Learn To Respond Without Reactivity - by Charles Freligh, PhD

COURSE

Learn To Respond Without Reactivity

With Charles Freligh, PhD

This course is designed to help you to reduce the ways that you respond reactively, whether it be with anxiety, anger, sadness, frustration, stress. These emotions can distract you from how you really want to be as a person – in relationships, at work, at play. Together, we will learn to install the “pause button,” allowing us to cutivate greater presence and respond with intention instead of reactivity. Over the next 10 days you will develop a conceptual and practical understanding of the life-changing impact of the ability to pause and will learn how to apply this to the ways you habitually react. This course offers a combination of engaging meditative exercises, conceptual lessons, and insights from Charles' experience as a long-time meditator and practitioner of psychotherapy.


Meet your Teacher

Charles Freligh is a psychotherapist and psychology instructor, in the final year of his doctoral training, as well as a long-time meditation practitioner. Charles has experience leading in-person and online mindfulness and meditation courses for a variety of audiences including college students, military personnel, athletes, and the general community. Charles has published original research in the peer-reviewed journal Mindfulness and writes the Mindful Lens column for Nature’s Best Photography Magazine. His goal is to combine his knowledge and experiences from the worlds of psychology and mindfulness – two worlds that he believes coalesce quite nicely - to provide you with a unique training. Charles is a lover of philosophy and believes that nothing is out of bounds in the realm of well-being. In this course he draws on a variety of sources and traditions without espousing any particular ideology. Each year Charles travels to a Zen Buddhist monastery for a few weeks. He explains that this isn't because he considers himself “Buddhist” but sees it as an essential yearly tradition of galvanizing his meditation practice, with one-pointed focus and no distraction, with the aim of making him a better instructor and a wiser, more compassionate person.

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10 Days

48.8k students

4.8 stars

20 min / day

Stress

English


Lesson 1

Pressing Play On Life

In today's lesson Charles will explain the concept of the pause and play metaphor and show us two key reasons why pausing is essentially a superpower. Together, we will also explore the concept of “Internal Friction” and undergo an exercise experimenting with empty space.

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Lesson 2

Curiosity Vs. Interpretation

In today's lesson you will be introduced to a meditation entitled 'Noticing the Train' and we will discuss how words and concepts limit our experience. We will also discuss the difference between curiosity and interpretation and come to understand how pausing can help us to stop dwelling on the past and come back to what’s happening now..the only time we actually ever have.

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Lesson 3

Allowing The Mind To Settle

In today's lesson Charles will offer a personal example of how this practice has impacted his experience of anxiety. He explains that sometimes you need to press Pause first in order to be able to just press Play. We will also explore the concept of concentration and practice a mental noting exercise.

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Lesson 4

Doing & Being

In today's lesson we discuss the experiential modes of Doing and Being. We live in a society of constant Doing, making it increasingly easy to forget the Being mode. We will explore how the Being mode creates space between what happens in life and your reaction to it and how we can use this in our favour.

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Lesson 5

Just Practice - The Power Of Conditioning

Today, we uncover the importance of practice and of your experiential understanding, drawing on Aristotle's words “we are what we repeatedly do.” By installing new programming to replace your old programming you are planting the seeds of intention for positive and lasting change.

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Lesson 6

Identifying A Pause Anchor

In today's lesson we will practice an exercise designed to help us 'find our feet'. We will look at how to identify a pause anchor, discuss an array of examples, and learn how to use them to extend your practice when you feel most stressed, anxious, or angry, etc. (i.e., reactive).

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Lesson 7

Pockets Of Experience

Today we will explore the Second Arrow metaphor (a conceptual anchor) and undertake a practical exercise using your identified anchor. We will come to understand the importance of allowing ourselves to fully experience the newness and novelty of what is always around us. This will allow us to open up to more meaningful relationships, enhance our performance at work, and reduce procrastination.

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Lesson 8

Communication – Matching Meaning

Today we will learn how to apply the pause button to interpersonal relationships and practice a meditation exercise titled Feeling the Connection to Others. We will discuss how to interact with others in a meaningful and productive way and let go of self-consciousness in communication.

