Mindfulness

Not so much a therapy as a way of life.

Mindfulness might simply be described as choosing to control our focus of attention.

Jon Kabat-Zinn describes mindfulness as paying attention in particular ways:

on purpose

in the present moment

non-judgementally

This increases awareness, clarity and acceptance of our present-moment reality.

Based on Buddhist teachings, mindfulness is increasingly being used to treat conditions from stress to chronic pain, from depression to weight issues. Clinical research attests to it’s effectiveness. (See Research)

In the late 1970s Jon Kabat-Zinn founded the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program at the University of Massachusetts to treat the chronically ill. Although originating in Buddhism, there is nothing inherently religious about mindfulness, and it is often taught independent of religious or cultural connotation. Psychotherapists have adapted and developed mindfulness techniques into promising cognitive behavioral therapies.