Mindfulness Based Psychotherapy

Welcome
How Mindfulness Can

Support the Therapist,
Enhance the Therapeutic
Process, and Encourage
Change in the Client.
“Mindfulness itself cannot be captured
in a technique. It is a way of
being……Waking up to our lives in
each moment requires intention and
effort. It is an endeavor that we
undertake for ourselves, and can
share with our patients, using
whatever means at our disposal.”
Germer, Siegel and Fulton, Mindfulness and Psychotherapy

What is Mindfulness?
 Giving intentional, nonjudgmental attention
to our experience in the here and now.
 Is very simple, yet so counter to our mind’s
habits, what our culture encourages and
what we do to stay safe or comfortable.
 Learning to stay present creates awareness
that allows us to CHOOSE how to respond.
 Mindfulness = Awareness = choice.
.
Important Aspects of
Mindfulness
 Approach is non-judgmental – accepting - curious.
Judgement stops the ability to learn/choose.
 Learning to “Let go” or “let be” v.s. “fixing”.

 It’s purposeful –“training” a busy, distracted mind.
 It is an EMBODIED practice, not just “in our head”.
 We start to see our patterns and the negative
effects of our attempts to avoid. (fix, blame or
criticize)
Working with our Thoughts
“Awareness v.s. Content”
 Becoming aware of what we are thinking - creates
separation from and perspective on our thoughts –
do not feel so overwhelmed or controlled by them.
 Like developing an “observing ego/observing self”

– becoming a “participant observer”.
 IMAGE: We are the sun, our thoughts are like

clouds. Clouds are not the sun, they obscure the
sun.
“Pain is Inevitable….
Suffering is Optional”
(Pain + Resistance=Suffering)
 Being human is difficult. We are all imperfect.
There is much we don’t control.
 HOW we deal with difficulty is what we have control

over. Our resistance can create more suffering.
 How do we develop wise and compassionate

responses to the difficulty in our life?
Self Compassion
“The Missing Ingredient”
 Self compassion is a learnable skill, responding to our
own suffering in a kind way builds resilience.
 Often there is misunderstanding about and resistance

to self compassion. We tend to fix, blame, ignore or
deny,
Three components of Mindful Self-Compassion:

Mindfulness/Common Humanity/Kindness
Mindfulness in Psychotherapy
 Focus is on the present moment and learning skills.

 We are not “self improvement projects”- we have
what we need – we start where we are.
 Change occurs through acceptance and turning

toward difficulty.
 Healing does NOT mean doing away with

symptoms.
 Be aware of bias and social location.

How Mindfulness Helps the
Therapist
 Improves focus and cognitive flexibility.
 Increases our ability to abide with difficult
emotions in session and not carry them with us
after session. (TONGLEN)
 Sharpens our awareness of our own reactivity,

counter-transference, secondary trauma.
 Quiets our mind, renews our energy, Protects

against burn-out and fatigue.
How Mindfulness Enhances
the Therapeutic
Relationship
 Deepens our capacity for compassionate and
nonjudgmental presence, client “feels felt”.
 Increases credibility, trust and authenticity. (We

have done what we are asking them to do.)
 Increases skill in using our own experience in

therapeutic interventions.
How Mindfulness
Helps the Client
 Increases affect regulation and tolerance (increases their
ability to stay present to difficult emotions)
 Develops an observing ego (increased awareness of reactions

“in the moment” )
 Increases ability to change emotional states and self-soothe

(“training” the mind / tools for calming, grounding, soothing)
 Alters negative core beliefs/schemas/working models

(reduces negative automatic thoughts and “story lines”)
 Supports healing of traumatic wounding and shame

(deepens compassion for self and others, reduces feelings of
isolation)
11
Trauma Informed
Mindfulness
 Understand trauma - including ACE’s and the
effects of neglect, abuse and oppression.
 Intentionally engaging in “being present” can
trigger thoughts, feeling and bodily sensations of
unresolved or undiscovered issues and trauma.
 TITRATE: shorter, well-structured and supported.
Client is in control of the process.
 Include practices for resourcing: grounding in the
senses, orienting oneself, calming self-talk,
soothing self touch, moving the body.
When Mindfulness
May Be Contra-indicated
When a client:
 Has traumatic memories or flash backs that are too
strong Feels overwhelmed or harmed by their inner
experience
 Has “introjected voices” that are too harsh or unrelenting

