Mindfulness and Awareness as a Therapeutic Practice
In western culture, the mind is sometimes seen as the focus of self and primary means for experiencing our lives. Others see the mind as one component of self-realization, a powerful tool that has become too dominant a part of our self-experience. Self-judgment, loss of intuition, and a dissociation from bodily experiences result in a feeling of separation from self and a dulled experience of living. Mindfulness practices can help to balance our experience by bringing thoughts into harmony with intuition and somatic experience.
Meditation and mindfulness are not one in the same. Mindfulness is a sense of being that can be fostered through a variety of practices including meditation, self-inquiry, focused relaxation and other means.
Mindfulness practices are becoming recognized as useful and legitimate approaches to working with many psychologically oriented issues such as depression, anxiety, obsession/compulsion, addiction, and trauma. However, it is my belief that for these practices to be useful, they must be explored within the context of a carefully structured therapeutic frame and as an addition to psychotherapy. Click here to read my recent article on Mindfulness and Psychotherapy.
Further reading on mindfulness:
Calming Your Anxious Mind Jon Kabat-Zinn Help for Anxiety
The Mindful Brain Daniel J. Siegel Scientific Viewpoint on Mindfulness
The Sacred Mirror Pendergrast, et al Nondual Wisdom and Psychotherapy
Listening from the Heart of Silence Pendergrast and Bradford Nondual Wisdom and Psychotherapy
One Breath at a Time Kevin Griffin Addiction and Recovery
Zen Mind Beginners Mind Shunryu Suzuki Meditation Practice
Guided Meditations Stephen Levine Healing Practices
The Power of Now Eckhart Tolle Presence and mindfulness
