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Being in the now
Mindfulness as an intervention in challenging, changing, and uncertain times
The COVID-19 pandemic, multiple national displays of racial and social injustice, and recent political strife have left many feeling uncertain, anxious, sad, angry, grief-stricken, and struggling to cope. Coping may be especially difficult for our clients already grappling with mental health concerns, and many are looking to mental health professionals to restore a sense of well-being.
As professionals, we may be unsure about the best approach; after all, we haven’t experienced anything like this before! We’re facing many unknowns and unanswered questions, but one thing we do know is that we’re dealing with constant change. And, in fact, the only certainty is continued change and uncertainty. The truth of uncertainty can be challenging to contend with, especially when so much, including our country’s future, is in question. In times like this, there is likely no perfect treatment, but mindfulness can serve as a powerful intervention for coping with uncertainty and change, and for managing a range of difficult reactions.
The ‘what’ of mindfulness: Awareness, being in the now, and nonattachment
It’s crucial that we understand what mindfulness really is. It’s become something of a buzzword in American society, complete with misconceptions. Mindfulness has roots in many faith traditions, but as it’s practiced in the Western world, it usually has roots in Hinduism and Buddhism.
Mindfulness roughly means “awareness”; this is an approximate translation of the Pali (an ancient Indian language) word “Sati.” Mindfulness is moment-to-moment awareness and acceptance of our present experiences, thoughts, and feelings, without judgment or attachment. Attachment relates to the continually changing nature of all thoughts, feelings, and situations. Because everything is continuously changing, we needn’t become attached; attachment can keep us from being in the now. Acceptance means facing the now, which is essential when we feel tempted to avoid or deny painful feelings or situations. Acceptance doesn’t mean that we’ve resigned to being in pain forever; it merely means that we’re willing to see things as they actually are right now. This honest assessment of the present can prepare us for next steps.
Being in touch with the now helps us reconnect with ourselves, promote clarity about our situation and choices, and increases our awareness of our thoughts and feelings, moment to moment. It can also help us realize when we’ve fallen into unhelpful or catastrophic thinking, the risk of which is high during intense stress and uncertainty like what we’re facing now. Mindfulness helps us catch ourselves so we have the opportunity to make different choices, and feel better.
The how of mindfulness: Symptom management and changes in the brain
Research on mindfulness suggests that it can improve coping with anxiety,1 regulate mood,2 improve depression,3 reduce rumination,4 and mitigate trauma symptom severity.
Because mindfulness can effectively address psychiatric concerns, mindfulness-based clinical interventions such as mindfulness-based stress reduction and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy have been developed. These may reduce anxiety,5 depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder.6 Mindfulness can have a powerful impact on the brain; it’s been shown to improve the functioning of the regions associated with emotional regulation7 and change the regions related to awareness and fear.8 So, whether mindfulness is practiced in our clients’ everyday lives or used as the basis of therapeutic programs, it can promote well-being.
The how of mindfulness: In everyday life and treatment
How can we help our clients enjoy mindfulness’ benefits? I suggest that we start with ourselves. We’ll be more effective at guiding our clients in using mindfulness if we have our own experience.
And, mindfulness may help us to be more attentive to and effective in treatment. There is research demonstrating that treatment providers can benefit from mindfulness practices,9 and that clinicians who practice mindfulness report higher levels of empathy toward their clients.10 Because mindfulness is about attention and nonjudgmental and nonattached observation, it can be incorporated into many aspects of everyday life. Many options are available; we might encourage our clients to begin their day with a mindful pause, simply breathing and observing thoughts, feelings, sensations, or anything else that comes up. If they find themselves fixated on negative thinking or feelings, nonjudgmentally recognizing these experiences as temporary can help to prevent immersion and overwhelm. , perhaps during tasks such as housekeeping, working, talking with others, exercising, and even eating.