 Fears possible disintegration or loss of sense of self
 Is in a state of acute grief or deep clinical depression
 Experiences breaks with reality-psychosis or
disassociation
 Wants to use meditation for “spiritual bypassing” 13

Integration of Mindfulness
Implicit to Explicit
______________________________________________

Therapist explores mindfulness information, underlying principles

_____________________________________________________
Therapist’s approach to therapy is influenced by
mindfulness
_____________________________________________________
Therapist works with clients using mindfulness
techniques
_____________________________________________________
Therapist teaches meditative practice
and explicitly discusses topics of
mindfulness and meditation in session
Incorporating Mindfulness into
Your Sessions
 Pause together at beginning of session.
 Encourage client to: come back to the present
moment, (Sacred Pause) sense it in their body,
notice common patterns/beliefs.
 Include brain/neuroscience information.
 Help client see their thoughts/feelings as separate
from themselves and changeable.
 Teach skills to tolerate being present when
uncomfortable. Self compassion, self soothing,
breathing, grounding, affect tolerance (DBT, ACT)
Between Sessions /
“Homework”
 Ask client to take moments to pause and notice
what they are thinking and feeling.
 Explore exercises/practices from MSC, DBT, or ACT.

 Engage in breathing, grounding or self soothing
techniques that they have practiced in session.
 If they are interested, encourage practices (that

you have done): meditation, gratitude, loving
kindness, yoga (Short, guided, perhaps within
community).
 Read supportive books/articles. (Tara Brach, Pema

Chodron, Rick Hanson)
Resources: BOOKS
 Mindfulness and Psychotherapy: Edited Germer, Siegel, &
Fulton
 Sitting Together; Essential Skills for Mindfulness-Based

Psychotherapy, Pollack ,Pedulla, and Siegel
 Self Compassion in Psychotherapy. Germer and Siegel

 The Mindful Way Through Depression: Williams, Teasdale…..
 Self Compassion: Kristen Neff
 The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion: Chris Germer
 The Buddha’s Brain: Rick Hanson
 Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness: David Treleaven.
 WORKBOOKS:DBT, Dialectical Behavior Therapy; ACT,
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and MSC Mindful Self
Compassion
Resources for You and Your Clients
 Apps: Insight Timer, 10% happier, Headspace,
Calm
 Websites/You Tubes/Books for clients: Tara Brach,

Pema Chodron, Rick Hanson, Jack Kornfield. Richard Davidson, Dan Siegel,
 Guided Imagery & Meditations: Health Journeys

 Workbooks: DBT, ACT, Mindful Self Compassion
 IFOT Indigenous Focusing-Oriented Therapy, Love
and Rage, My Grandmother’s Hands
 https://dialecticalbehaviortherapy.com (DBT)
 https://positivepsychology.com/act-worksheets
Thank you for your kind
attention.
Jane Rauenhorst Ph.D., L.P.
Contact Information:
jane.rauenhorst@gmail.com
651-757-0708

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Welcome

How Mindfulness Can

Germer, Siegel and Fulton, Mindfulness and Psychotherapy

 Learning to “Let go” or “let be” v.s. “fixing”.

 Like developing an “observing ego/observing self”

 IMAGE: We are the sun, our thoughts are like

 HOW we deal with difficulty is what we have control

 How do we develop wise and compassionate

 Often there is misunderstanding about and resistance

Three components of Mindful Self-Compassion:

 Focus is on the present moment and learning skills.

 Change occurs through acceptance and turning

 Healing does NOT mean doing away with

 Be aware of bias and social location.

 Sharpens our awareness of our own reactivity,

 Quiets our mind, renews our energy, Protects

 Increases credibility, trust and authenticity. (We

 Increases skill in using our own experience in

 Develops an observing ego (increased awareness of reactions

 Increases ability to change emotional states and self-soothe

 Alters negative core beliefs/schemas/working models

 Supports healing of traumatic wounding and shame

 Has “introjected voices” that are too harsh or unrelenting

 Wants to use meditation for “spiritual bypassing” 13

Therapist explores mindfulness information, underlying principles

 Explore exercises/practices from MSC, DBT, or ACT.

 If they are interested, encourage practices (that

 Read supportive books/articles. (Tara Brach, Pema

 Sitting Together; Essential Skills for Mindfulness-Based

 Self Compassion in Psychotherapy. Germer and Siegel

 Websites/You Tubes/Books for clients: Tara Brach,

 Guided Imagery & Meditations: Health Journeys

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