Jan Benda, psychologist and therapist

The values I carry in life are honesty, integrity, solidarity, compassion and freedom. A psychologist, therapist, trainer, coach. Benda * 1974. Ego? Certainly. Controlled folly? Maybe.

I have lived and worked in Florida, and as a monk in the Sri Lankan jungle. I’ve sat with the dying people and held their hands through their tears and reconciliations. I’ve experienced the suffering of others and experienced my own. It gave me power and humillity. Indeed, humility above all, I would say. Nowadays, I work for companies, managers, leaders, patients and seekers. I enjoy it. I am here, at your service.

Jan Benda in Media

Jan Benda, psychologist and therapist

The values I carry in life are honesty, integrity, solidarity, compassion and freedom. A psychologist, therapist, trainer, coach. Benda * 1974. Ego? Certainly. Controlled folly? Maybe. I have lived and worked in Florida, and as a monk in the Sri Lankan jungle. I’ve sat with the dying people and held their hands through their tears and reconciliations. I’ve experienced the suffering of others and experienced my own. It gave me power and humillity. Indeed, humility above all, I would say. Nowadays, I work for companies, managers, leaders, patients and seekers. I enjoy it. I am here, at your service.

Jan Benda in Media

Timeline

study of clinical psychology at Charles University in Prague

meeting with Mirko Frýba, the start of self-experience training in satitherapy, mindfulness-informed integrative psychotherapy

stay at Buddhist monasteries in Sri Lanka, mindfulness training, the study of Abhidhamma psychology

meeting with Albert Pesso, the start of self-experience training in Pesso Boyden System Psychomotor Therapy

Stargate, training in work with altered states of consciousness (Yvonna Lucká, Michael Vančura)

World Congress on Psychology and Spirituality, New Delhi, India

debates with Mark Epstein and Henk Barendregt in Prague

meeting with Jitka Vodňanská, self-experience training “To search – To find – To let go”

meeting with Leslie Greenberg, the start of self-experience training in Emotion-Focused Therapy

meeting with Nicola Petrocchi, training in Compassion-Focused Therapy

meeting with Maša and Gregor Žvelc, introductory workshop of Mindfulness- and Compassion- Oriented Integrative Psychotherapy

meeting with Mina Meenakshi Kramvik in the advanced study program on working with ritual and extraordinary states of consciousness

opening of the Mindfulness-Informed Integrative Psychotherapy Training Program

“

There is no past or future in the universe... In the universe there is only energy, and... an endless and ever-present here and now.

Don Juan Matus

For inspiration

Videos and Jana Benda's YouTube channel

Inspirational YouTube channel about mindfulness, compassion, meditation and psychotherapy. View interesting presentations, invitations, reviews and interviews.

Jak funguje psychoterapie podle neurovědy

Poselství emocí: Vyslyšená a nevyslyšená

Kartografie změněných stavů vědomí: Buddhistická mapa pro psychonauty

Projects

Mindful Leadership

Why do some personalities fascinate us, gain our trust and respect? Why do we want to learn from them and try to imitate them? What is it about them that inspires us toward unexpected courage and creativity? Does self-mastery have something to do with the ability to lead people? And how can a solitary warrior evolve to become a king worthy of the pride and dedication of his followers? The Mindful Leadership Program is intended for managers who aspire to become authentic and inspirational leaders. It uses mindfulness not only to develop self-knowledge and for the discovery of one’s deepest values, but also for understanding others and finding vision, which connect us with others. Learn to create a field in where those around you can grow and thrive and find mutual purpose. I run The Mindful Leadership Program in cooperation with the agency První česká vzdělávací.

Training in Mindfulness-Informed Integrative Psychotherapy

The MIIP Training (Mindfulness-Informed Integrative Psychotherapy) is a two-year postgraduate program designed for experienced psychotherapists who wish to integrate the principles of mindfulness and self-compassion into their therapeutic practice. The program combines modern therapeutic approaches—including PBSP, EFT, Satitherapy, Schema Therapy, and Transactional Analysis—with insights from neuroscience and Buddhist psychology. The training comprises a total of 296 hours of theory, self-experience, practical exercises, and supervision. It is delivered through ten three-day modules and intervision groups. Participants will develop the 12 key competencies of a mindful therapist, learn to work with maladaptive schemas, and deepen their skills in cultivating mindfulness and self-compassion within the therapeutic relationship. The practical components include techniques such as Focusing, the Compassionate Parents technique, the practice of Taming the Demons Within, and Empty Chair dialogues. The training takes place in Prague and in Třemošnice at the wellness hotel Lihovar. For more information, please visit mindfulness.cz.

“

We hardly ever realize that we can cut anything out of our lives, anytime, in the blink of an eye.

Don Juan Matus

For inspiration

Selected podcasts

Conversations with Jan Benda about self-acceptance, managing emotions, mindfulness, and self-compassion

I drobná kritika za výkon se v nás mele jako tragédie. Proč si připadáme nehodnotní a zbyteční

Nestyďte se za to, kdo jste, soucitně to přijměte. Bránit se nepříjemným pocitům se nevyplatí

Meditace a hněv

Follow Jan Benda