Therapy Approaches
Mindfulness-based approaches, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and EMDR. Also, Motivational Interviewing (MI) and Positive Psychology.
What is Mindfulness:
Mindfulness is paying attention to the present moment in a non-judgmental way. From this awareness of the present, comes the ability for effective action. Instead of staying stuck in behaviors that are not working, we can shift to actions that do. This is called psychological flexibility. ACT and CBT both make use of mindfulness and awareness of thoughts to decrease emotional suffering. Motivational Interviewing also makes use of the non-judgmental aspect for increased understanding of the emotional/behavioral/relationship problems.
One of our favorite quotes, is “Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional”. We all have pain in our lives because of the inevitable ups and downs of our life situations. We turn pain into suffering by being unwilling to experience pain. We turn to food, work, even alcohol and other substances all because we want to avoid pain.
Mindfulness allows us to experience emotional discomfort with greater poignancy but with less problem. We perceive our pain more acutely but it causes us less trouble.
Mindfulness lets us escape into discomfort instead of escaping from discomfort. We are able to experience the richness of being human and recognize that part of that is uncomfortable – but with mindfulness, the sense of problem and the sense of suffering is diminished.
We help our clients experience their pain mindfully and reduce their suffering.
Try a simple guided mindfulness meditation here.
Why Mindfulness
Research supports the use of mindfulness-based approaches, and non-judgmental awareness to help a lot of problems including depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and attention/memory problems. Often these approaches help better than, or at least as much as, medications. Their effects are longer lasting than medications.
Mindfulness allows people to be more open to their emotions and bring more valued actions into their lives.
Mindfulness of negative thoughts and awareness of impulses also helps with procrastination, relationship issues, performance anxiety and existential problems.
EMDR and Mindfulness
Dr. J (Archana Jajodia) practices a unique blend of a mindfulness-based EMDR approach. She is a certified EMDR therapist with advanced training and extensive experience using EMDR with her clients. EMDR is a research-based short-term therapy approach that works really well for trauma based conditions (PTSD). EMDR is a wonderful tool to help with trauma by reducing amygdala activation. It helps with quick relief for distress, and promotes long-term healing for wounds from trauma in relatively few sessions. This allows clients to reduce anxiety in their daily life and be more mindful and embodied. These changes can in turn also lead to significant improvement in chronic health conditions.