Mindfulness Therapy for Stress, Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, and (Dis)Ability
What is Mindfulness Therapy?
Mindfulness therapy, also known as Mindfulness-based Therapy, is a type of psychotherapy used to treat unhelpful thought patterns and behaviors that cause or worsen problems. It does this by teaching you to become more awareness of your thoughts, feelings, surroundings, and situations. By developing greater awareness of your thoughts and the world around you, you learn how to avoid destructive, automatic reactions or habits.
What does Mindfulness Therapy help with?
- Stress (see Coping with Stress and Life Transitions)
- Anxiety (see Managing and Treating Anxiety Disorders)
- Depression (see Overcoming Depression)
- Trauma/PTSD (see Healing from Trauma/PTSD)
- Bipolar Disorder
- Psychosis
- Substance abuse
- Medical/disability-related issues
- Relationship issues
Types of Mindfulness Therapy
There are also different types of mindfulness therapy, including mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) and mindfulness-based stress reduction therapy (MBSR).
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy or MBCT
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, or MBCT, is a type of mindfulness therapy that incorporates cognitive therapy with mindfulness practices. Cognitive therapy involves learning how to identify unhelpful thoughts and choose different, more helpful thoughts instead. This is called cognitive restructuring. Mindfulness practices may include breathing exercises, body scan, 5 senses, meditation, or other mindfulness practices.
The three-minute breathing space is a common MBCT technique. During this exercise, you are asked to follow three one-minute steps:
- Ask yourself, “How am I doing right now?” Focus on and identify the thoughts, feelings, and sensations that you notice.
- Bring your awareness to your breath and sit with it.
- Check in on your physical sensations and how they are affecting you.
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Therapy or MBSR
Mindfulness-based stress reduction therapy, or MBSR, is a type of mindfulness therapy that incorporates stress management techniques with mindfulness practices. This creates a mindfulness protocol specifically for stress, as opposed to a practice for something else that has an added benefit of stress relief.
As indicated above, MBSR has also been shown effective in improving chronic illness, both physical and mental, by helping people cope with symptoms and clinical issues.
Additionally, mindfulness can be incorporated into other forms of therapy (see Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Stress, Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, and (Dis)Ability and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Stress, Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, and (Dis)Ability)
If you think you may benefit from mindfulness-based therapy, please contact me today for a free consultation. I would be happy to speak with you about how I can help.
Please see additional information about my telehealth and online services at Telehealth in Florida: Online Therapy for Florida Residents with Stress, Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, and (Dis)Ability-related Issues