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Lesson 9

Mindfulness Is No-Thing

In today's lesson we will discuss the concept of 'mindfulness', exploring how it has somewhat become a buzzword and how many of us try to be “good at” mindfulness. Charles will offer us a short story from the Zen tradition: Empty Your Cup and we will learn how to use mindfulness practice to gain greater perspective and clarity on our lives.

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Lesson 10

Letting Go of the Meditator & Maintaining Everyday Practice

In today's lesson we will undergo an intense breathing exercise to ground us into the present moment. Charles will then explore the importance of creating a daily environment and routine that enhances your practice rather than hinders it and how your practice can help you to live more fully. “To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.” – Oscar Wilde

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Ask your teacher

This course includes 889 community questions and 91 audio replies from Charles Freligh, PhD. The community classroom and teacher audio replies are only available via the app.

889

4.8 (3551)

Recent Reviews

Bodo

September 16, 2026

This course is so valuable and deep, that I' all not only benefit a lot but will repeat again to better anker the provided information. Thanks so much!

Bert

September 11, 2026

Really enjoyed the course. Got some new ideas and inspiration. Especially the last session will keep me practicing for a while.

Ruth

September 9, 2026

Thank you for this course. I found it when I really needed it, and it helped me to reconnect with the core elements of my practice and I was able to take the practice into my days and come back into a much steadier state of balance. It made me aware of how chronically physically and emotionally unwell I become when resistance to difficult circumstances of my life arises, and it gave me practical tools to help me come back to myself. The content was accessible and at the same time the effect of the practices was profound.

Cindy

September 6, 2026

I looked forward to each day of your thoughts on "living" life. You pointed out how living in the moment is so important, and making time to meditate can help. Thank you for your guidance!

Tracy

September 2, 2026

Love your courses! Thanks for this

Vicky

September 2, 2026

Clear, supportive and engaging

Carole

August 19, 2026

I loved all the specific ways to ground myself. The train platform and the glass of water with sand and setting the glass of water down. I felt that the extensive talking was too much. In general very helpful. Thank you

Eike

August 17, 2026

Dear Charles, this was the third time I have been listening to your course and each time my understanding is deeper. My expectations in relationships ( or meeting other people in general) are the roots of my reactivity- I just experienced this situation recently again and drowned in „mud- water“… but it took not so long and I could see myself and be with me and shift my understanding. No judgement and courage to try better today. Thank you so much- there will be a fourth time…., Eike

Hilary

August 16, 2026

Every session with Charles is wonderful!

Eileen

August 10, 2026

This course was enlightening for me. I will continue to practice the use of the pause button and I am enjoying the concept of pockets of engagement, pockets of presence as they make the achievement of mindfulness so much more approachable. So many helpful ideas were presented that I will definitely be revisiting this course for refreshers! Thank you!

Kelly

July 30, 2026

I really appreciated the course insights and practices.

Bonnie

July 25, 2026

I'm a long time meditator, 30+ years, but got so much of value both in the beautiful reminders of had been forgotten as well as new techniques. Thank you so much.

Rose

July 19, 2026

I've been a meditator for 25 years, and I still got a lot out of this course. I might even listen to it all again.

Teresita

July 17, 2026

At first, these meditations felt too long to me. I realized because I felt like I was always missing my next train. Once I started allowing my mind to settle, I realized I could do that over and over again during the sessions. Thank you for these practical strategies. Thank you for the practices. I think you're really into something here.

Janet

July 16, 2026

I really enjoyed this course. Everything was well thought out and very usable in day to day life. I absolutely love all the metaphors/anecdotes etc. that Charles brings. 99% were new to me but very relatable and usable. So far he’s been my favorite teacher on this platform. I look forward to more in the future. Definitely start this course.

Jane

July 13, 2026

Thank you Charles, such an amazing course - I've already noticed the difference your tools and concepts are having in my daily life, I will keep practising and return to this course to help too!

A

July 11, 2026

Very helpful & relaxing course. Thank you

Kate

July 9, 2026

I loved the stories and metaphors you used to illustrate your points in this course. Thank you!

Raine

July 1, 2026

Lots of talking. Not much practice time. Thank you for your time!

Bo

June 27, 2026

Fantastic cource to the time right now.

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