Naropa University Book Signing on Dec. 7

Featuring Professors Karen Kissel Wegela and Gaylon Ferguson

BOULDER, Colo. (December 3, 2009)—Naropa University is proud to announce the recent publication of two books “The Courage to Be Present: Buddhism, Psychotherapy, and the Awakening of Natural Wisdom” (Shambhala Publications, 2009), by Karen Kissel Wegela, PhD, and professor in Naropa’s Contemplative Counseling Psychology Department and “Natural Wakefulness: Discovering the Wisdom We Are Born With” (Shambhala Publications, 2009) by Gaylon Ferguson, PhD, associate professor in Naropa’s Interdisciplinary Studies Department. A book signing will be held on Monday, December 7, at 5 p.m. in the Shambhala Hall, located at Naropa University, 2130 Arapahoe Ave. For more information, call (303) 245-4828 or visit the online calendar.
 

Karen Kissel Wegela
Drawing on years of teaching, Buddhist practice and stories from her counseling practice, Wegela’s book charts “how Buddhist thought and practice can enhance psychotherapeutic work,” says Dr. Ronald Siegel, Harvard Medical School. Wegela not only shows how mental health professionals can apply this wisdom in their own lives, but also how they can help their clients cultivate these qualities in themselves.
  
Last month, Wegela’s “Psychology Today” blog, The Courage to Be Present, outlined some of her approach. “According to Buddhist teachings, we do not need to change who we are,” says Wegela. “Most of us enter therapy or begin mindfulness meditation practice because we believe that we need to be different, better, more of something, or less of something else. Of course, in one sense, that's right. We do want to feel better; we want to stop making ourselves miserable. But, according to the Buddhist teachings, the way to do that is by making friends with who we are, not by rejecting who we are and trying to be something else.”

Although this book focuses on Buddhist psychology, it is easily accessible for both Buddhists and non-Buddhists. David Richo, PhD, said, “Karen Wegela has found ways, carefully and compassionately, to build our confidence as we face life’s challenges. I have found a wealth of skillful means in this book.”

Wegela’s book also opens the discussion of modern psychotherapy to include alternative models, specifically contemplative psychotherapy. Drawing on basic principles of Buddhism, this model aims to cultivate a deep understanding and awareness of oneself through meditation. For students seeking a degree in contemplative psychotherapy, this is a cornerstone of the program: in order to develop a strong relationship with a client and practice effectively, therapists must be able to understand their own experiences.

When asked what attracted her clients to this particular approach to psychotherapy, Wegela responded, “Many people want to slow down. Many are between jobs or marriages, and they feel anxiety or depression. They’re hungry for something genuine.”

Naropa University is the only university in the United States to offer a masters degree in contemplative psychotherapy. Mark Lackey, a student in the Contemplative Counseling Psychology program, explained his attraction to this approach to psychotherapy. “More than any other program, this one trains students in the one aspect of psychotherapy empirically proven to matter more than any other: the quality of relationship between the therapist and client.”

Karen Kissel Wegela is also the author of “How to Be a Help Instead of a Nuisance.” She is a member of the Naropa’s Contemplative Psychotherapy Leadership Team and has been a Naropa faculty member since 1981. Her master's degrees are in English language and literature and in counseling. A licensed psychologist in private practice since 1977, she also has been involved in work in the public sector and has worked with the staff of the Friendship House and at the Asian Pacific Center for Human Resources. Wegela has taught contemplative psychotherapy and Maitri programs in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia and South America.

Gaylon Ferguson

Ferguson’s book Natural Wakefulness: Discovering the Wisdom We Are Born With, flows from years of experience as a meditator and Buddhist teacher. The book is description of how, through meditation, one understands and gains confidence in natural wakefulness. John Welwood, author of Towards a Psychology of Awakening, describes the book as a “wonderfully wise and practical introduction to mindfulness meditation that describes all the ins and outs of the practice, the obstacles and confusions as well as the rewards of this path.”

 “Wakefulness is our natural state: enlightened, complete, perfect in wisdom and compassion. It’s not something outside ourselves that we need to attain or become. But it is also true that some effort is required to get in touch with it – and that effort is what spiritual practice is about. [Natural Wakefulness] highlights two essential aspects of the path of awakening: learning to trust that we are naturally awake and committing to meditation practice.”—Shambhala Publications

Gaylon Ferguson grew up on a farm in strictly segregated East Texas. After moving east to graduate from the Phillips Exeter Academy, he studied philosophy and psychology at Yale University. There, Gaylon encountered D.T. Suzuki who confirmed "that it's not possible to learn Buddhist meditation entirely from a book." He dropped his studies and took up work on a radical Catholic fruit farm near Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Gaylon returned to Yale in 1987 to finish his undergraduate degree, this time in African Studies. In 1994, he was a Fulbright Fellow to Nigeria and completed a doctoral degree in cultural anthropology at Stanford University two years later. After several years teaching cultural anthropology at the University of Washington, Gaylon moved to the Shambhala Buddhist meditation center Karme Choling as teacher in residence through 2005. His article, "Making Friends with Ourselves" (from the collection Dharma, Color, and Culture) was selected for inclusion in The Best Buddhist Writing: 2005.  He is also an Acharya (or senior teacher) in the Shambhala Buddhist lineage. (Biographical information provided courtesy of Shambhala International.)

Accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association, Naropa University is a private, nonprofit, nonsectarian liberal arts institution dedicated to advancing contemplative education. This approach to learning integrates the best of Eastern and Western educational traditions, helping students know themselves more deeply and engage constructively with others. The university comprises a four-year undergraduate college and graduate programs in the arts, education, environmental leadership, psychology and religious studies.

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