The terms mindfulness and presence are often used interchangeably within the mental health field; however, without mindfulness the ability to be present may be null and void. Even though there are several references to mindfulness within research and literature (Bien, 2006; Cole & Ladas-Gaskin, 2007; Germer, 2005; Germer, Siegel, & Fulton, 2005; Hick, 2008; Linehan, 1993a, 1993b; Mace, 2008; McKay, Brantley, & Wood, 2007; Shapiro & Carlson, 2009), the expansive use of the term can lose its meaning. Originally based in Buddhist philosophy, mindfulness has been adapted by Western society and more specifically, within the counseling field. To be completely mindful is to be aware of the full range of experiences that exist in the present moment …show more content…
McCollum and Gehart (2010) conducted a qualitative study examining the impact that mindfulness meditation had for Master-level student therapists in helping them to develop therapeutic presence. A thematic analysis was conducted of the journals kept by each of the 13 student therapists throughout the research study. The themes that emerged included the effects of meditation practice, the ability to be present, balancing being and doing modes in therapy, and the development of acceptance and compassion for themselves and for their clients. The findings suggested that the mindfulness practice aided in their development of qualities reflective of therapeutic …show more content…
Vinca (2009) confirmed a significant relationship between mindfulness and therapists’ presence using the Therapeutic Presence Inventory (TPI-T) (Geller, Greensburg & Watson, 2010). Evidence showed how the more mindful therapists found themselves to be, the more present they found themselves to be, as well as the more present their clients viewed them as being. Findings revealed that both therapist and client ratings of therapist presence were positively related to therapist empathy and inversely related to anxiety. May and O’Donovan (2007) explored the correlation between mindfulness, well-being, burnout, and job satisfaction in counselors. Findings showed that higher levels of present-moment, nonjudgmental, and mindful awareness were related to cognitive and emotional well-being and job satisfaction. While their findings concluded that a mindful practice did not enhance mindful awareness, May and O’Donovan (2007) suggested that mindful awareness can improve the functioning of therapists and ultimately improve client
From personal experience, mindfulness meditation gives me a feeling of obtaining a healthy mind and body from the attention and peace I obtained. Such feelings resulting from proper practice of mindfulness meditation is not limited to my own testimony though. According to the Satipatthana Sutra, those who practice such in-and-out breathing become “ardent, aware, and mindful” (“Satipatthana Sutra,” Accessed on 2010). However, it is unclear whether such reported experience is genuine or has effect, or if such mindfulness meditation is similar to a placebo effect.
I pay particular attention to enactments, which expose intra-psychic dynamics between the therapist and client, as opportunities for relational remodeling. Combining these IST and attachment, a client can reintegrate affective responses and relational needs through mutual recognition in the therapeutic relationship. Furthermore, both approaches delve into the subjective and embodied processes of both client and therapist, which allows me to integrate interventions like mindfulness, deep breathing, DBT skills, and other behavioral coping skills that work in conjunction with the relational processes to empower clients to stabilize, regulate, and develop new ways to relate interpersonally. The use of these interventions are particularly helpful when working with clients with severe and chronic mental illnesses as it creates a safe, relational holding space for clients to develop necessary coping skills, especially when the therapy is
The article Mindfulness: Theoretical Foundations and Evidence for its Salutary Effects, Psychological Inquiry by Kirk Warren Brown, Richard M. Ryan & J. David Creswell seeks to address different aspects of mindfulness and propose future research. Five main topics are discussed, the characterization of mindfulness, mindfulness compared to other theoretical treatments, different interventions that are designed to improve mindfulness, key processes that may provide reasoning for mindfulness success, and shrouded areas concerning mindfulness. The purpose of the article was to show that there are different perspectives on mindfulness and that more research is needed to develop a better understanding. Even though the mindfulness practice has been utilized for centuries, there have been countless studies in recent years concerning mindfulness. The article pinpointed the concept of mindfulness as being rooted in Buddhist psychology but also shares conceptual kinship through ideas from Western European and American culture contributions.
Campbell, Jennifer Chrisman, and John Chambers Christopher. "Teaching mindfulness to create effective counselors." Journal of Mental Health Counseling July 2012: 213+. Academic OneFile. Web. 5 Mar. 2014.
The act of self-awareness is built through emotional intelligence which is an important factor in building therapeutic relationship. Nurses should built an understanding of clients health situation considering social, cultural, emotional, physical spiritual and psychological conditi...
