Mindfulness therapy in Orange County, CA
Online therapy for mindfulness in California and Florida
Experience this moment now
Are you constantly focusing on the past or the future and missing out on today?
Are you someone who…
Struggles to feel joy in the moment
Worries about things that may or may not happen in the future
Dwells on painful events from the past
Finds it difficult to concentrate
Often forgets important events in the past, even positive ones
You find yourself often preparing for things you need to take care of that day or week. You may be having dinner with your partner or having an intimate moment but you keep thinking about what you need to take care of or what possible thing could go wrong in the future. Alternatively, you might find your days are colored by thoughts of the past. Focusing on the future or on the past sucks the joy out of today because you end up missing these precious moments that are here now.
Mindfulness can enrich your life by helping you live in this moment now
What is Mindfulness Therapy?
Mindfulness is when we intentionally focus on our five senses to bring us to present moment awareness. Mindfulness is about noticing and observing. A thought is just a thought. An emotion is just an emotion. A sensation is just a sensation. We do not need to get carried away by these thoughts, emotions and sensations. Together, we can incorporate mindfulness practices into the session and then into your life.
Imagine that we have gathered at a park to lie on the grass and watch the clouds. I have given you the assignment of watching straight in front of you to describe the clouds as they go by. When we look turn our head to the left, we are anticipating the clouds rather than watching them straight ahead of us and letting them come into our line of vision. This is somewhat like anxiety in which we anticipate a thing happening or we are eager to experience it. Or we might turn our head to the right watching the cloud that was just in our line of vision. This is attaching, not wanting to let go. With mindfulness, we experience things as they are in that moment without anticipating or clinging.
Through mindfulness therapy, I can teach you various ways to be more present moment focused. Together, we can practice these mindfulness strategies while in session and then help you create a daily mindfulness practice.
A mindfulness practice can help you experience life more fully in this moment which can lead to more joy. It can help you be more in-tune with your loved ones and cultivate deeper and stronger connections. It can help you at work or at home in being more attentive and therefore improve concentration and reduce forgetfulness.
Additionally, with mindfulness you can have better understanding of your thoughts by learning that a thought is just a thought and a feeling is just a feeling. Rather than dwelling on these thoughts are feelings, you can watch them go by like clouds in the sky without attaching meaning. Sometimes we create meanings for things in our mind that are not true and cause us pain and distress. Through mindfulness, we can feel more at peace with our thoughts as they arise.
What mindfulness therapy can do for you…
Reduce anxiety and worries
Reduce dwelling on painful memories from the past
Increase experiences of joy
Increase acceptance of this moment now
Find freedom from dwelling on the past and worrying about the future
FAQs
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This is a type of therapy that incorporates practices of mindfulness to help you become more aware of your thoughts, feelings and sensations. This type of talk therapy helps you to become more aware of your inner dialogue which could include critical or negative self-statements and can help you to be more aware of your thoughts so that you are not responding in ways that you would otherwise wish not to.
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Focusing on what you see, hear, smell, taste, touch
Noticing where you feel your inhale and exhale
Noticing your thoughts, feelings and sensations as they arise
Qi Gong
Yoga
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Scientific research has revealed that mindfulness practices can alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety as one becomes more aware of their thoughts, feelings and sensation. When we can accept what we are experiencing in that moment rather than pushing it away or clinging to it, we can develop more inner peace.
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Research has show that a mindfulness practice incorporating relaxation techniques can reduce symptoms of panic and anxiety.
Once, I had to do an MRI with my whole head in and I felt feelings of panic and I felt strongly pulled to stop the procedure. I was able to use mindfulness skills to tolerate the procedure. My anxiety was high but it did not turn into a panic attack.
We cannot always stop a panic attack but mindfulness strategies help us to accept and tolerate distress and this is a super power!
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Because we often think of things in the past and relive them and this takes a toll on our nervous system. We also could be thinking of the future, for example, worried about a conversation you need to have. In your mind you could play out all kinds of upsetting scenarios that can cause your body to feel distress. When we find ourselves doing this, using our five senses to focus on present moment awareness can help.
Mindfulness is about noticing and observing. A thought is just a thought. An emotion is just an emotion. A sensation is just a sensation. We do not need to get carried away by these thoughts, emotions and sensations.