Mindfulness techniques are relaxation techniques that are performed by specialists in Psychology and are based on Eastern philosophies of meditation, which aim to improve our quality of life, increasing the healthiest emotional states.
It consists of mentally exercising sustained and curious attention to our inner experiences (sensations, feelings, emotions and thoughts) and external experiences (our relationships with others and with things), becoming aware of the different experiences of the moment. The present gives us the option to change harmful automatic behaviors for healthier ones, for how we respond or react to everything in life.
Reaching alpha relationship states is a matter of training. It is to receive the sensations that come from our body or our mind even if they are unpleasant. Allowing them in that space until they can evolve by themselves to states of tranquility or calm. Mindfulness gives them permission to exist and in this way we help the brain to manage them, to sustain them until it considers that they are no longer necessary, but to do so, we must first let them be.
Mindfulness as a treatment
Numerous studies show the effectiveness in people who practice it regularly reducing anxiety states, depression or high anxiogenic states; reduces stress, anxiety, increases the general sense of well-being, emotional stability, better cope with the unexpected events of life being more creative, increases concentration and attention, increases the ability to maintain the focus of attention.
Mindfulness makes energy move where you put your attention and energy makes emotions move.
Tolerance to fibromyalgia pain and chronic pain and helps to reduce the consumption of drugs.
Effectiveness of Mindfulness in patients
It does work for all patients, but sometimes patients are in a state that does not work. When they have a lot of internal noise and they are not able to manage the emotions that come to them at that moment they tend to avoidance and become overwhelmed, frustrated. It is as if their window of tolerance to sustain what is going on inside them were smaller than the discomfort caused by listening to it.
These patients have to do previous work to widen that window. Mindfulness trains contemplation of emotions, feelings, body and mind. If the patient perceives too much pain or too many thoughts, he/she will tend to leave this contemplation. That same patient after working the tolerance window will be able to perform mindfulness successfully.
Alternatives to Mindfulness
Mindfulness is a unique tool for observing the inner world. There is no alternative treatment, there are complementary treatments.