shutterstock_113485675Mindfulness is a way of learning to relate directly to whatever is happening in your life in an open and conscious way. By being open and present to whatever you experience with clarity and acceptance, mindfulness techniques can help you disengage from habitual rumination and develop awareness without judgment. This can produce greater resilience and peacefulness even during times of stress and despair and offer an opportunity for new learning.

Mindfulness techniques will allow you to discover that the goal of therapy is not to eliminate certain parts of your experience but rather to learn how to deal with painful life events in a compassionate way. Mindfulness is rooted in ancient meditation principles and contemporary scientific research. For example, neuroscientists have suggested that mindfulness practices can help people become increasingly mentally healthy, improve their mental functioning, interpersonal relationships and immune systems.

Mindfulness and cognitive behavioural methods can help us become aware, accept and embrace our thoughts, feelings and actions. It allows us to accept what is out of our control and embrace actions that can enrich our lives. Mindfulness is an effective way of working with a wide range of problems including those suffering from chronic pain, depression and anxiety.

Reading

Mindfulness: A practical guide to finding peace in a frantic world by Professor Mark Williams and Dr Danny Penman.

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