Mindfulness

• Main aim of mindfulness therapy is to allow patient to be in control of their own mind by using free will to pay attention to their present thoughts and emotions allowing them to control it and focus on building a happier well rounded life. This can help someone suffering from depression to enhance their happiness and signature strengths ( optimism self reflection)
• MBSR is a 8 week workshop taught by certified trainers that includes

  • Weekly group meetings (2 hour classes)
  • One day retreat (6 hour mindfulness practise) between sessions 6 and 7
  • Homework (45 mins daily)
  • Instruction in 3 formal techniques : 1. mindfulness meditation 2. Body Scanning 3.Simple yoga postures
• (1) Component is Gaining Control of Thoughts.

  Being mindful trains patient to focus on present thoughts emotions and feelings. Usually our minds are either focused on past or the future but mindfulness teaches individuals to focus on present becoming aware of all thoughts and feelings.

  Through their focus on the present individuals gain a greater awareness of unhelpful negative thoughts which control and minimise them. Mindfulness helps individual recognise when these negative thoughts occur and alter their response to be more refletive than reactionary .
• (2) Component is Meditation and Mindful Breathing

  Art of Mediation is central to mindfulness . Formal training in sitting meditation is most effective as is remove individual from daily interactions so that focusing the mind is easier mediation is learned through guided instruction and practise.
• (2) Guided Meditation involves getting client to sit comfortably keeping their spine straight and asking them to focus on their attention breathing paying attention to their bodys sensations thoughts and emotions this alone stips negative thoughts from occurring. Meditation also helps individual accepts that their thoughts are impermanent individual is less likely to react automatically
• (3) Informal Practises of Mindfulness

  Can be practised informally such as whilst driving walking or cleaning. Mindfulness is the opposite of multi tasking- making the conscious decision to focus on one task. Informal practises simply involves paying attention to your surroundings
• One of the assumptions of the positive approach is that positive human traits are as authentic as negative ones and that individuals strive to achieve greater life fulfilment by developing their natural strengths and values . Mindfulness aims to enhance a persons characteristics through acceptance based methods which encourage the individual to develop core virtues such as flexibility and gratitude