Mark Dannenfelser

Mark is a certified Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction teacher, a licensed professional counselor, a certified spiritual director, a registered yoga teacher, and a commissioned presenter of the Centering Prayer method.

In 1990 Mark founded Dannenfelser and Associates, PC, a private mental health group that provides psychotherapy to individuals, couples, and groups. In 2009 he founded the Mindfulness Center of Atlanta, whose mission is to reduce suffering and increase well-being, using evidence-based, integrative, mind-body practices. In 2022 Mark became co-host of the Contemplative Outreach podcast entitled, Opening Minds, Opening Hearts. In 2005 he became an affiliated spiritual director at the Ignatius House Jesuit Retreat Center.

Mark is the former program coordinator for Contemplative Outreach International, and the former adjunct lecturer in spirituality and ministry at Spring Hill College.

Mark’s professional interest is in working at the point of intersection between mind-body practices and healing, especially in the areas of trauma, addiction, prolonged grief, anxiety, depression and chronic stress. His passion is to support healing, integration and equilibrium within the individual, society and the natural world by increasing awareness of and care for our inner and outer landscapes.

Mark holds the Master of Arts Degree in Counseling Psychology from Montclair University and the Master of Arts Degree in Pastoral Studies from Spring Hill College. Mark holds the Certificate for Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction from the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society™ (CFM) at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center (Jon Kabat-Zinn and senior staff), the Certificate in Mindfulness Mentor Training (Tara Brach, Jack Kornfield and Cloud Sangha), and the Certificate in Spiritual Direction from Spring Hill College.

He has completed training in EcoAwareness and mindfulness meditation (East Coast Mindfulness) the Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness Program (David Treleaven, Mindful Schools Curriculum), Yoga Therapy in Cancer & Chronic Illness Professional Training (Jnani Chapman and Integral Teachers Yoga Association), and Clinical Training in Mind- Body Medicine (Herbert Benson, MD, Mind/Body Medical Institute), and Eye Movement Desensitization Response Basic Training, Levels I & II (EMDR International Association: EMDRIA).

Mark is engaged in research regarding:

1. mindfulness and smoking cessation among low-income adults (Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA)

2. mindfulness and chronic kidney disease among veterans (Emory University and Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Atlanta, GA)

3. mindfulness and smoking cessation among public housing residents (New York University, New York, NY)

4. mindfulness and stress among emergency medicine residents (Emory University and Grady Memorial Hospital, Atlanta, GA)

5. best practices for mindfulness teachers who want to bring EcoAwareness into their teaching (East Coast Mindfulness, NH and Lund University Center for Sustainability Studies, Sweden)

See research published by Mark