Why Mindfulness In Therapy?
Why Mindfulness in therapy?
Most people have heard of mindfulness, in fact you may feel a little fed up of hearing about it! The NHS describes mindfulness as ‘paying attention to what is going on inside and outside ourselves, moment by moment’ (2022) and perhaps a more original definition would be Kabat-Zinn’s definition ‘paying attention … on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally’ (Kabat-Zinn, 1994).
But what is mindfulness in the therapy room and why can it be so helpful?
Mindfulness helps to reduce stress, depression, anxiety and even physical pain. This can be done at home or be something that is supported in therapy sessions.
However, mindfulness in the therapy room is more than just this. In the therapy room this can be done through different techniques such as discussion, breathing exercises, guided meditations and body scans.
Mindfulness is generally used in therapy to encourage us to become more aware of thoughts, feelings, habits and our body in order to bring the most out of the therapy session. For example, getting clients to tune into what is going on in their bodies can shed new light on feelings or thoughts they didn’t know they had.
When dealing with chronic pain we may be so focused on that particular area of pain that we miss other symptoms in our bodies. Being more mindful and aware of our body can lead us to better management of the chronic pain or even potentially reveal other physical issues that are adding to the cause of the pain.
How does it help to have this enhanced awareness of thoughts, feelings and our body? It is only when we become mindful of our thoughts, feelings and body that we are best positioned to stand back and decide whether we want to make changes.
In the Psychosynthesis psychotherapy model mindfulness is used with the specific purpose of helping the client to identify patterns, thoughts and feelings so they become a better observer and director of how they respond in life- rather than being just caught in a reactive cycle. Mindfulness helps give us choice in our lives. Mindfulness techniques are not just a practice to enhance therapy sessions, clients are encouraged to take them outside the therapy room as a tool for life.
NHS (2022) ‘Mindfulness’, accessed 03/03/24 .
Kabat-Zinn, J. (1994). Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life. Hyperion.