Mindfulness is an evidence-based treatment that focuses on helping you live fully and clearly in the present moment without ruminating on the past or worrying about the future.
Often used in combination with other therapies, it is grounded in the idea that your thought process dictates your emotions and vice versa. If you find yourself mentally repeating negative ideas, self-esteem-harming statements, and rehashing unpleasant experiences, then mindfulness could prove to be beneficial in your healing process.
How Does Mindfulness Work?
Through mindfulness, you can learn to focus on the moment, and your reactions and emotions surrounding just that moment. By doing this, you can focus on addressing what is impacting you right now and learn how to better cope with those situations that typically cause a big emotional reaction. Mindfulness techniques can be very effective for helping you cope with such things as anxiety, depression, and Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD).
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Mindfulness can be practiced in a group setting or on your own, anytime and anywhere. The practices and tools you’ll learn in a mindfulness group or through a one-on-one mindfulness session can be used whenever you feel the need to connect with the present moment.
The mindfulness techniques you will learn may include the following:
- Mindful Listening: When you participate in mindful listening, you learn to practice what a conversation is really meant to be: an exchange of ideas and understanding and an open mind toward the person with whom you are talking. Rather than interrupting or adding commentary, you mindfully pay attention to what the other person is saying.
- Mindfulness Walks: When you go on a mindfulness walk, you will pay attention to the world around you with all of your senses. You will smell the fragrances, listen for sounds that have, and feel the ground under your feet and the air in your lungs.
- Mindfulness Meditation: During a mindfulness meditation, you may do such things as count your deep inhales and exhales or learn to let thoughts that pop into your head drift away without focusing on them. Mindfulness meditations can help you to stay present and focused and not get distracted by the noise around you.
What Is the Evidence Behind Mindfulness?
The benefits of mindfulness have been proven in numerous studies. Studies show that incorporating mindfulness into other psychotherapies, such as Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), increases the effectiveness of those treatments, particularly with those who have co-occurring disorders.
Mindfulness is used in treatment for a variety of disorders, including depression, anxiety, impulsivity, phobias, substance abuse, and eating disorders. It can help to stop negative thoughts and images from cycling and spinning out of control, leading to difficult emotions that may inspire dangerous behavior.
Mindfulness has been shown to greatly reduce the amount of stress in those who suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). A recent study also provides evidence that mindfulness meditation improves not only emotional disorders, but physical disorders as well, relieving suffering in those who have experienced chronic migraine headaches.
Mindfulness has proven to be safe, beneficial, and without any negative side effects, making it a valuable part of a plan for recovery.
Mindfulness at Clearview Treatment Programs
Mindfulness is an important component of treatment at Clearview. During your time in one of our treatment programs, you will participate in mindfulness groups and mindfulness outings that will help you learn to start focusing on yourself in the present moment and stop worrying about what happened in the past or what will happen in the future. By doing this in conjunction with the many therapies we offer, you will be better able to connect with your emotions and focus on your recovery.