How to benefit from meditation and mindfulness

Many of our patients and probably many of us misunderstanding the purpose and intention of meditation and mindfulness practice don’t we?

We may think it’s for relaxation and to be less stressed.

But it's probably more about holding space for difficult thoughts and feelings in order to get more clarity for better processing and the acceptance of what is IS. Better clarity and processing may lead to better decisions and actions including acceptance, which then can lead to less stress.

It turns out that intention may matter when it comes to practicing mindfulness or meditation.

If we practice meditation in order to open up to difficult thoughts and feelings, we get the benefits. If we practice meditation with the intention to reduce stress, we may not get the benefit.

Here's an interesting article by Steven Hayes.  Why meditation doesn’t work for you.