thrive in an uncertain world.
Group Rates
We offer discounted rates to groups of five or more. If you're interested in taking this course as a group or with your sangha, please fill out this form.
Disclaimer
Feeling Secure in an Unstable World is based on a series of talks Josh presented to the Dharma Punx community. Josh is a leading voice in the intersection between Buddhism and psychology, but he is not a licensed psychologist. If you are experiencing mental or emotional distress, please seek help from a trained professional.
Feeling Secure in an Unstable World was filmed with Dharma Punx at Maha Rose Center for Healing in Brooklyn, New York, where Josh is a presiding teacher.
Using Buddhist and Psychological Tools to Work with Anxiety
Has anxiety become a habitual part of your life, impacting your ability to function day-to-day? In the United States, currently over 40 million people suffer from an anxiety disorder, and countless others experience periods of worrying that negatively affect their concentration, quality of life, and ability to relax and sleep.
The good news is that there are straightforward steps one can take to develop an overall sense of security in life. In our new course, Feeling Secure in an Unstable World, Buddhist teacher Josh Korda presents a variety of insights and practices—drawn from both early Buddhism and contemporary therapeutic techniques—that can help us build resilience to life's setbacks.
In order to feel an overall sense of safety as well as confident in relationships and empowered to explore new opportunities in life, we need to operate from a secure base, meaning that our experiences are recognized, understood, cared about, and appreciated. Over six units, Josh will map out how we can cultivate these resources externally (through a supportive network of friends and communities) as well as internally (by training in core Buddhist practices).
In each unit, Josh will introduce a new guided meditation that will enable us to create safe containers in which we can recognize and respond to the breadth of our emotions, and in the process, begin to relate to others more authentically. We’ll also train in relating to our internal experiences with acceptance and kindness rather than judgment and repression.
Features
Join us for a unique exploration of psychological insight and Buddhist practice, during which you will:
- Explore the importance of establishing a secure psychological base
- Find out how mindfulness meditation can enable us to connect with and feel our emotions more fully
- Discover how Buddhist meditation on the four sublime statess, or brahmaviharas—lovingkindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity—can help address attachment issues
- Learn about therapeutic and Buddhist tools that increase our ability to tolerate distress and relax the body to restore equilibrium
- Integrate what the Buddha taught on the importance of associating with wise friends into our everyday relationships
- Dig into the origins of irrational behaviors from a Buddhist and neuroscientific perspective in order to deal with obsessive worrying, procrastination, conflict avoidance, binging behaviors, and other self-sabotaging habits
- Reflect on how reliable, safe connections with others afford us greater security, less anxiety, and more meaningful purpose in life.
Curriculum
This is a self-study course and you are invited to progress at your own pace. You can start today. Each lesson will offer roughly one hour of material to work with, including weekly video teachings, prompts for reflection, optional quizzes, and a communal discussion board. There will also be suggested take-home practices, including guided meditations, for you to explore throughout the week. You will retain access to the course after it has ended.
Unit 1 | The Foundations of a Secure Base
We explore the importance of establishing a secure psychological base and how it provides the foundation for embracing life's rich opportunities. We will use mindfulness meditation to connect with our emotions and feel them fully.
Unit 2 | How We Bond with Others
Early Buddhist ideas about personality are cohesive with our contemporary psychological understanding of human attachment. We will see how Buddhist meditation on lovingkindness, compassion, joy for others, and equanimity can help address attachment issues.
Unit 3 | Working with Social Anxiety
Anxiety can be triggered by a wide range of stimuli. Josh discusses therapeutic as well as Buddhist tools that increase our ability to tolerate distress and then gradually relax the body to restore equilibrium.
Unit 4 | Primary Relationships
As the Buddha noted, we are deeply influenced by those we associate with, which can be to our benefit or detriment. The security of a wise companion can nurture greater feelings of safety and confidence, creating stability in our relationships. This talk blends early Buddhist teachings on locating wise friends with contemporary insights on identifying secure attachment in other individuals.
Unit 5 | Understanding Irrational Behaviors
How are irrational behaviors triggered? What are their origins, and what can we do about them? Josh pairs early Buddhist teachings with lessons from contemporary neuroscience to deal with obsessive worrying, procrastination, conflict avoidance, binging behaviors, and other self-sabotaging habits.
Unit 6 | Finding Purpose
Josh reviews the dominant themes and practices of this course. We reflect on how establishing reliable connections with other people not only allows us to experience security and reduce anxiety but also can move us toward finding purpose in life.
About Josh Korda
Josh Korda has been the dharma teacher at New York-based Dharma Punx meetings since 2005 and is a regular visiting teacher at Against the Stream Buddhist community in Los Angeles. He has a large Buddhist mentoring private practice and is a Tricycle contributor. He is the author of the book Unsubscribe and has been profiled by The New York Times, Village Voice, and CBS News.
For over 10 years Josh has also given talks at ZenCare.org, a non-profit organization that trains hospice volunteers.
Josh’s dharma talks are followed by a large online community at dharmapunxnyc.podbean.com.
Testimonials
"Very interesting. Well connected with contemporary psychology."
"Transformative."
"Josh Korda is a great teacher. His explanations are clear. He uses examples that everyone can relate to."
"Insightful. Thank you."
An expert teacher
Josh Korda is an experienced Buddhist teacher with a deep interest in the interface between modern psychology and Buddhism.
Buddhism and psychology in action
Each week will present common life challenges, understanding informed by psychology, and guided meditations to support wellbeing.
Guidance for your practice
6 guided meditations to deepen your personal practice.
Downloadable guided meditations
Practice where you are, wherever you are.
Filmed at Dharmapunx in Brooklyn
Absorb the atmosphere of the Dharmapunx community.
Reflections
Structured reflection will deepen your enjoyment and absorption of the material as well as your personal development.