Tara Brach

Tara Brach (born May 17, 1953) is an American psychologist and proponent of Buddhist meditation. She is a guiding teacher and founder of the Insight Meditation Community of Washington, D.C. (IMCW).^[1] Dr. Brach teaches there Wednesday night weekly meeting in Bethesda, Maryland.^[2][3] Her colleagues include Jack Kornfield, Sharon Salzberg, Joseph Goldstein and others in the Vipassana or Insight meditation tradition.^[4] 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,^[5] and the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies.^[6]

Brach is an engaged Buddhist specializing in the application of Buddhist teachings to emotional healing.^[2] Her 2003 book, Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life With the Heart of a Buddha, focuses on the use of practices such as mindfulness for healing trauma. Her 2013 book, True Refuge: Finding Peace and Freedom in Your Own Awakened Heart, offers practices for tapping into inner peace and wisdom in the midst of difficulty.

Education

Brach holds bachelor's degrees in psychology and political science from Clark University.^[7] She was awarded a doctorate in clinical psychology from the Fielding Graduate University ^[2] 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 and meditation teacher. Brach was raised Unitarian.^[8][9]

Bibliography

Books

• Brach, Tara (2013). True Refuge: Finding Peace and Freedom in Your Own Awakened Heart. Bantam. ISBN 0553807625. 
• Brach, Tara (2003). Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life with the Heart of a Buddha. Bantam. ISBN 0-553-80167-8. 
• 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 Guilford Press ISBN 978-1462518586
• 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 ISBN 978-1462518869

Articles

• Brach, Tara. "Facing My White Privilege" Lion's Roar Magazine, 06/22/2016.
• Brach, Tara. "Feeling Overwhelmed? Remember RAIN" Mindful Magazine, 06/13/2014.

Audio Publications

• Finding True Refuge: Meditations for Difficult Times (2013) ISBN 978-1604078633
• Mindfulness Meditations: Nine Guided Practices to Awaken Presence and Open Your Heart (2012) ISBN 978-1604077988
• Meditation and Psychotherapy: A Professional Training Course for Integrating Mindfulness into Clinical Practice (2011) ISBN 978-1591799702
• Meditations for Emotional Healing (2009) ISBN 978-1591797418
• Radical Acceptance: Guided Meditations (2007) ISBN 978-0615185583
• Radical Self-Acceptance: A Buddhist Guide to Freeing Yourself from Shame (2005) ISBN 978-1591793212

Interviews

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

Notes

External links

• Official website
• Tara Brach's Insight Meditation Community of Washington Biography
• Downloadable talks and meditations at TaraBrach.com, IMCW and Dharmaseed