Mindfulness is in fashion and yet it is an ancient technique. Some take it as a philosophy of life and now psychology has adapted it to some of its therapies with the aim of relieving emotional suffering. Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy can change your life (for the better) and consists of living with full attention, to “be” more than to “be”. Do you want to know a little more about this therapy? In this article we tell you what exactly it consists of and how it can help you.
What is Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy?
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is one of the most used in psychology to treat different disorders. We are especially concerned about anxiety and depression because of the large number of people who live with this emotional suffering and the number of relapses that occur in these disorders.
- And when Cognitive Therapy joins forces with Mindfulness, the result is a treatment of 8 sessions, one of which is an intensive practice of Mindfulness with which your life can change. That change that you have been waiting for so much to learn to manage anxiety, so that worries do not have such a negative impact on your life, to understand the meaning of life or to recover your strength and keep moving forward, you can find it in this therapy.
- With Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy you can observe a series of transformations both in your way of acting or behavior and in the relationship with your thoughts. It is important to change the perception you have of the world and of yourself if you are suffering from an anxiety or depression problem because it is evident that at this time your way of relating to yourself and others is not functional. You are suffering, right?
- Well, Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy can help you to look at the world from another perspective, to understand how your thoughts work, to relate to those thoughts in a more useful way and, above all, to forgive yourself, to observe yourself from a different perspective. more compassionate, kinder, more understanding. To prioritize “being”, here and now, over “being” in one way or another. To live with full attention.
But perhaps the most interesting thing is what this therapy is capable of reducing:
- The anxiety.
- The risk of relapse into depression.
- The worries.
- Obsessive and ruminative thoughts.
- The psychological discomfort.
- The emotional suffering.
What does Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy achieve?
With Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy, a series of achievements or tools are achieved that directly affect your quality of life and your mental health.
- You are more aware of your behavior patterns.
- You learn to relate to your inner experiences.
- You recognize your harmful behaviors and change them for healthier ones.
- You accept the psychological discomfort and, by accepting it, you reduce its negative impact.
- You learn to handle rumination, worries and obsessive thoughts.
- You develop skills so necessary for emotional well-being such as letting go, not resisting, letting go… letting go.
- You learn self-care.
- You know yourself better, you see yourself in a more compassionate and understanding way, which makes you accept and forgive yourself.
But what is Mindfulness? so it can help you
- Maybe we are talking about Mindfulness and surely you have heard about it on many occasions, but it is not clear to you what it is. Keep reading, that you are interested in applying it in your life.
- Mindfulness can be a technique, a set of exercises, or a lifestyle, depending on how you take it. But in any case it is about developing mindfulness. What is happening right now? Take a good look, because right now the only thing that is happening may be that the sun is shining, which is not little. Or maybe it’s raining and the wind is terrible, but that and nothing else.
- And that you are breathing, or that you are taking a shower, or working, or doing laundry. Or maybe you are having tea, reading a book or chatting with some friends. You are cooking? There are things that you are doing, things that are happening right now, here and now and that have nothing to do with those ruminating, catastrophic and obsessive thoughts that fill your mind.
- Can you imagine being able to get rid of those thoughts that have led you to suffer from anxiety or depression? Well, you can do it with Mindfulness, which moves the focus of attention, which is why it is also called full attention. And no, Mindfulness does not solve the problems you may have and it is not going to pay your bills or the mortgage either. But do you know how it can help you?
- By being more aware of the present moment, worries, doubts, insecurity and uncertainty reduce your weight or the burden of emotional suffering. Some studies show that the practice of Mindfulness produces changes in the functioning of the brain in just two months. As? Giving your thoughts the value they have, which is much less than you imagine. Because what matters is not what you are thinking, but what is happening. And what is happening without value judgments.
- Mindfulness gives you a different vision of yourself and what happens inside you. Your internal and external experiences become more present, you are more aware of them but now there is no need to judge them as positive, negative or even threatening. With Mindfulness, experiences are accepted, not evaluated.
Do you know how to do a Mindfulness exercise?
If you are imagining that to do Mindfulness you have to go to Tibet, shave your hair and develop your spiritual side, you can breathe easy. It is not about any of that, it is precisely about breathing. There are two very simple Mindfulness exercises that you can start to incorporate into your daily routine and one of them has to do with breathing. Shall we go for it?
Conscious Breathing
Conscious breathing will have been recommended to you more than once when you are nervous or have a lot of anxiety. You can do it lying down or sitting down, with your eyes closed and breathing deeply. Inhale through your nose, hold the air inside you, and release it through your mouth. That’s it?
That’s it. It’s that easy, only while you’re doing it you have to pay attention only to the path the air is taking. Right now the only thing that is happening is that you are breathing. And what do you do if you suddenly lose focus and think of something? Make a gesture with your hand as if to let it go, let that thought pass without getting angry because you have lost concentration and if it is an obsessive thought, tell him nicely that you will come back to him later. Not now, because now you’re just breathing.
The Body Scanner
This exercise consists of mentally scanning your entire body. It is done sitting or lying down and you have to pay attention to the different parts of the body. Close your eyes and try to feel your toes, notice how they’re touching the ground if you’re sitting, and do a sort of sweep or sweep up your ankles, calves, knee…
Continue doing the body scan going through the pelvic area, abdomen, chest, back and neck. Stop at the shoulders and they’re sure to loosen up and then move on to the head.
At first it may be difficult for you to do these two exercises while maintaining full attention, but in a few days you will see that it works, that you are more aware of reality than of your mind. And in a few weeks you will spend more time “being” than “thinking”.