So, if you’ve seen me as a client, or even if you haven’t, someone has probably recommended that you try mindfulness. I hear your concerns. It feels sometimes like people offer it as a panacea or like it’s a way people are telling you that your mental health symptoms are your fault. As though if you tried hard enough and meditated daily you wouldn’t have the issues that you are having.
I want you to know that’s not what we (the people in my practice, can’t speak for anyone else) are trying to say. We see you. We know meditation isn’t for everyone. Sometimes mindfulness looks very different. Sometimes it’s dancing until you get caught up in the music. Sometimes it’s going for a long walk. Sometimes it is coloring. Sometimes it’s just paying a little more attention to your words before they come out of your mouth. Sometimes it is just taking one deep breath.
We know if you have ADD or really any problems focusing sometimes sitting quietly doesn’t work. I know the whole “make your mind blank” thing hasn’t worked for me and I can’t imagine it would work for a lot of my clients.
So why, you may ask, would I recommend this to my clients? The answer is simple. We have data that shows that when people meditate it causes changes in the brain that make mental health symptoms better. I have seen some of my clients get a lot better by adding some sort of mindfulness practice to their life and it is not necessarily sitting quietly for half an hour on a pillow on your floor. At our practice we try to cater to what our clients need. Consent is key, so if mindfulness is not for you we will never try to push your boundaries on that. If it something you’d like to try we would be glad to help come up with a mindfulness practice that fits you and your life.