Mindfulness — A Good Place

MINDFULNESS

Between stimulus and response there is a space.

In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response
lies our growth and our freedom. — Viktor E. Frankl

About Mindfulness

Many of us live our lives on autopilot, going through a series of robotic motions without a clue as to why we are doing them, or even remembering the steps along the way. We focus more on “getting stuff done than really truly enjoying the moment and appreciating the journey along the way. This makes us unhappy and prone to hyper-reactivity.

We all have the ability to be present, aware and calm, but this hard to do in our hectic and hyper-connected world. Mindfulness is an intentional practice that helps us to cultivate self-awareness so we can tolerate difficult feelings and handle challenging life situations. It involves staying in the present moment and observing our thoughts, feelings, and senses from the perspective of an “outside observer", without judgement or criticism.

Mindfulness practice goes hand-in-hand with the other treatment modalities we offer at A Good Place. Mindfulness, like therapy, helps us learn how to understand our feelings and embrace them instead of denying them, avoiding them, or even shaming ourselves. When we can tolerate difficult feelings, we can understand more about ourselves and our capabilities.

We can understand how we are feeling without reading into the meaning or getting carried away with a reaction that we might regret. Instead, we must look at the messages those thoughts and feelings are sending. Our thoughts are only thoughts, our feelings are our feelings, but they don't define WHO we are, and they don't always accurately reflect the situation before us.

We are influenced by Buddhist teachings, and by teachers and pioneers who have evangelized traditional Buddhist practices by bringing them to the West. We use Jon Kabat-Zinn’s principles of mindful practice as a foundation to our practice, and also:

Emotional Intelligence

Drawing on research and work of Daniel Goleman, we summarize the five key elements of emotional intelligence as self awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills.

Using these principles combined with mindfulness training and practice, we can help you do the following in your work and personal life:

Manage stress
Set boundaries
Communicate assertively and effectively
Manage emotions
Find Focus
Set intentional goals for yourself and your relationships
Be resilient when obstacles in your way
Improve health
Improve relationships
Develop leadership skills
We assess the barriers to your growth and potential, set specific goals, and provide guidance and support. Together we explore ideas and new perspectives, sharing different practices and techniques to consider on your own outside of the therapy office.