In mental health, there has lately been a lot of buzz around treatment using mindfulness.  What is mindfulness?  Well, mindfulness was brought to the West by practitioners such as Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn and Dr. Jack Kornfield.  The book Wherever You Go, There You Are by Dr. Kabat-Zinn describes mindfulness meditation in extreme detail.  Mindfulness is originally a Buddhist term, which refers becoming acutely aware of the present moment.  Mindfulness practitioners often do mindfulness meditations in which they focus on their breathing and quiet the mind by staying in the present.  The theory here is that if one focuses on the past, one will be full of regret, and if one focuses on the future, one will be full of anxiety.  The present is where there is peace.  

What is so powerful about mindfulness is that mindfulness techniques are now being used by mental health clinicians to soothe clients with symptoms ranging from anxiety to addiction.  In one very powerful article by Dr. Elisha Goldstein    entitled "Cravings- How Using Mindfulness and Urge Surfing Can Help Now!", Dr. Goldstein discusses that even with cravings as strong as addictions, mindfulness can help.  She coins the term "Urge Surfing," which is an extremely powerful idea that when you are feeling a strong urge to use, this urge rises and falls like a wave, and comes with a physical sensation as well.  By being aware of these intense physical sensations and breathing, you can "surf the wave" of this urge, and watch it pass. 

If mindfulness and "urge surfing" are powerful enough to work with addictions, imagine how powerful it can be on anxiety, depression, and other emotions that overcome one like a wave!  I have tried so many different techniques to get a hold on my anxiety and depression, and I must say that mindfulness is one of the very best when practiced regularly.

Now, imagine if we taught this technique to our children at a young age?  By the time they were adults, they would be able to manage urges that most adults currently struggle with, whether these urges are to overeat, yell at someone, or even steal.  If we could create a critical mass of people using mindfulness techniques, imagine how much more peaceful the next generation could become.  Start with your child.  Start today.

Be Well
~Emily