Mindfulness Practices
What is mindfulness?
Mindfulness is a set of skills that help us become more present, centered, and open to what life throws at us. Through mindfulness practice, which sometimes involved meditation, you can begin to free your mind from the grips that your difficult thoughts and feelings have. By opening yourself up, you are not eliminating painful thoughts and feelings, nor are you trying to change what can’t be changed; instead, you are changing the relationship you have with yourself and the pain that exists in your life to one of willingness and acceptance, rather than resistance. This helps you function better and live the kind of life you want to lead. Scientific studies have shown the helpful effect that mindfulness practice has on the brain, and it has been shown to be effective in the treatment of a wide variety of concerns, including stress, anxiety, depression, emotion regulation.
Mindfulness in the Therapy Work
I frequently incorporate mindfulness into my work, and my clients have noted how the practice helps them change the relationship they have with their difficult thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations in ways that help them make changes and get “unstuck.” Mindfulness can be learned with a number of different exercises and techniques, such as formal meditation as well as other less formal practices, and can also be weaved into discussions in therapy in ways that help deepen insight and grow more aware and comfortable with your emotional experiences.
If you are…
1) Interested in developing a mindfulness practice,
2) Wishing to deepen your existing practice, or
3) Wanting to incorporate mindfulness into the therapeutic work
…then I am able and happy to help, and we can discuss this further when we meet.
Training and Certification
In addition to 5+ years of clinical training and experience with mindfulness used clinically in both individual and group therapy formats, my doctoral dissertation centered around the creation and testing of a mindfulness meditation program. Additionally, I hold a certification as a Koru Mindfulness Teacher, a program which consists of 4-week mindfulness courses that teaches mindfulness meditation skills to both beginning and more advanced meditators.
