The concept of mindfulness has been used in Eastern medicine and religious practices to describe a method of awareness for mental and physical health. Mindfulness is about noticing and accepting your thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations in the present moment, and typically can be achieved through therapeutic techniques such as meditation. Meditation trains the mind into a state of awareness by focusing the mind on a particular sound or object, and as a result, clears the mind into a calmer state. Both mindfulness and meditation are linked by practice and technique, and this age-old concept has begun to surface in medical therapy practices as a versatile, unique style of psychotherapy.
How Can Mindfulness Be Applied to Therapy
Mindfulness represents a concept in therapy that’s highly addressed and gives modern therapists an approach to treating mental health conditions. Mindfulness encompasses many of the techniques used in therapy to address the client’s current state of being, such as thoughts, emotions, and perceptions of the world around them. It gives that form of awareness a definition and can help clients lead the way towards a better perspective of the world all around. Many therapy methods can use mindfulness to improve the health of their patients, and meditation can be used as a coping technique to bring about lasting change within their clients, along with other pattern recognition and management methods.
Some of the therapies that can incorporate mindfulness include:
Stress Reduction Therapy – Those who suffer from high levels of anxiety, stress, and paranoia can benefit from the idea of mindfulness when combined with stress reduction therapy. Meditation can be used in stress reduction therapy to reduce the symptoms of anxiety and stress.
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) – This form of therapy combines cognitive-behavioral therapy with mindfulness, and helps treat people who suffer from depression and chronic negative thoughts. Mindfulness and cognitive behavioral therapy both have similar qualities in their approach because they both tackle negative feelings and thoughts in the present moment.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy – ACT teaches people to separate and detach from your emotions and thoughts, and combined with mindfulness. Meditative practices can be incorporated to help clients stay within the present moment and assess situations more rationally.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy – DBT, a subcategory of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, teaches people new skills through group sessions, and practicing meditation can help increase understanding of emotions and promote positive change.
Common Questions About Mindfulness and Meditation
What are the benefits of mindfulness therapy? – Mindfulness creates a balanced mind and can reduce stress, decrease anxiety, prevent depression relapses, increase overall awareness of your surroundings, and help regulate emotions.
Can mediation be combined with other coping mechanisms? – Yes! Having a list of tools at your disposal can be an excellent way of handling your emotions and thoughts. Breathing exercises, verbal cues, guided imagery, and exercise can also be combined with meditation for treating mental health.
Can mindfulness work for couples and families? – Yes, because through an individual look at your thoughts and emotions, you can focus on being mindful of your family members or partners.
How We Can Help with Mindfulness and Meditation
Mindfulness can create ever-lasting change just by practice alone. Our therapists can help you understand your thoughts and emotions through mindfulness meditation and other forms of psychotherapy and utilize its benefits for internal growth. Call us today to learn more about mindfulness and how it connects to our practice.