Mindfulness-Based Therapy
Mindfulness in therapy is not about emptying your mind or sitting perfectly still. It is about noticing what is here, right now, a little more often.
Mindfulness, Used Practically
Mindfulness means paying attention to the present moment, on purpose, without rushing to judge it. That sounds simple, and in some ways it is. It is also something almost everyone finds hard, because minds are built to replay the past and rehearse the future.
In therapy I use mindfulness practically. It is less about long meditations and more about short moments of noticing woven into ordinary life: tasting the first sip of coffee, feeling your feet on the floor before you answer an email, catching the moment a worry starts to spin. Small, repeated moments add up.
It Is Not a Performance
There is no way to fail at mindfulness. If your mind wanders a hundred times, you have had a hundred chances to notice it wandering and come back, which is the practice itself. You do not need to sit cross-legged, burn incense or feel calm.
I also do not treat mindfulness as the answer to everything. For some people, especially after trauma, turning attention inward can feel unsafe at first. If that is true for you, we start with attention outward, on sounds, colors or textures, and only move inward if and when you want to.
Mindfulness for Children
Children can practice mindfulness from a young age, as long as it looks like play. With children as young as four, it might be blowing bubbles slowly to feel the breath, listening for the last moment a chime can be heard, or noticing what an orange smells like before eating it.
Short and frequent works better than long and rare. Parents can learn the same games and use them at bedtime, in the car, or during a hard moment. You can read more on my children and teens page.
Mindfulness Adapted for ADHD
Traditional mindfulness, sitting still and focusing on the breath for twenty minutes, can feel like a punishment for an ADHD brain. So I change the format. Practices are short, often a minute or two. Movement is allowed and often encouraged: walking, stretching, squeezing a stress ball, tapping.
The goal is not to make an ADHD brain act like a different brain. It is to build a little more awareness of where your attention is, so you have a moment of choice before it drifts. Noticing your attention with curiosity rather than shame is part of the practice. More on this lives on my ADHD therapy page.
Mindfulness for Seniors and Life Transitions
Later life often brings a lot of change at once: retirement, health shifts, loss of friends and partners, moves, changes in independence. Mindfulness can help you stay connected to what is here and still good, while making room for what is hard.
The same is true for other life transitions, at any age. When the future feels uncertain, returning attention to the present gives you somewhere steady to stand. See my seniors and life transitions pages for more.
How Mindfulness Fits With Other Approaches
Mindfulness is a thread through several other approaches I am trained in. DBT skills rest on it. ACT uses it to help you notice thoughts as thoughts. Somatic work is, in a sense, mindfulness of the body. So even when mindfulness is not the name of what we are doing, it is often there underneath.
As with everything I offer, the approach is chosen with you, never for you. If a mindfulness practice does not fit, we set it aside and try something else. No two people are the same.
Mindfulness Between Sessions
Mindfulness grows through small practice outside the room, but it does not have to feel like homework. We might pick one daily moment to anchor it to, such as brushing your teeth, waiting for the kettle, or the first minute after you park the car. A familiar moment becomes a reminder to notice.
If you like structure, we can plan short practices you can do anywhere in Oregon, at home or during a telehealth session. If structure feels like pressure, we keep it loose. The practice belongs to you, and it should fit into your life rather than become one more thing you feel behind on.
Questions About This Approach
Do I have to meditate?
No. Mindfulness in therapy can be as short as a single breath or noticing your feet on the floor. Long sitting meditation is optional.
Can mindfulness work with ADHD?
Yes, when it is adapted. I keep practices short, allow movement, and focus on noticing attention with curiosity rather than forcing stillness.
Is mindfulness religious?
Mindfulness has roots in contemplative traditions, but the way I use it in therapy is practical and secular. It fits alongside any faith or none.
What Mindfulness Work Can Include
- Short moments of noticing in everyday life
- Outward-focused attention when inward focus is uncomfortable
- Playful practices for young children, shared with parents
- Short, movement-friendly practices for ADHD
- Steadiness during retirement, loss and other changes
- Woven together with DBT, ACT and somatic work
Next Step
Start With a Free 30-Minute Call
A short conversation so I can hear what is going on and we can decide together whether this is the right room for it.