Mindfulness Lab

Mindfulness has gained in popularity in the Western world since the 1970s but what does it really mean and what does it do…?

Mindfulness has gained in popularity since Jon Kabat-Zinn from MIT has conducted a series of experiments that have demonstrated that the Buddhist monks practising meditation have an increased ability to resist stress, lower the immune dysfunction, be resilient to pain and has an overall positive effect on brain functions.

Now, since the 1970s these results have been reproduced times and times again making the practice of mindfulness one of the most effective ways for stress reduction, anxiety and panic attacks management and general regulation of negative emotions including anger.

Science now supports these findings and it is today accepted that the regular practice of mindfulness has a positive effect on brain functions.

But what is Mindfulness? Mindfulness is an overarching term that describes the practice of being able to guide our mind into staying in the present moment and becoming curious (and not reactive) to the things happening in our bodies and minds as a result of the events that happen and the world that surrounds us. The regular practice of mindfulness has been demonstrated to bring a number of benefits to brain function and effectively changes little by little how some parts of our brain work. It has been derived from the Buddhist practice of sati (which translates as mindfulness or awareness) but the way it is practised with me is within a scientific rather than any religious framework.

If you are interested in weaving mindfulness into your psychotherapy work please discuss it with me in your fist session.

For mindfulness only, please visit the Mindfulness Lab website.