Bringing science-based programs of mindfulness & meditation to professionals & communities affected by stress & trauma
Inner Resources for Stress (IR)
IR is an evidence-based program to support resilience and recovery in people who have experienced stress and trauma
IR uses mindfulness, mantra repetition, and other meditative practices into nine structured yet flexible group sessions
Mindfulness and meditation techniques are matched to each participant’s preferences, learning style, needs, and capacities
IR is a developmentally informed, culturally responsive approach grounded in cognitive-behavioral conceptualizations of stress and trauma
IR is acceptable, safe, feasible, and effective for a broad range of people and settings
Participants show excellent adherence to daily practice, with more IR daily practice associated with better outcomes
The Inner Resources for Stress Participant Guide is an easy-to-follow week-by-week manual with audio recordings
IR Named a Best Practice
As a consequence of the robust evidence base for IR, it has been named a Best Practice by the Family Caregiver Alliance following rigorous review by the Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging, supported by grants from The John A. Hartford Foundation, Archstone Foundation, and The Retirement Research Foundation.
Meet the team
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Lynn Waelde, Ph.D.
IR DEVELOPER
Professor Emeritus, Psychology Department, Palo Alto University; Adjunct Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine
Dr. Waelde is the developer of the Inner Resources for Stress program. She is a widely published psychology researcher who specializes in treating trauma using mindfulness and meditation. She completed a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master's degree in anthropology at Louisiana State University. Dr. Waelde received a doctorate in psychology with an emphasis in developmental child clinical psychology from the University of Colorado at Boulder. She completed a predoctoral internship at the VA Medical Center in New Orleans, where she was trained as a specialist in posttraumatic stress disorder. She is on the editorial board of Journal of Traumatic Stress and an Associate Editor of Mindfulness. Her clinical and research interests focus on manifestations and treatment of stress disorders and therapeutic applications of meditation and mindfulness. She is a New Orleans native who is a lifelong practitioner of yoga, mindfulness, and meditation.
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Sarah Deluca, Ph.D.
IR THERAPIST & MASTER TRAINER
Clinical Psychologist
Dr. DeLuca completed four years of specialty training in the Inner Resources Center while also serving as the clinic and training coordinator for the center. Dr. DeLuca has provided mindfulness training to graduate students, postdoctoral residents, and licensed mental health professionals, and has developed IR programs at mental health sites throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Dr. Deluca has led IR for Stress groups for hundreds of diverse participants and mental health consumers. Dr. DeLuca received a doctorate in clinical psychology at Palo Alto University, where she completed the Meditation and Psychology and Diversity and Community Mental Health Areas of Emphasis. She completed a bachelor of arts in contemplative psychology from Naropa University in Boulder, CO. Her clinical and research interests focus on targeted therapeutic applications of mindfulness and meditation and their adaptations for severe and persistent mental illness. She is a San Francisco native who has been practicing yoga, mindfulness, and meditation for the past 15 years.
