Mindful Awareness
Mindful Awareness is a practical way of developing a different relationship with the present moment.
It involves becoming more aware of our thoughts, feelings and bodily experience, while learning not to be automatically carried along by whatever arises.
The intention is not to empty the mind or achieve a particular state. It is to become more conscious of our experience as it unfolds.
Why might someone choose Mindful Awareness?
Mindfulness can be particularly useful when we find ourselves running on autopilot. We may become caught up in repetitive thinking, lose ourselves in worry, or only notice how tense or overwhelmed we have become once things have gone too far.
Developing awareness can help us recognise these processes earlier. That can create some space between what is happening and what we do next. One of the strengths of Mindful Awareness is that what we learn can be taken directly into everyday life.
What does working with Mindful Awareness involve?
The starting point is your own experience. We might explore how your attention works, notice what happens in the body in particular situations, or become more familiar with the way thoughts and emotions arise and pass.
Practices can take many forms. Some involve meditation; others use movement, sound or sensory awareness. They may last several minutes or simply involve an intentional pause during the day. There is no requirement to be good at meditation.
My approach to Mindful Awareness
For me, mindfulness is less a technique than a capacity that can be developed. An important part of that development is not simply what we notice, but how we relate to what we notice.
Qualities such as curiosity, patience, allowing and non-judgement can change the tone of our relationship with difficult experience.
I am particularly interested in finding forms of practice that fit the individual. Mindfulness does not have to look a particular way. What matters is developing a more conscious relationship with what is happening here and now.
Research and evidence
Mindfulness has been studied extensively across a range of settings. Research suggests that mindfulness-based approaches can be helpful for stress, anxiety and depression, although they are not appropriate or helpful for everyone.
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is also recommended by NICE as one option for preventing relapse for some people who have experienced depression.
The wider research base is substantial, but outcomes vary according to the programme, the person and the context. I think it is therefore more useful to view mindfulness as an approach with particular strengths rather than as a universal solution.
Is Mindful Awareness right for me?
Mindful Awareness may appeal if you want to become more present in your own life, notice sooner what is happening within you, or develop a less automatic relationship with difficult thoughts and feelings.
No previous experience of mindfulness is needed.
For some people, however, turning attention towards internal experience can initially feel uncomfortable or overwhelming. In those circumstances, we can work more gently or consider whether another way of working would be more appropriate.
If you are unsure, we can begin with what has brought you and explore what might be most useful.
