Mindfulness Therapy
Techniques
1. Being mindful about each activity (in the context of therapy – it can be specifically be eating or playing video games) and asking the following questions to oneself.
- How do I feel physically and emotionally?
- Why?
- What I can do right now to make myself feel great or improve the next moment?
- Is doing this specific action an effective way of using my energy to move towards the things and people that are important in my life?
- Is this what a happy/successful person would do?
2. Body Scan Meditation (A form of Grounding Technique):
The traditional body scan meditation as taught in MBSR (Mindfulness-based stress reduction) lasts about 30—45 minutes. For this exercise, lying down is the best position, but sitting on a chair is allowed too. The founder of MBSR, Kabat-Zinn, purposefully chose to have the practitioner lie down since many of his initial patients were in too much discomfort to sit still for a 30-minute meditation.
The meditator is told to keep their body awareness during the entire period. If their awareness wanders or they become distracted, they are encouraged to just go back to a certain body part and start over.
A major element of body scan mindfulness is deep breathing. Due to breathing deeply and slowly, our body can relax, and the mind becomes more conscious. You should try to ignore external noises as you do a body scan. Start to turn your focus inward rather than outward. Simply be aware of this and return your attention to your breathing if outside noises in the space are distracting you.
Steps to do Body Scanning Meditation(BSI)
The whole procedure of guided body scan meditation is simplified for you in a few steps.
Step One – Ease yourself – Relax first
The most comfortable position is lying down supporting your head, especially if you’re performing BSI right before sleep. You may also sit on a chair on the floor and keep your back straight but not stiff. Close your eyes or maintain a delicate glance while keeping them open.
Step Two – Start deep breathing.
Instead of breathing from your chest, use your belly. Put on hand on your tummy and the other on your chest. You’ probably notice that the upper hand is moving less than th bottom hand as you continue to breathe deeper. Breathe in via your nose, hold it in your abdomen for 5—10 seconds, an then exhale out through your mouth.
Step Three – Start scanning from your feet
For the next step, bring your awareness down to your feet an pay attention to your sensations. If you experience pair accept it, along with any accompanying thoughts or feeling! and take a few more breath-ins and breath-outs.
Step Four – Focus on different parts of the body
Now, work your way up your body, focus on your legs, shoulders, arms, and neck until you reach your head. Stop fc a few seconds at each body part and notice your sensation and feelings, both pleasant and unpleasant. Take a dee breath and observe what happens. Imagine the tension vanishing into the air as you breathe it out of your bod, When you feel ready, continue, moving your attention another body part.
Step Five – Focus on your body as a whole
After you’ve completed the exercise, take a moment to notice how your body feels overall. To end the meditation, take a few more breaths, move your toes and fingers to get back t reality, and softly open your eyes when you are ready.
3. Box breathing
It is a deep breathing technique that can help you feel calm and relaxed. It involves breathing in slowly through your nose, holding your breath, and then slowly exhaling through your mouth, while counting to four in each step. You can visualize a box and think of each count as one side of the box, completing a side with each step until the box is full.
Here are the steps for box breathing:
- Sit or stand with your back straight and feet on the floor.
- Close your eyes.
- Breathe in slowly through your nose for a count of four, feeling the air fill your lungs.
- Hold your breath for a count of four, trying not to clamp your mouth or nose shut.
- Slowly exhale through your mouth for a count of four.
- Hold your breath again for a count of four.
- Repeat steps 1—6 for as long as you want, or until you feel re-centered. Some recommend doing four rounds.