It can be beneficial to practice mindfulness before, during, and after situations that our clients know may bring on increased stress, anxiety, negative mood, and other undesirable experiences, such as watching the news or using some forms of social media. For clients who want more structure or guidance, several mobile apps are available, such as InsightTimer, Ten Percent Happier, or for Black clients, Liberate, which may be especially helpful for the impacts of racial injustice. Apps may also help clients who want to establish a formal mindfulness meditation practice, which may decrease anxiety and depression in some clinical populations.11 And, of course, with training, we can incorporate mindfulness into treatment. We may encourage clients to start our treatment or therapy sessions with a mindful pause to help them attain calm and focus, and depending on their concerns and needs, during times at which they feel particularly strong emotions. Clients may consider taking a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction course if something more intensive is needed, or clinicians may consider becoming trained in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Because recognition is increasing that mindfulness can address many clinical concerns, and because we’re contending with unprecedented challenges, mindfulness training for clinicians has become widely available.
Calm, clarity, and choices
None of us as individuals can eliminate the strife our country is living through, and none of us as clinicians can completely prevent or alleviate our clients’ pain. But by employing mindfulness, we can help clients cope with change and uncertainty, gain greater awareness of themselves and their experiences, feel calmer, attain more clarity to make better choices, and ultimately, feel better.
References
1. Bernstein A et al. J Cogn Psychother. 2011;25(2):99-113.
2. Remmers C et al. Mindfulness. 2016;7(4):829-37.
3. Rodrigues MF et al. Trends Psychiatry Psychother. Jul-Sep 2017;39(3):207-15.
4. Chambers R et al. Cogn Ther Res. 2008;32(3):303-22.
5. Montero-Marin et al. Psychol Med. 2019 Oct;49(13)2118-33.
6. Khusid MA, Vythilingam M. Mil Med. 2016 Sep;181(9):961-8.
7. Kral TRA et al. Neuroimage. 2018 Nov 1;181:301-13.
8. Desbordes G et al. Front Hum Neurosci. 2012 Nov 1. doi: 10.33891/fnhum.2012.00292.
9. Escuriex BF, Labbé EE. Mindfulness. 2011;2(4):242-53.
10. Aiken GA. Dissertation Abstracts Int Sec B: Sci Eng. 2006;67(4-B),2212.
11. Goyal M et al. JAMA Intern Med. 2014 Mar;174:357-68.
Dr. Collins is a Brooklyn-based licensed counseling psychologist, educator, and speaker. She is experienced in addressing a wide range of mental health concerns within youth, adult, and family populations. Her work has a strong social justice emphasis, and she is particularly skilled at working with clients of color. She has been a mindfulness practitioner for 10 years and is passionate about sharing the practice with others. Dr. Collins has no conflicts of interest.
Mindfulness as an intervention in challenging, changing, and uncertain times
Mindfulness as an intervention in challenging, changing, and uncertain times
The COVID-19 pandemic, multiple national displays of racial and social injustice, and recent political strife have left many feeling uncertain, anxious, sad, angry, grief-stricken, and struggling to cope. Coping may be especially difficult for our clients already grappling with mental health concerns, and many are looking to mental health professionals to restore a sense of well-being.
As professionals, we may be unsure about the best approach; after all, we haven’t experienced anything like this before! We’re facing many unknowns and unanswered questions, but one thing we do know is that we’re dealing with constant change. And, in fact, the only certainty is continued change and uncertainty. The truth of uncertainty can be challenging to contend with, especially when so much, including our country’s future, is in question. In times like this, there is likely no perfect treatment, but mindfulness can serve as a powerful intervention for coping with uncertainty and change, and for managing a range of difficult reactions.
The ‘what’ of mindfulness: Awareness, being in the now, and nonattachment
It’s crucial that we understand what mindfulness really is. It’s become something of a buzzword in American society, complete with misconceptions. Mindfulness has roots in many faith traditions, but as it’s practiced in the Western world, it usually has roots in Hinduism and Buddhism.
