Mindfulness-based Approaches
Clients often come into therapy asking for help ‘to quieten the mind’ or ‘to switch off thinking’ or ‘to stop the incessant chatter’ – “don’t do that, best not bother, why me?, why can they do that and I can’t?, I’m not good enough, I can’t do this any more”
CBT can help to detect thoughts which are intrinsically linked to our emotional state with the aim of evaluating those more objectively. This in turn, can lead to a sense of being separate from our thoughts i.e. maybe we are NOT what we think. We can learn not to react to our thoughts in the same way. Mindfulness approaches can help us to become increasingly aware of the patterns of the mind and with ongoing practise, we can remain more distanced from the emotional impact that our thinking can have on us. We can learn to observe our mind, as we do our physical self.
Sometimes it will feel ok to move closer and with the flow of our thoughts rather than spending increasing efforts to still the mind, distract ourselves, avoid thinking about things – we may even notice the transience of our thoughts and the emotional landscape, just like the weather patterns day-to-day – fluctuating, changing, impermanent.
CBT & Mindfulness practise sit nicely together and for many years now, have been integrated to help those with repeated episodes of depression. Whilst CBT has shown to be effective in helping people climb out of the holes in the road, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Thearpy (MBCT) has shown it’s effectiveness in keeping people from falling back into the hole – we can notice the same patterns, the same thoughts and learn to respond to those differently perhaps, so we are less likely to be caught off guard.
Over more recent years, Mindfulness is being used for people experiencing a whole range of emotion-related difficulties such as stress, anxiety, anger.
At CBT 24-7 Ltd we are keen to offer people a full package of treatment so you are able to fully embrace the notion of being your own therapist, no matter where you are in your journey to well-being and recovery. Our course is also for you if you have ever benefitted from Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Acceptance & Commitment Therapy, Counselling & Psychotherapy.