Mindfulness: more than just a buzzword

 

Mindfulness is an ancient Buddhist practice of paying attention to moment to moment experience in a nonjudgmental way.  Contemporarily, it has been highly regarded and recognized by western psychology, psychiatry, and cognitive neuroscience as having a deeply therapeutic value and literally transformative impact on the mind/brain. Mindfulness is about developing self-awareness and is the cornerstone of all psychological and spiritual work.

Before starting a session, I always begin with mindfulness meditation to help gather and center my client. This is because mindfulness allows one to get in touch with oneself as an observer behind the whirlpool of distracted thought, emotion, and sensation. It deeply anchors one in the present moment and allows us to really experience and study our selves.

Research states that mindfulness or rather the capacity of the mind to direct the brain, through trained attention and focus, can shift our neural architecture. Through mindfulness we can dis-identify with negative thoughts and behavior patterns and allow us to replace them with positive ways of being-in-the-world. It gives us choice and frees us from our habitual modes of reacting and judging. Today mindfulness has been used to treat many disorders from depression, anger management, addictions, anxiety and panic disorders, chronic pain and stress reduction to name a few areas.

About Sonera: Sonera, a psychotherapist in Mumbai likes to refer to her practice as Psyche-Therapy, thereby removing any stigma associated with psychiatrists. We help people with mental disorders using cognitive behaviour therapy.

Read more at http://www.sonerajhaveri.com/blog/psyche-therapy/mindfulness-more-than-just-a-buzzword

Meditation and Psychotherapy

In today’s post-modern era, cutting edge understandings of mental health are emerging through an integration of both eastern spirituality and western psychology. Both traditions work with the mind, subjectivity and consciousness in different and complimentary ways. To do psychological work, one needs to be fully present in the moment and conversely, to do spiritual work, one needs to make peace with one’s personal wounds and traumas. Together like two wings of the same bird that move synchronically, they bring about self-knowledge and transformation. Combining meditation and psychotherapy will go beyond the individual limitations that shore up against each approach, namely, the shadow (i.e. disowned, split of aspects of one’s personality which are either positive or negative), which meditation does not integrate and conversely, the exaggeration of the wounded ego in conventional psychotherapy.

In my own therapeutic practice, I have noticed that by both, supporting my clients in their mindfulness practice as well as facilitating psychological processing with some cognitive and behavioral shifts, has helped their capacity to self- regulate, become aware and integrate their rejected parts and most significantly, suffer less or as Freud has eloquently stated " learn to suffer better."

About Sonera:

Sonera, a psychotherapist in Mumbai likes to refer to her practice as Psyche-Therapy, thereby removing any stigma associated with psychiatrists. We help people with mental disorders using cognitive behaviour therapy.

Read more at http://www.sonerajhaveri.com/blog/psyche-therapy/meditation-and-psychotherapy

NATURE AS MY CO-THERAPIST

I always encourage my clients to grant themselves solitary time in nature and moreover,  like to do retreats or therapeutic work in the wilderness with them. Consciously, spending time in the natural world is one of the most healing presents you could give yourself. Being-in-nature with a client serves as a holding environment, where a client can let go, relax and go deeper into their process. Since most of my work is in urban environments, occasionally, just doing a session in a park has a profound effect on the therapeutic exchange.

Scientifically, research has shown that time spent in the biosphere helps lift depression, brings down blood pressure, alleviates mental fatigue, relieves stress and stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, to name a few benefits.  Although, there are definite psychophysiological shifts when immersed in nature, if we are busy with our smart phones, iPods, iPads or are engaged in compulsive thinking the positive effects of being in nature are reduced.

About Sonera:

Sonera, a psychotherapist in Mumbai likes to refer to her practice as Psyche-Therapy, thereby removing any stigma associated with psychiatrists. We help people with mental disorders using cognitive behaviour therapy.

Read more at http://www.sonerajhaveri.com/blog/psyche-therapy/nature-as-my-co-therapist