What is Mindfulness?

We go through life mindlessly, behaving in ways we later regret. Maybe we said something we wish we could take back, or we sent an email that shows an unflattering side of our personality. Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy, or MBCT, is designed to help anyone suffering from anxiety, depression, and chronic pain. It combines the ideas of cognitive therapy with meditative practices and attitudes based on the cultivation of mindfulness. Helping individuals learn how to recognize their sense of being and see themselves as separate from their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Our therapists use mindfulness to increase your tolerance of thoughts and emotions that you probably wish you get rid of. Thus reducing the distress they cause you.

What Does MBCT Help Treat?

• Depression and anxiety
• Food and eating issues
• Low mood and negative thoughts
• Body sensations such as weariness and sluggishness
• Psychosis

If you can relate to any of the above issues, mindfulness-based therapy may be right for you. MBCT helps people separate themselves from their thoughts and moods and teaches them how to recognize their sense of being. The Mindful Practice uses it to give clients the necessary tools to combat depression, anxiety, and any other symptoms as they arise. Our therapists teach clients how to break away from negative thought patterns affecting their lives.

Common Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy Techniques:

• Mindfulness Meditation: Meditation aims to gain a greater awareness of the client’s inner world.
• Body scan: Our Orlando therapists guide the client through the body scan and bring awareness to their breathing patterns and sensations throughout their bodies.
• Breathing exercises: Mindful breathing is gently focusing attention on the breath. Breathing exercises give you the tools to bring yourself back to the present moment in stressful situations.
• Mindfulness stretching: Mindfulness stretching can be performed discreetly throughout the day. It helps increase awareness of your body.
• Yoga: With yoga as you stretch and feel slightly uncomfortable, you simultaneously focus on managing your breathing. This increases your awareness of your inner world, and because you continue to hold the pose, you become less reactive to every thought, emotion, or mood.
• Grounding techniques: Grounding techniques engage your senses which helps orient yourself to the present moment.

What are the benefits of Mindfulness?

• It helps you see the mind’s patterns and recognize when your moods change.
• Mindfulness can also help access another approach to dealing with complex moods and emotions.
• Through mindfulness, you can learn to be present in the moment and appreciate it rather than dwelling in the past.
• Mindfulness can help you discover difficult and unwanted thoughts and feelings and view them from a different perspective.
• It allows you to interrupt the negative thoughts that trigger the downward mood spiral.

Recent research has shown that people who have been clinically depressed three or more times in their life find that learning mindfulness-based skills help considerably reduce their chances of depression returning. Evidence indicates that mindfulness-based cognitive therapy may reduce the rate of depressive relapse by 50%. It has also shown improvement in treating clients with bipolar disorders and eating disorders. MBCT and mindfulness bases stress reduction can also help with psychosis, and other conditions. If you or someone you know may benefit from mindfulness-based therapy, please contact us today for a free consultation. We would be happy to speak with you about how The Mindful Practice may be able to help.

Ready to Start Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy in Jacksonville or Orlando, FL?

Are you ready to use mindfulness to improve your mental health? If so our Orlando and Jacksonville therapists are here to guide and support you. Our Jacksonville and Winter Park, FL-based practice uses mindfulness meditation and other MBCT techniques to help you deal with complex feelings and situations. Start healing with MCBT by following these steps:

1. Contact us to speak with one of our dedicated therapists.
2. Have your first appointment at The Mindful Practice
3. Start learning to live life in the present

Other Services at The Mindful Practice in Winter Park and Jacksonville, FL

MCBT is just one of the techniques used by our Orlando and Jacksonville therapists. For individuals, we offer anxiety treatment, depression treatment, and trauma therapy. As well as post-bariatric surgery therapy. Additionally, we provide counseling for grief, life transitions, and teens.  These services are offered in person at our Jacksonville and Winter Park, FL offices and online throughout Florida.