Boulder Counseling Resources:
And Mindfulness-Based Psychotherapy

Mindfulness Exercises You Can Apply Today!

The aim of this page is to share powerful mindfulness exercises I find especially useful in my Boulder psychotherapy and counseling practice. You will also find free articles, great resources on mindfulness-based psychotherapy, and clinically relevant info on therapeutic applications of mindfulness.

As you may know, the mere act of watching your mind actually influences your behavior. That's how effective mindfulness exercises can be!

What does this mean for you?

It means you may no longer be dominated by emotional storms and destructive thought patterns. Other benefits of mindfulness practices I observe in my psychotherapy practice are...

• An increased sense of inner acceptance and self-worth
• A greater sense of freedom and ease with others
• More confidence in intimate relationships
• Diminished feelings of emptiness and loneliness

Most significantly...

A properly applied mindfulness exercise may gradually bring about an inner sense of joy and completeness. This is accompanied by an empowering shift in seeking happiness and fulfillment "out there," and instead, finding satisfaction within.

But what does that really mean, and how do you do that?

Let's start by demystifying the term "mindfulness." As you will see, it is actually one of the most ordinary practices you "do" all the time. Just maybe not very deliberately.

A general description of mindfulness is simply this: an intentional, nonjudgmental awareness of your inner, subjective experience; your thoughts, your feelings, sensations and your underlying motives behind actions.

Sound like meditation? It is actually distinct from meditation in that it is something you can practice in ordinary, everyday life. Like meditation, mindfulness is central to most all the great eastern traditions, most notably Buddhism. Click here to read an interview I facilitated with a leading author on mindfulness and psychotherapy, Mark Epstein, MD, published in Unified Health.

Mindfulness is also present, in varying forms, throughout contemplative, Christian traditions.

Most importantly...

You don't have to be Buddhist, mystical, or sit in meditation to apply mindfulness exercises to your life! The only prerequisites are...

• A willingness to apply the practice
• Courage to feel and experience what comes up
• And, compassion for whatever you discover within yourself

This brings us to a central element of mindfulness:

Mindfulness exercises are a powerful means for removing the inner blocks to realizing your potential, or fulfilling your highest intentions. The value of the practice is that it lets you know when you're off course.

If your intention is to simply feel better, it might reveal inner obstacles to a sense of wellbeing - all the ways in which you are overly hard on yourself. If your goal is to fulfill your potential in a certain area of life, it might reveal the hidden, unconscious influences that keep you feeling inhibited or stuck in the same pattern.

FREE ARTICLES

• NEW! Mindfulness and Depression: a mindfulness exercise for overcoming shame, guilt, depression and self-contempt
  
  
• NEW! Mindfulness Exercises for Removing the Obstacles to Fulfilling Your Potential



• ARTICLE 3 - Mindfulness-Based Forgiveness: remove the obstacles to forgiveness. A mindfulness-based approach to overcoming resentments. This is actually an upcoming, free e-book, based on numerous seminars and workshops I have facilitated on forgiveness.

In the coming weeks, I will be posting more FREE articles and the e-book noted above. A great way to keep up-to-date is to subscribe to Spiritus Counseling Monthly News. It informs you each month about all the new articles and information I have added.

Mindfulness and mental health resources:

Matt Laughlin, MA

Psychotherapist

303-929-3353

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My Boulder Counseling Office is located at:

1634 Walnut Street, Suite 111C

Boulder, CO 80302

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