Mission Statement
The blog is devoted to the further evolution and development of Mindfulness Centered Therapies, which are defined as “forms of psychotherapy and personal growth that employ mindfulness as an important part of their programs. processes and practices”.
Definitions
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is a state of consciousness in which one is identified strongly with the observing Self. It is achieved by intending to experience one’s present moment experience without judging, interpreting, censoring or selecting. To be mindful one turns one’s attention inward in order to observe present moment experience: sensations, images, memories, feelings, thoughts, felt-sense experience, and attitudes. One can also be mindful of external experience, that is touch, sight, smell, hearing and taste. Normally, however, when the word “mindfulness” is used in this site without qualification it refers to observation of inner experience.
Relational Mindfulness
Relational mindfulness refers to situations in which two or more people are being together while being mindful and in communication and/or interaction.
About the Author
This blog is an extension of the Mindfulness Centered Therapies website. It’s purpose is to provide a forum for practitioners and people who use counseling, psychotherapy and other forms of therapy and personal growth that employ mindfulness. The blog is maintained by David Cole who lives and practices in Shoreline, Washington. He likes to be called ‘Dave’ and is interested in your contributions and comments. Here is his personal statement:
“I was introduced to mindfulness practice through the human potential movement. There were a number of exercises that were exceptionally useful to me in those early days. One was similar to the guided tours of body sensations used in Yoga Nidra. They involve listening to a tape, CD or an in-person facilitator that directs attention through a sequence of places in the body (lips, teeth, jaws, tongue, cheeks and so forth). I was introduced to this practice in 1977. Another practice was observing thoughts: sitting quietly and observing thoughts that arise in consciousness, and noticing when I became attached to a thought or became lost in thinking, thereby forsaking the role of a disinterested observer. Another exercise had to do with being conscious of agendas from which I was speaking when communicating with others. The exercise was to notice the agenda I was conversing on behalf of, and dropping it until I was speaking without an agenda, just “speaking or listening from nothing.” From there I learned to distinguish body sensations, thoughts, memories, attitudes, agendas, and emotions and practiced being aware of them and naming them over increasing periods of time.
Eventually, I discovered a form of psychotherapy that employs mindfulness. The first one was Hakomi, a body-centered experiential form of work that was created and developed by Ron Kurtz in the 70′s and continuing to the present. His most recent writing is available on his website. Ron Kurtz introduced me to the work of Richard C. Schwartz Ph. D. from the University of Chicago. His method is called Internal Family Systems. I studied with Ron Kurtz for about eight years and with Richard Schwartz for two. From there I went on to learn Focusing, created by Eugene Gendlin, and the Progoff Intensive Journal which my wife has taught for many years. I have added TM, Vipassana, and Tai Chi to my practice list as well.”
