Mindfulness in Psychotherapy

I find myself more and more often teaching mindfulness in my psychotherapy practice because I see how many ways it can help my clients. With a regular practice - even just five minutes a day - we can experience many benefits.

Here are just a few of the things you are likely to experience:

• Having the space in the moment to respond to others rather than react (and regret)
• Stress reduction
• Increased self-care
• Mindfulness training increases compassion and sense of connection to others
• A more integrated brain (integration is health)

If you'd like to try a short experience, this beautiful video is a four and a half minute meditation from Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh's Art of Mindful Living.



One of my favorite parts is when TNH says that a smile is like a beautiful flower, a flower "that we can offer to anyone, anytime."

If you believe - as I did for many years - that you just can't sit still long enough to practice mindfulness, you may find this post on The Benefits of Mindfulness helpful. Included in the post is information on how neurofeedback can help you be more comfortable in your body, as well as suggestions for meditation that don't involve sitting still.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
Upper West Side Counseling