According to the definition of Jon Kabat-Zinn (founder and director of the Minsfulness Centers), this practice would be “the awareness that arises from paying attention, intentionally, to the present moment and without judging.” It is therefore an intentional attention with an attitude based on the absence of judgment.
Precisely the attitude of absence of judgment, which connects with compassionate curiosity towards oneself, It is one of the most healing aspects of Mindfulness, also called Mindfulness. At this point it is necessary to explain that the attitude of curiosity is incompatible with that of generating a concrete expectation.
The difference between Mindfulness and relaxation techniques
On occasions, I have met patients in consultation who explain to me their difficulty trying to relax when they applied relaxation techniques; It is precisely there where the objective of Mindfulness differs, it goes beyond relaxation.
Its goal is to allow us to observe the present moment without expecting anything specific, in the absence of demands that usually end up generating guilt. And that is where, curiously, we end up achieving the long-awaited relaxation, which usually comes when it is not forced to come.
How to calm the mind with Mindfulness?
There is research on the role that the practice of Mindfulness plays in reducing a range of symptoms such as chronic pain, anxiety and psoriasis Dr. Kabat-Zinn has been studying the effects of Mindfulness on these disorders for 20 years and states “participants feel a strong reduction during the 8-week course, both in the number of medical symptoms that were initially reported, and in psychological problems.” , such as anxiety, depression and hostility. These improvements occur in the majority of participants in each class and regardless of diagnosis, meaning that the program is important for people with a wide range of medical disorders and different life situations.
Psychologists teach how to manage stress through mindfulness; We usually begin with attention to our breathing, trying to focus on it while consciously moving our attention away from the events in our environment. This is achieved with practice, without rushing and with a compassionate attitude towards ourselves. However, each case is unique and you have to know how to adapt to the needs of the users.
What is compassion?
Here I would like to stop to explain the concept “compassion”, since it is too often confused with the almost contemptuous pity with which we look at someone. From the conception of Mindfulness, compassion is understood as the attitude of loving and empathetic observation that will mobilize our acceptance so that, from there, we can ensure that training comes into our daily resources.
With daily practice we will come to have a sense of ourselves as a present consciousness that observes our thoughts as something worth listening to but without identifying them with who “I” am.
When we can observe our thoughts from a certain “distance”, because we are much more than those thoughts, then our relationship with them changes. Mindfulness allows us to see our circumstances as observers and, from that privileged point of view, it will be easier to calm down.
