Mindfulness is a very fresh therapeutic approach that has been functioning in psychotherapy only since the 1990s, although the method originates from Buddhist meditation. I use Mindfulness as an essential addition to working with people suffering from anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, or as a very effective method of coping with daily stress, “nerves,” aggression, and intrusive thoughts. Mindfulness is based on neurology and understanding how the human brain functions during various tasks and at different emotional intensities. The “main character” here is the amygdala, which (in very brief terms) is responsible for generating negative emotions, aggression, and defensive reactions because it stimulates the sympathetic nervous system. It also plays an important role in processing information in the sphere of interpersonal contacts, as evidenced by the fact that the volume of the amygdala in humans is positively correlated with the size of one’s social network. In less scientific terms: Mindfulness exercises allow for calming down and engaging in rational, logical thinking, and as a result, making rational rather than hasty decisions and actions. The person from whom I learned Mindfulness is Robert Gebka, director of the Dorset Mindfulness Centre in Bournemouth, United Kingdom. Robert is also a Buddhist monk, and therefore he himself “drew from the source,” learning and practicing in places like Tibet. Mindfulness is great fun that can also be used in raising unruly children. Appropriately designed Mindfulness exercises are also used as an aid in working with depression or even schizophrenia. Therefore, the application is very broad, and research is still being conducted on the wider application of Mindfulness in both psychotherapy and clinical psychology.