Mindfulness roughly means “awareness”; this is an approximate translation of the Pali (an ancient Indian language) word “Sati.” Mindfulness is moment-to-moment awareness and acceptance of our present experiences, thoughts, and feelings, without judgment or attachment. Attachment relates to the continually changing nature of all thoughts, feelings, and situations. Because everything is continuously changing, we needn’t become attached; attachment can keep us from being in the now. Acceptance means facing the now, which is essential when we feel tempted to avoid or deny painful feelings or situations. Acceptance doesn’t mean that we’ve resigned to being in pain forever; it merely means that we’re willing to see things as they actually are right now. This honest assessment of the present can prepare us for next steps.
Being in touch with the now helps us reconnect with ourselves, promote clarity about our situation and choices, and increases our awareness of our thoughts and feelings, moment to moment. It can also help us realize when we’ve fallen into unhelpful or catastrophic thinking, the risk of which is high during intense stress and uncertainty like what we’re facing now. Mindfulness helps us catch ourselves so we have the opportunity to make different choices, and feel better.
The how of mindfulness: Symptom management and changes in the brain
Research on mindfulness suggests that it can improve coping with anxiety,1 regulate mood,2 improve depression,3 reduce rumination,4 and mitigate trauma symptom severity.
Because mindfulness can effectively address psychiatric concerns, mindfulness-based clinical interventions such as mindfulness-based stress reduction and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy have been developed. These may reduce anxiety,5 depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder.6 Mindfulness can have a powerful impact on the brain; it’s been shown to improve the functioning of the regions associated with emotional regulation7 and change the regions related to awareness and fear.8 So, whether mindfulness is practiced in our clients’ everyday lives or used as the basis of therapeutic programs, it can promote well-being.
The how of mindfulness: In everyday life and treatment
How can we help our clients enjoy mindfulness’ benefits? I suggest that we start with ourselves. We’ll be more effective at guiding our clients in using mindfulness if we have our own experience.
And, mindfulness may help us to be more attentive to and effective in treatment. There is research demonstrating that treatment providers can benefit from mindfulness practices,9 and that clinicians who practice mindfulness report higher levels of empathy toward their clients.10 Because mindfulness is about attention and nonjudgmental and nonattached observation, it can be incorporated into many aspects of everyday life. Many options are available; we might encourage our clients to begin their day with a mindful pause, simply breathing and observing thoughts, feelings, sensations, or anything else that comes up. If they find themselves fixated on negative thinking or feelings, nonjudgmentally recognizing these experiences as temporary can help to prevent immersion and overwhelm. , perhaps during tasks such as housekeeping, working, talking with others, exercising, and even eating.
It can be beneficial to practice mindfulness before, during, and after situations that our clients know may bring on increased stress, anxiety, negative mood, and other undesirable experiences, such as watching the news or using some forms of social media. For clients who want more structure or guidance, several mobile apps are available, such as InsightTimer, Ten Percent Happier, or for Black clients, Liberate, which may be especially helpful for the impacts of racial injustice. Apps may also help clients who want to establish a formal mindfulness meditation practice, which may decrease anxiety and depression in some clinical populations.11 And, of course, with training, we can incorporate mindfulness into treatment. We may encourage clients to start our treatment or therapy sessions with a mindful pause to help them attain calm and focus, and depending on their concerns and needs, during times at which they feel particularly strong emotions. Clients may consider taking a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction course if something more intensive is needed, or clinicians may consider becoming trained in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Because recognition is increasing that mindfulness can address many clinical concerns, and because we’re contending with unprecedented challenges, mindfulness training for clinicians has become widely available.
Calm, clarity, and choices
None of us as individuals can eliminate the strife our country is living through, and none of us as clinicians can completely prevent or alleviate our clients’ pain. But by employing mindfulness, we can help clients cope with change and uncertainty, gain greater awareness of themselves and their experiences, feel calmer, attain more clarity to make better choices, and ultimately, feel better.
