Meditation & Mindfulness
Mindfulness and meditation have grown in popularity over the past several years. However, they can often be challenging because they require a pivot away from what seems natural. It seems natural to be active, to problem solve and fix things. This works with many of the things in our lives, but not the practice of mindfulness and meditation. These practices do not require an active response, but rather the willingness to simply notice thoughts, sensations and emotions. This noticing is in the spirit of a kind acceptance of what is happening, rather than our normal response.
MBCT
Over the past decade, mindfulness has become an important part of therapy. For instance, MBCT is an approach that combines both mindfulness and CBT. Whereas CBT attempts to change thoughts, mindfulness insists that we do not change thoughts, but simply observe them, purposefully. This certainly can be challenging because it often illicit feelings of failure, fear or boredom.
How it Works
We normally try to avoid these or similar emotions. Through the practice of directly observing the emotions, as well as the thoughts and sensations that accompany them, they are transformed. It is the kind, nonjudgmental witnessing of these distressing emotions that is actually the mechanism of healing. A good metaphor is to think about how a child fears a dark room. When a light is turned on and they see that there is no threat, the fear goes away. It the same way, when the light of attention remains on the activities of the body and mind, the nervous systems learns that there is no need to create these distressing feelings as often.