This paper is just the beginning of my personal exploration into professional presence, mindfulness practice, and healing environments. I am excited to start a journey into a better understanding of my own thoughts, beliefs, relationships, and values to reveal personal strengths and weaknesses. How can I use this to develop a professional presence plan in hopes to be an effective caregiver and leader? With the results of the Keirsey Temperament Sorter-II personality test, I intend to explain what
The first thoughts that come to mind when discussing Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy is that, this therapy seem to be centered on mindfulness and meditation. This simple fact alone is part of the many reasons I find interest in Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy. Founded by Zindel Segal, Mark Williams, and John Teasdale, MBCT was designed to prevent the relapse of depression (Segal, Williams, & Teasdale, 2002). According to Segal, et al (2002), mindfulness is the awareness that presents itself when a person is paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, in a nonjudgmental way. I think that by allowing clients to use the techniques of MBCT, it can allow them to recognize the different states of mind they may have and ultimately
When caring for patients, raising a family, advancing our education, and working 12 to 16 hour shifts, we sometimes neglect addressing our own needs for well-being, which may lead to distractions, burn out, and compassion fatigue. In turn, this can adversely affect patient outcomes, satisfaction, and lead to medical errors. In my professional practice I am mindful and know the importance of maintaining a mindful professional appearance by being in the moment; showing sincere interest in not only one’s physical needs, but also their opinions, issues, concerns, and mental well-being; volunteering discretionary effort; and respecting and leveraging separate realities. When practicing mindfulness, I can easily avoid burnout, compassion fatigue, and prevent medical errors that can occur when being
One weekend Jan had to go on a mandatory retreat for the social workers in her department to maintain optimal wellness, physically and emotionally. While there she took part in meditation and went to talks on acupuncture and massage therapy. When jan came back to the retreat, she could not stop thinking abou...
Self-care helps provide boundaries as a service provider for myself and my wellbeing. Between the intense sessions with clients to the heavy documentation and expectations at my agency, it helped provide stability between my professional self and my personal self. Along with processing my feelings and work with clients during supervision, I began to incorporate more meditation and breathing techniques to prevent from feeling too overwhelmed. As a student, we learn that feeling overwhelmed can lead to burn out, and this is something that I will continue to practice as a preventative technique. Knight (2013) describes how the objective of self-care is not to cure the secondary trauma, but rather learn to manage it and implement it consistently to grow professionally and personally. This article incorporated self-care and secondary trauma by emphasizing how both things can affect each other directly. Self-care has really helped my wellbeing, especially after a very heavy session with the client or when I begin to feel personally triggered by something during
Psychotherapy has been Around for many years and has a major role in our world today. It has grown over the years and now there are known many hundreds of different theories about. Clients that use therapy are for different reasons as to cope with a change of life experience or a disorder or for personal development. Integrative psychotherapy has been around for over one hundred years but has really only come into the forefront of therapy since the late 1970’s. “Research has indicated that psycho¬therapy is moving toward an integrated approach to therapy” (Norcross, 2005b). The therapy is a mixture of all theories that are tailored by the therapist professional experience to work with the client in a positive way. This assignment will look at the factors needed to enable the therapist to carry out successful therapy. It will highlight and explain what the five principles of integrative therapy are. Also, with the common factors and how they are important and across all therapies. Also,
To begin with, mindfulness is when someone can pay attention to the present moment “without being devoted to different points of view” (Martin, 1997). Along with staying focused on the present moment, mindfulness is when the particular person does not judge the current experience as the person tries to comprehend the present situation. Mindfulness makes a person reflect on one’s self by not only figuring out one’s thoughts, but also the feelings that go along with it. The complex nature of mindfulness demonstrates that it has multiple purposes that cultivates a person into realizing the potential of the brain (Davis & Hayes,
• How does mindfulness affect your relationships and your gratitude? Mindfulness affects our relationships as they may fall apart when someone is inattentive and not fully committed. If we are multi-tasking or not paying full attention to someone when they are speaking, the person may feel ignored and devalued.
What are your thoughts, views, musings and experiences etc. regarding meditation? As we all can learn from each other when it comes to sharing ways of creating a healthy, happy and vibrant life work balance.
Living in the present allows me to live and tend to my thoughts and emotions that I often suppress or ignore. Working as a school counselor, I think that I will use mindfulness to help students with anxiety, behavior problems, and depression. I hope to use mindfulness in the future as I teach students how to use mindfulness in their own lives so that they can exist in the present and connect their mind with their body. Through using mindfulness in sessions with students and possibly in the classroom setting, I will give them a tool to help manage and become more self-aware of the thoughts and emotions they experience so they can learn how to better tend, express and manage them. However, without practicing mindfulness myself I would not have understood its power in the work of my client’s