Four reasons to choose mindfulness and therapy

If you have been to therapy in the past or have seen a TV show or movie scene depicting a therapy session, you probably have seen a therapist sitting in a chair asking the ‘patient’ sitting across from them “and how did you feel about that?”. While some people can benefit from this type of talk therapy where the therapist says very little and the patient does all the talking, a large portion of people are missing out on transformative therapy that can happen when the therapist is mindful, in the here and now with you, and engages in a back and forth filled with attunement, empathy, collaboration and gentle challenges,.

If you are looking for a new therapist and are curious if combining mindfulness and therapy is a good fit for you, consider the four reasons below on how mindfulness could help you get to where you want to go.

1.Becoming mindful of what is happening to you and in you can help resolve previous trauma(s) and can help you make space for you to be you.

Our favorite definition of mindfulness is being present , with objectivity and no judgment, with what is happening to you and in you. When you can reach this level of raw connection with what is happening within you and around you AND you are working with a trauma-informed therapist, the both of you can join together to process and integrate previous trauma(s). This work takes time and tenderness, can be painful at times, but can result in you feeling like you have shed an outer layer, allowing your inner beauty to shine.

2. Cultivating mindful awareness and acceptance of your thoughts and feelings can improve your communication with important people in your life

It is not simple to just remember to be mindful; it takes practice and time to cultivate mindful awareness. If you combine your own practice of mindfulness along with being in a therapeutic relationship with a mindfulness-based therapist, it becomes possible to accept thoughts and feelings as they are rather than wanting them to go away or be different than what they are. We believe accceptance’ is the crown-jewel of mindfulness as once you can get past anger, resistance, and sadness that can get in the way of acceptance, a wave of ease, grace and peace can wash over you, opening the door for you to communicate with authenticity, transparency, and vulnerability..

3. A mindfulness-based therapist is relational, engaging and will notice patterns and character traits that other therapists might miss.

If you are open to being seen and known, accepted and adored for all of you, including your flaws and embarrassing parts, then working with a therapist who has their own mindfulness practice can be transformative! Allowing yourself to be vulnerable while also leaving judgment at the door can ground you with security so you have the courage to be curious and explore parts of yourself that you didn’t know where there.

4. Mindfulness can be a strong foundation to stand on while doing challenging and sometimes painful therapy during your healing journey.

Therapy can be rewarding but there is usually discomfort, denial, anxiety and even hopelessness that can be stirred up while you dig into old wounds to help you break current and future patterns. Developing mindfulness before or during therapy can help you weather the ups and downs of therapy so you can stay engaged in the process long enough to get to the ease and grace on the other side.