Mindfulness
Deliberate attention to what is here now, without judging it.
What it is and isn’t
It isn’t emptying your head, and relaxation isn’t compulsory. It is the practice of noticing: a thought comes, you notice it, you return. Returning is the practice, not a failure.
What we do with it in therapy
Mindfulness is a useful tool with rumination and anxiety. With strong traumatic material, care is needed — turning attention inwards can trigger overwhelm, so we introduce it gradually.
See also
Avoidance
Retreating from what triggers distress — the fastest relief and the most reliable way of making sure the distress stays.
Grieving
The process of adjusting to a loss — not only a death, but any loss that changes who you are.
Adolescence
The period in which a child tests out who they are — often by moving away from you.