References
1. Bernstein A et al. J Cogn Psychother. 2011;25(2):99-113.
2. Remmers C et al. Mindfulness. 2016;7(4):829-37.
3. Rodrigues MF et al. Trends Psychiatry Psychother. Jul-Sep 2017;39(3):207-15.
4. Chambers R et al. Cogn Ther Res. 2008;32(3):303-22.
5. Montero-Marin et al. Psychol Med. 2019 Oct;49(13)2118-33.
6. Khusid MA, Vythilingam M. Mil Med. 2016 Sep;181(9):961-8.
7. Kral TRA et al. Neuroimage. 2018 Nov 1;181:301-13.
8. Desbordes G et al. Front Hum Neurosci. 2012 Nov 1. doi: 10.33891/fnhum.2012.00292.
9. Escuriex BF, Labbé EE. Mindfulness. 2011;2(4):242-53.
10. Aiken GA. Dissertation Abstracts Int Sec B: Sci Eng. 2006;67(4-B),2212.
11. Goyal M et al. JAMA Intern Med. 2014 Mar;174:357-68.
Dr. Collins is a Brooklyn-based licensed counseling psychologist, educator, and speaker. She is experienced in addressing a wide range of mental health concerns within youth, adult, and family populations. Her work has a strong social justice emphasis, and she is particularly skilled at working with clients of color. She has been a mindfulness practitioner for 10 years and is passionate about sharing the practice with others. Dr. Collins has no conflicts of interest.
The COVID-19 pandemic, multiple national displays of racial and social injustice, and recent political strife have left many feeling uncertain, anxious, sad, angry, grief-stricken, and struggling to cope. Coping may be especially difficult for our clients already grappling with mental health concerns, and many are looking to mental health professionals to restore a sense of well-being.
As professionals, we may be unsure about the best approach; after all, we haven’t experienced anything like this before! We’re facing many unknowns and unanswered questions, but one thing we do know is that we’re dealing with constant change. And, in fact, the only certainty is continued change and uncertainty. The truth of uncertainty can be challenging to contend with, especially when so much, including our country’s future, is in question. In times like this, there is likely no perfect treatment, but mindfulness can serve as a powerful intervention for coping with uncertainty and change, and for managing a range of difficult reactions.
The ‘what’ of mindfulness: Awareness, being in the now, and nonattachment
It’s crucial that we understand what mindfulness really is. It’s become something of a buzzword in American society, complete with misconceptions. Mindfulness has roots in many faith traditions, but as it’s practiced in the Western world, it usually has roots in Hinduism and Buddhism.
Mindfulness roughly means “awareness”; this is an approximate translation of the Pali (an ancient Indian language) word “Sati.” Mindfulness is moment-to-moment awareness and acceptance of our present experiences, thoughts, and feelings, without judgment or attachment. Attachment relates to the continually changing nature of all thoughts, feelings, and situations. Because everything is continuously changing, we needn’t become attached; attachment can keep us from being in the now. Acceptance means facing the now, which is essential when we feel tempted to avoid or deny painful feelings or situations. Acceptance doesn’t mean that we’ve resigned to being in pain forever; it merely means that we’re willing to see things as they actually are right now. This honest assessment of the present can prepare us for next steps.
Being in touch with the now helps us reconnect with ourselves, promote clarity about our situation and choices, and increases our awareness of our thoughts and feelings, moment to moment. It can also help us realize when we’ve fallen into unhelpful or catastrophic thinking, the risk of which is high during intense stress and uncertainty like what we’re facing now. Mindfulness helps us catch ourselves so we have the opportunity to make different choices, and feel better.
The how of mindfulness: Symptom management and changes in the brain
Research on mindfulness suggests that it can improve coping with anxiety,1 regulate mood,2 improve depression,3 reduce rumination,4 and mitigate trauma symptom severity.
