Tara Brach (born May 17, 1953) is an American psychologist, author, and proponent of

Buddhist meditation Buddhist meditation is the practice of meditation in Buddhism. The closest words for meditation in the classical languages of Buddhism are '' bhāvanā'' ("mental development") and '' jhāna/dhyāna'' (mental training resulting in a calm and ...

. She is a guiding teacher and founder of the Insight Meditation Community of

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

(IMCW). Her colleagues in the

Vipassanā ''Samatha'' (Pāli; sa, शमथ ''śamatha''; ), "calm," "serenity," "tranquillity of awareness," and ''vipassanā'' (Pāli; Sanskrit ''vipaśyanā''), literally "special, super (''vi-''), seeing (''-passanā'')", are two qualities of the ...

, or insight meditation tradition, include

Jack Kornfield Jack Kornfield (born 1945) is an American writer and teacher in the Vipassana movement in American Theravada Buddhism. He trained as a Buddhist monk in Thailand, Burma and India, first as a student of the Thai forest master Ajahn Chah and Maha ...

Sharon Salzberg Sharon Salzberg (born August 5, 1952) is a ''New York Times'' bestselling author and teacher of Buddhist meditation practices in the West. In 1974, she co-founded the Insight Meditation Society at Barre, Massachusetts, with Jack Kornfield and Jos ...

, and Joseph Goldstein. Brach also teaches about Buddhist meditation at centers for meditation and yoga in the United States and Europe, including Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California; the

Kripalu Center The Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health is a nonprofit organization that operates a health and yoga retreat in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Its facility is a former Jesuit novitiate and juniorate seminary built in 1957. History Founder Amrit Desa ...

; and the

Omega Institute for Holistic Studies Omega Institute for Holistic Studies is a non-profit educational retreat center located in Rhinebeck, New York. Founded in 1977 by Elizabeth Lesser and Stephan Rechtschaffen, inspired by Sufi mystic, Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan and his ecu ...

. Brach is an Engaged Buddhist, specializing in the application of Buddhist teachings and

mindfulness Mindfulness is the practice of purposely bringing one's attention to the present-moment experience without evaluation, a skill one develops through meditation or other training. Mindfulness derives from ''sati'', a significant element of Hind ...

meditation to emotional healing. She has authored several

books A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this physical ar ...

on these subjects, including ''Radical Acceptance'', ''True Refuge'', and ''Radical Compassion''.

Education

Brach holds bachelor's degrees in psychology and political science from

Clark University Clark University is a private research university in Worcester, Massachusetts. Founded in 1887 with a large endowment from its namesake Jonas Gilman Clark, a prominent businessman, Clark was one of the first modern research universities in the ...

. She was awarded a doctorate in

clinical psychology Clinical psychology is an integration of social science, theory, and clinical knowledge for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and relieving psychologically based distress or dysfunction and to promote subjective well-being and persona ...

from the

Fielding Graduate University Fielding Graduate University (previously Fielding Graduate Institute and The Fielding Institute) is a private graduate-level university in Santa Barbara, California. It offers postgraduate and doctoral studies mainly in psychology, education, an ...

based on her dissertation analyzing the effectiveness of meditation in the healing of eating disorders.

Personal life

Brach resides in Virginia with her husband, Jonathan Foust, a

yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciou ...

and meditation teacher. She was raised Christian Unitarian.

Bibliography

Books and published works

* * Brach, Tara (2012). "Mindful Presence: A Foundation for Compassion and Wisdom", in Wisdom and Compassion in Psychotherapy: Deepening Mindfulness in Clinical Practice'' edited by Christopher K. Germer and Ronald D. Siegel.

Guilford Press Guilford Press or Guilford Publications, Inc. is a New York City-based independent publisher founded in 1973 that specializes in publishing books, journals, and DVDs in psychology, psychiatry, the behavioral sciences, education, geography, and res ...

* * Brach, Tara (2014). "Healing Traumatic Fear: The Wings of Mindfulness and Love", in ''Mindfulness-Oriented Interventions for Trauma: Integrating Contemplative Practices'' edited by Follette, Briere, Rozelle, Hopper and Rome.

* *

Audio publications

* ''Radical Self-Acceptance: A Buddhist Guide to Freeing Yourself from Shame'' (2005) * ''Radical Acceptance: Guided Meditations'' (2007) * ''Meditations for Emotional Healing'' (2009) * ''Meditation and Psychotherapy: A Professional Training Course for Integrating Mindfulness into Clinical Practice'' (2011) * ''Mindfulness Meditations: Nine Guided Practices to Awaken Presence and Open Your Heart'' (2012) * ''Finding True Refuge: Meditations for Difficult Times'' (2013)

References

External links

*
Tara Brach's Insight Meditation Community of Washington Biography
* Downloadable talks and meditations a
IMCW
* Downloadable talks and meditations a
Dharmaseed

Interviews

Tara Brach on Mindfulness, Psychotherapy and Awakening
Psychotherapy.net, by Deb Kory, 2012.
When Ego Meets Non-Ego
Shambhala Sun, by Andrea Miller, March 2013.
A Blend of Buddhism and psychology
American Psychological Association, Psychologist Profile by Tori Angelis, February 2014.
The Awakened Heart: A Conversation with Tara Brach
Psychology Today with Mark Matousek May 15, 2014.
Wake Up from Unworthiness – An Interview with Tara Brach
Spirituality & Health – September–October 2015. (Paywall)
Releasing the Barriers to Love: An Interview with Tara Brach
Psychology Today with Mark Matousek November 2015.

Articles

* Brach, Tara
"Feeling Overwhelmed? Remember RAIN"
Mindful Magazine, June 13, 2014. * Brach, Tara
"Facing My White Privilege"
Lion's Roar Magazine, June 22, 2016. {{DEFAULTSORT:Brach, Tara American women psychologists American psychologists American Buddhists Engaged Buddhists Buddhist writers American anti-war activists American spiritual writers Theravada Buddhist spiritual teachers Living people Female Buddhist spiritual teachers 1953 births Clark University alumni 21st-century American women