Bringing Mindfulness into the Room

Since Jon Kabat-Zinn founded it over thirty years ago, mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) has become an international movement. It has expanded into medicine, neuroscience, psychology, and education. The heart of MBSR is mindfulness meditation, which is intentional nonjudgmental awareness of moment-to-moment experience. It can be practiced informally by bringing awareness into daily activities, as well as formally with mindful breathing, the body scan, or sitting meditation. All of these practices bring in mind and body awareness that can become an important ally in therapy. And they can help therapists as much as clients.

Many times we come into the office delivering an inner monologue about the traffic we just experienced, an email we just read, all the things we need to get done that day, or clients we are worried about. Establishing a mindful check-in practice has been enormously helpful for us. It stops the automatic pilot and deepens our presence in the moment so that we can be present for the next client. In fact, we now hold mindful check-ins with most of our clients when beginning a session. Clients arrive with the same preoccupations, and many of them are thankful for the opportunity for "being" rather than "doing" all the time. Starting sessions this way often sets a very different tone of presence within the therapist-client relationship.

You can also use the mindful check-in between sessions (as time allows). This can help you recenter and refocus for your next client. Otherwise, your mind may drift back to previous sessions, especially when they carried a strong emotional charge. Mindful check-ins help therapists be present to the person in front of them.

Consider practicing the mindful check-in for three minutes between sessions or at the beginning of your session. It will help both you and your client see what really needs to be attended to.

Mindful Check-in:

Begin by taking a few mindful breaths in and out...(Pause)

Gently shift attention into your body and mind and acknowledge any physical sensations, thoughts, or emotions and just let them be...(Pause)

Now take a few moments to reflect on what really brings you here today and acknowledge it. (Pause)

There's no need to judge, analyze, or figure things out. Just allow yourself to be present with what's here...

As you come to the end of this practice, take some moments to appreciate this time you gave to yourself... (Pause)

Try doing this between sessions, or beginning a session this way. You may also find it beneficial to have a mindful check-in during the session, pausing for a few moments to take in what's been said. See what happens when you bring mindfulness into the room.

—Bob Stahl, PhD, and Elisha Goldstein, PhD, authors of A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook

Upcoming conferences for mental health professionals

New Harbinger will be attending the following professional conferences in 2011- we'd love to see you!

March 23-27, Psychotherapy Networker (PTN)- Washington, DC- booth 100-102

August 4-7, American Psychological Association (APA)- Washington, DC

November 10-13, Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy (ABCT)- Toronto, Ontario, Canada