Because mindfulness can effectively address psychiatric concerns, mindfulness-based clinical interventions such as mindfulness-based stress reduction and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy have been developed. These may reduce anxiety,5 depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder.6 Mindfulness can have a powerful impact on the brain; it’s been shown to improve the functioning of the regions associated with emotional regulation7 and change the regions related to awareness and fear.8 So, whether mindfulness is practiced in our clients’ everyday lives or used as the basis of therapeutic programs, it can promote well-being.
The how of mindfulness: In everyday life and treatment
How can we help our clients enjoy mindfulness’ benefits? I suggest that we start with ourselves. We’ll be more effective at guiding our clients in using mindfulness if we have our own experience.
And, mindfulness may help us to be more attentive to and effective in treatment. There is research demonstrating that treatment providers can benefit from mindfulness practices,9 and that clinicians who practice mindfulness report higher levels of empathy toward their clients.10 Because mindfulness is about attention and nonjudgmental and nonattached observation, it can be incorporated into many aspects of everyday life. Many options are available; we might encourage our clients to begin their day with a mindful pause, simply breathing and observing thoughts, feelings, sensations, or anything else that comes up. If they find themselves fixated on negative thinking or feelings, nonjudgmentally recognizing these experiences as temporary can help to prevent immersion and overwhelm. , perhaps during tasks such as housekeeping, working, talking with others, exercising, and even eating.
It can be beneficial to practice mindfulness before, during, and after situations that our clients know may bring on increased stress, anxiety, negative mood, and other undesirable experiences, such as watching the news or using some forms of social media. For clients who want more structure or guidance, several mobile apps are available, such as InsightTimer, Ten Percent Happier, or for Black clients, Liberate, which may be especially helpful for the impacts of racial injustice. Apps may also help clients who want to establish a formal mindfulness meditation practice, which may decrease anxiety and depression in some clinical populations.11 And, of course, with training, we can incorporate mindfulness into treatment. We may encourage clients to start our treatment or therapy sessions with a mindful pause to help them attain calm and focus, and depending on their concerns and needs, during times at which they feel particularly strong emotions. Clients may consider taking a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction course if something more intensive is needed, or clinicians may consider becoming trained in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Because recognition is increasing that mindfulness can address many clinical concerns, and because we’re contending with unprecedented challenges, mindfulness training for clinicians has become widely available.
Calm, clarity, and choices
None of us as individuals can eliminate the strife our country is living through, and none of us as clinicians can completely prevent or alleviate our clients’ pain. But by employing mindfulness, we can help clients cope with change and uncertainty, gain greater awareness of themselves and their experiences, feel calmer, attain more clarity to make better choices, and ultimately, feel better.
References
1. Bernstein A et al. J Cogn Psychother. 2011;25(2):99-113.
2. Remmers C et al. Mindfulness. 2016;7(4):829-37.
3. Rodrigues MF et al. Trends Psychiatry Psychother. Jul-Sep 2017;39(3):207-15.
4. Chambers R et al. Cogn Ther Res. 2008;32(3):303-22.
5. Montero-Marin et al. Psychol Med. 2019 Oct;49(13)2118-33.
6. Khusid MA, Vythilingam M. Mil Med. 2016 Sep;181(9):961-8.
7. Kral TRA et al. Neuroimage. 2018 Nov 1;181:301-13.
8. Desbordes G et al. Front Hum Neurosci. 2012 Nov 1. doi: 10.33891/fnhum.2012.00292.
9. Escuriex BF, Labbé EE. Mindfulness. 2011;2(4):242-53.
10. Aiken GA. Dissertation Abstracts Int Sec B: Sci Eng. 2006;67(4-B),2212.
11. Goyal M et al. JAMA Intern Med. 2014 Mar;174:357-68.
Dr. Collins is a Brooklyn-based licensed counseling psychologist, educator, and speaker. She is experienced in addressing a wide range of mental health concerns within youth, adult, and family populations. Her work has a strong social justice emphasis, and she is particularly skilled at working with clients of color. She has been a mindfulness practitioner for 10 years and is passionate about sharing the practice with others. Dr. Collins has no conflicts of interest.