Edinburgh Weekend:
The Power of Emotions
29-30 November 2025
Don't Fear Emotions. Feel their Power!
Join me at the Salisbury Centre and turn your feelings about feelings upside down!
In many ways, emotions are the most important things in our lives. But, simultaneously, they are also the most transparent and misunderstood. We live our lives trying to feel positive things and avoid negative things. Emotions colour our life and give our experiences meaning. Without emotions life would be unbearable and inhuman.
This weekend you will be looking at your own unique emotional thumbprint.
All mammals have what is know as affect (the physiological reactions, hormone responses and behavioural follow-throughs) but human have especially complex emotions because our affect passes through a complicating mesh of language, culture, family and religious upbringing and personality. That's what makes us unique...
Understanding your emotional code unlocks immense power and richness in your life.
What will I experience on this weekend?
This 2-day in-person course is a relaxed and friendly exploration of this central aspect of being human. Together we will look to explore the following:
emotions are natural and all emotions are valid.
some of the old and prevailing models of emotions are out-dated and unhelpful
there is an important difference between affect and emotion
the four shades of affect
the birth of emotions in the predicting machine of the brain
how to improve your mental health with 'emotional granularity'
how to protect your mental health from the trap of 'affective realism'
honouring how language and cultural expectation shapes emotion
bringing an Buddhist lens to emotions as fleeting, complex and unique.
unpinning any painful meta-feelings about our emotions.
celebrating emotions: they make life meaningful and rich - so go feel them!
The sessions run from 10am - 4pm UK time on the Saturday and Sunday with an hours break for lunch. We'll be using Zoom to connect. There will be notes and handouts and recordings after the course is over.
What to expect at the Salisbury Centre this November...
​• the course begins at 10am and finishes at 5pm on Saturday and 4pm on Sunday. We'll have an hour for lunch and a couple of 15 minute tea-breaks. If you can get to the Salisbury Centre a little early on Saturday to make sure we can start promptly that would be great.
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• The postcode of the centre is EH16 5AB their website is www.salisburycentre.org and their number is 01316675438.
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• The centre has a kitchen with a microwave so some people like to bring their own lunch but there are also several nice eateries along the nearby Newington Road.
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• we'll be using the beautiful Studio Room at the Centre (upstairs) and sitting in chairs in a circle.
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• the weekend will consist of practice sessions, some instruction and discussion, working in smaller groups and some individual processing.
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• we'll provide electronic notes after the course so you don't need to write things down though it would be great if you could bring a pen and some paper or a notebook for some of the exercises. Recordings of the teaching will also be sent out after the course.
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• the Studio Room is usually lovely and warm but please bring some layers, especially if you feel the cold.
• If you have any specific psychological concerns, are on prescription psychiatric medication or have a condition that you think I should know about before the course then please do let me know in a private email.
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About the teacher
Alistair is a broadcaster, psychotherapist and meditation teacher.
He's worked for the BBC for more than 20 years and works as a UKCP-accredited therapist in East Sussex. Since 2004, he's run Mindsprings, his therapeutic meditation organisation which teaches body-based and Buddhist solutions to many of our everyday problems.
Mindsprings offers popular meditation-based courses on many subjects:
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helping people with anxiety, dissociation, stress.
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working with mental health in the LGBTQ community.
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exploring the growing field of embodiment and somatic practices.
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teaching Buddhist practices for mental health and well-being
Alistair teaches in England, Wales, Scotland, Belgium, Ireland, Sweden, Iceland and the Netherlands.
Getting to the Salisbury Centre
By Train
The nearest train station is Waverley Station.
By Bus
Buses from the city centre that pass Salisbury Road: 2, 14, 30, 33, N30 (west end of Salisbury Road, Commonwealth Pool stop – nearest bustop) 3, 5, 7, 8, 29, X29, 31, 37, X37, 47, 48, 49, N3, N31, N37 (on Newington Road, Salisbury Road stop – a two minute walk)
By Car
Parking: The Salisbury Centre is in the City of Edinburgh restricted parking zone 7. There are 12 pay parking spaces on the street with more in adjacent streets. Parking is free after 5.30pm. We are 5 minutes from the nearest unrestricted parking area.
Park & Ride
If you driving from out of town, please consider using Park & Ride on the South-West of the city
P&R SherrifHall postcode EH22 1FF : busses 33 and 49
P&R Straigton, postcode EH20 9NP : busses X37, 47, X47