The Psychology Company offer Mindfulness informed therapy in our clinics in Petersfield, Haywards Heath and Portsmouth. We can also offer Mindfulness Informed Therapy via Zoom.
Mindfulness-Informed Therapy (MIT)
Mindfulness-informed therapy (MIT) is a type of psychotherapy that integrates mindfulness practices into traditional therapy. Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention to the present moment without judgment. It can be helpful for people who are struggling with a variety of difficulties, such as anxiety, depression, and chronic pain.
MIT therapists use a variety of mindfulness techniques, such as:
- Meditation: Meditation is a practice of focusing your attention on the present moment. There are many different types of meditation, such as breathing meditation, walking meditation, mindfulness of thoughts, mindfulness of emotions, loving-kindness meditation, and body scan meditation.
- Yoga: Yoga is a mind-body practice that combines physical postures with breathing exercises and meditation. Yoga can help to improve your physical and mental health.
- Mindful Awareness: Mindfulness awareness is the practice of paying attention to your thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations without judgment. This can help you to become more aware of your present moment experience and to reduce stress and anxiety.
At The Psychology Company we use traditional therapy techniques, such as Schema Therapy, Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). However, some of us also integrate mindfulness practices into these techniques to help clients develop a more mindful approach to their problems. For example, a CBT therapist might help a client to identify their negative thoughts and beliefs. Then, the therapist might teach the client to use mindfulness techniques to help create some distance from these thoughts and beliefs. This can help the client to disentangle from their thoughts and be more present.
MIT has been shown to be effective in treating a variety of mental health issues.
Benefits of Mindfulness-Informed Therapy
There are many benefits of mindfulness-informed therapy, including:
- Reduced stress and anxiety: Mindfulness can help you to become more aware of your thoughts and feelings, and to learn how to respond to them in a more mindful way. This can help to reduce stress and anxiety.
- Improved mood: Mindfulness can help to improve your mood by helping you to focus on the present moment and to appreciate things in your life.
- Increased self-compassion: Mindfulness can help you to develop more compassion for yourself, which can reduce shame, worthlessness and self criticism,
- Improved relationships: Mindfulness can help you to become more aware of your thoughts, feelings and behaviours, and to communicate more effectively with others. This can lead to improved relationships.
If you are considering mindfulness-informed therapy, here are some things to keep in mind:
- It is important to find a therapist who is experienced in MIT. Many of us in The Psychology Company have done extensive training in Mindfulness based interventions and some of us have our own daily practice and go on yearly retreats in order to teach it from our own lived experience.
- MIT is not a quick fix. It takes time and practice to develop mindfulness skills.
- MIT is not for everyone. Despite a lot of media attention some people do not find mindfulness helpful and this is OK-there are other therapeutic approaches that can be helpful and these don’t always need to incorporate mindfulness.
