Mindfulness Meditation Practice
Mindfulness meditation is like medicine for the mind, brain and heart. The brain structures of long term mindfulness meditators are different from the average brain. The areas associated with compassion and emotional stability are bigger.
Mindfulness is the practice of unconditional presence – sort of similar to pure love – just approval, no judgement or expectations.
This practice is not for the faint of heart! It can feel very uncomfortable to do a mindfulness process on your emotions, because what you are doing is allowing yourself to experience the sensations of the emotion. This is not recommended for those who have difficult memories from childhood, PTSD, or experience dissociation – try this questionnaire if you are not sure (https://counsellingresource.com/quizzes/misc-tests/des/) unless guided by a trauma release practitioner.
Not all emotions feel good in the body, which is part of why we started to avoid them in the first place. Mindfulness practice will help you to observe the passing emotions, without getting caught up in their energies. It’s also a loving way to receive your emotions.
**Make sure that you have a good grounding practice before graduating to mindfulness. If you are seeking trauma treatment, this is especially important. Reconnecting with emotional states can be triggering, especially if your trauma causes you to dissociate. Mindfulness should then be practised with supportive guidance.
Preparation
Imagine yourself standing on a small bridge over a flowing creek. The water in this case represents your emotions. You are not going to jump into the water and be taken by the current of water. You are going to stand on the bridge and observe the flow. Mindfulness is the practice of standing on the bridge as a witness to the flow of water, in this case, the flow of your emotions.
The Practice
- Close your eyes and bring your attention inward. Inhale. Notice the expansion of your body. Exhale. Notice the contraction of your body. Think of your skin as the boundary between your inner life and the outer world. You are safely contained in your body. Inhale and notice the boundary expand. Exhale and notice the boundary contract. Continue to breathe. Strong Spine. Soft muscles.
- When a thought arises notice the thought. See that when you notice the thought, it is there. You have no job with that thought except to notice it. This is called ‘witnessing.’ Practice by resisting the urge to respond to the arising thought with more thoughts. Breathe. Return your focus to your breathe when you can.
- Emotions can arise spontaneously, or in response to a thought. When an emotion arises, notice this as well. Respond to the emotion in the same way that you would respond to the emotion of a child. Unconditional presence. Give it your attention without judgement. It is there. You have recognized it. Just observe and notice the sensation. Practice resisting the urge to add new thoughts (analysis) or emotions (more energy) to the event. Return your focus to your breathe when you can and continue to practice non-reactivity and kind receptivity to your inner stirrings.
When it comes to feeling emotions, resistance is unhelpful in the long run. A judged emotion is a trapped emotion!
Remember, an emotion is not a permanent state. This is physiologically impossible. Your emotions are passing energies.
Unconditional presence means acknowledging your emotion, and not requiring it to change while you stay fully present to it. The emotion will change spontaneously when the energy is discharged. Your job is to allow the energy to pass, by watching it unconditionally – in other words, without judgement or reaction to the emotion itself.
Practising feeling your emotions without judgement can be very healing. Mindfulness has been shown to improve your ability to stay calm when circumstances are challenging, and get better control over your emotions in general. Counseling can help you to get in touch with your emotional life and learn techniques to get control over your emotions.
Therapy for childhood abuse can help you heal the root causes of emotional imbalance. Rachel offers psychotherapy in Sydney, Brookvale for you to get control over emotional life, treat anxiety, heal childhood trauma, and get back in touch with the real you.
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Rachel Anenberg, BA (Psyc), BSW, MSW (Master of Social Work) is a psychotherapist and spiritual coach providing integrative therapy. Her expertise as a psychotherapist come from a combined background and education in psychology, social work, and soul sciences.
Psychotherapy with Rachel can help you to heal depression, treat anxiety, recover from child abuse, adult abuse & narcissistic abuse. Genuine happiness is often out of reach because of unhealed past experiences. Psychotherapy can help you to get in control and feel naturally happy.
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Disclaimer:All information obtained from Rachel Anenberg or anything written or said by her, is to be taken solely as advisory in nature. Rachel Anenberg and Freedom Healing Centre will not be held personally, legally, or financially liable for any action taken based upon their advice. The opinions expressed in this article are based on the research, studies, professional and personal experiences of the author.
The principles and techniques taught in this article are based on the personal and professional experience of the authour as a intuitive healer and psychotherapist, trained in Psychology (BA) and Social Work (MSW). Rachel Anenberg does not claim to be a doctor or provider of medical advice. The author is not a psychologist or psychiatrist and is not able to diagnose medical or psychiatric ailments.
By utilising the techniques in this article, the participant acknowledges that he/she assumes full responsibility for the knowledge gained herein and its application. The reader takes full responsibility for the way they utilise and exercise the information in this article.The key points discussed are guidelines and suggestions for the support of personal development. This article is not intended as a replacement for facilitated psychological therapies. Anyone using the information in this article acknowledges that they have read and understand the details of this disclaimer.