Meditation & Mindfulness in Therapy

Instead of trying to “find” peace, try cultivating it.

When you think of meditation or mindfulness, do you imagine someone sitting cross-legged, on a mountain peak, with a peaceful look on their face, and a totally clear, calm mind? It’s a common image I hear of.

Unfortunately, that idealized image turns plenty of people off from meditation, because when they try, they find their overthinking buzzes louder and their body just won’t settle. They decide they aren’t good at it. They can’t imagine spending 20 minutes a day like that, especially when they’re already so far behind on more practical things.

I’ve found that many people have an interest in meditation because they hear a lot about its benefits, but they drift away quickly when they encounter barriers. They haven’t gotten the support they need to connect with a way of practicing that addresses their concerns, suits their preferences, and fits in their life.

Your brain is all about learning and efficiency. It will especially get good at doing anything that it does repeatedly. Unfortunately, under stress, our brains might practice some pretty unpleasant habits. Meditation lets you guide your brain to more helpful habits through practice. This helps strengthen new ways of thinking (and sometimes not-thinking) so that your entire nervous system can be more calm, helpfully responsive, and resilient.

Meditation is less about doing it “right” and more about just doing it. It’s called a “practice,” after all—not a performance! And with practice, difficult things do get easier and come more naturally. We can use habit-building strategies to help you get your practice started, or to strengthen it.

I love to help people identify the practices that can help them move towards their goals and fit with their unique needs. Neurodivergent people in particular need an approach that suits their strengths and preferences, such as options that incorporate variety or movement.

Here are some of the great possibilities!

• Focus meditations on sensory inputs like visual/audio/mantra/taste/movement (which can incorporate stimming or your special interest!)

• Gratitude practices

• Loving-kindness/metta to develop connectedness

• Mindfulness meditation and mindfulness in daily activities

• Affirmations

• Guided meditations to help you stay engaged (as opposed to silent meditation on your own)

• Body scans to develop your interoceptive sense (helps with alexythymia and self-care)

• There are also a few other techniques that have similar benefits, such as yoga or other attentive movement activities, self-hypnosis with recordings, and Emotional Freedom Techniques (tapping).

If you’re curious about what meditation offers, and want to figure out a style that can help your goals and fit in your life, let’s talk about it!