Mindfulness Therapy
Mindfulness Therapy In Toronto
Mindfulness practice is designed to help you focus your awareness on your thoughts, feelings, and reactions (especially the kind that may be hindering your progress).
In addition, mindfulness, mainly if practised regularly, allows you to accept any thoughts and responses you might have without judgement or self-ridicule.
Here, we will explain the benefits of mindfulness practice and how this therapy can help enrich your life and overall health. Learn more about our mindfulness therapy in Toronto below.
Where to Get More Information
If you want to learn more about our mindfulness therapy program in Toronto, contact one of our Centre for Health and Healing specialists for more information.
Mindfulness Therapy Origins
Jon Kabat-Zinn first introduced mindfulness into Western medicine in the late 1970s; since then, mindfulness practices have increased in popularity within various cultures and communities. And with good reason!
Zinn defines mindfulness as ‘the awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally, to things as they are.’
Mindfulness Techniques
Practising mindfulness allows individuals to slow down and notice how their thoughts and feelings fuel their emotions and behaviours.
Mindfulness therapy in Toronto helps you observe how you might get caught up in distraction, rumination, and resistance in your daily life.
Mindfulness Meditation
Many of us run on ‘autopilot’ rather than simply enjoying the present moment. All this is not surprising, especially considering the pressures and expectations of modern living!
Mindfulness therapy helps bring us back to ourselves and our current surroundings, allowing us to feel more regulated, aligned, and better connected to the mind and body.
But that’s not all.
Mindfulness therapy teaches individuals various strategies to help free them from deeply embedded thought and behaviour patterns that may be holding them back.
The great news is that you can start practising mindfulness at any time, even if you’ve never tried it; speak to a specialist today for further information and support.
Therapeutic Strategies
The goal of treatment is to help individuals develop more helpful, positive perspectives and behaviours – which can help improve their quality of life and overall well-being.
While grounded in ancient Eastern philosophy and Buddhist teachings, mindfulness is not limited to any particular philosophy or religion.
Meaning anyone can practise mindfulness.
There is no limit to who can learn mindfulness techniques and interventions; these ancient teachings are ingrained within us.
However, through regular practice and mindfulness exercises, we can further nurture and develop these skills and techniques to promote lasting psychological health and well-being.
What is Mindfulness-Based Therapy?
Mindfulness-based therapy, also called mindfulness therapy, is a type of psychotherapy that promotes good physical and mental health through mindfulness practice.
Guided by a therapist, mindfulness skills are learned and practised to help re-balance neural networks.
Why is This So Important?
Mindfulness interventions encourage you to move away from automatic (often harmful) thoughts, feelings and reactions by becoming more aware of the present moment and your surroundings.
In this space, you won’t be as anxious and overwhelmed by what is happening around you.
Meditative Practices
When practised regularly, mindfulness techniques offer a long-term solution that individuals can continue using in their everyday lives following treatment.
According to mental health specialists, mindfulness-based therapy is an effective treatment for various ailments, with increased empirical evidence to support its many benefits.
What is Mindfulness-Based Therapy Used to Treat?
Research is ongoing into mindfulness techniques within therapy settings; however, the current scientific research is encouraging.
Mindfulness therapy is recommended as a treatment to help people manage various physical and psychological health conditions, including:
- Addictions
- Anxiety disorders
- Chronic pain
- Depression
- Eating disorders
- Personality disorders
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Sleep disorders (including insomnia)
- Somatic symptom disorders (including fibromyalgia, IBS, and chronic fatigue syndrome)
- Stress
Moreover, studies continue to explore the effectiveness of mindfulness-based therapy in treating a broad range of physical health issues, including:
- Asthma
- Breast cancer
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- HIV and AIDS
- Lupus
- Menopause symptoms
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Type 2 diabetes
Types of Therapy that Incorporate Mindfulness
Mindfulness-based interventions are becoming widely accepted methods of addressing symptoms associated with various mental and emotional disorders.
Additionally, mindfulness practices are some of the most versatile therapies since they can be used as a single treatment or in conjunction with other therapy types.
Therapies that involve mindfulness techniques include:
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is a form of cognitive behavioural therapy used to help people suffering from repeated bouts of depression.
MBCT blends the ideas of cognitive therapy with meditative mindfulness practices.
Treatment involves accepting your thoughts and feelings without judgement rather than attempting to over-analyse or change their content.
With this type of therapy, you can make radical (positive) shifts in your thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations that may be contributing to your depressive relapses.
All this is achieved by learning to respond more effectively to unhelpful thoughts and behaviour patterns that do not serve you.
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
Mindfulness-based stress reduction therapy (MBSR) was the first mindfulness program developed within a healthcare setting.
Initially designed for stress management, MBSR is an effective treatment frequently used for treating mental health conditions, including:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Various chronic diseases
MBSR uses traditional meditation, yoga, and stretching exercises which involve shifting the focus from breathing to an expanded awareness of thoughts, sensations, and feelings.
This treatment allows individuals to integrate mindfulness into their daily lives while reducing stress and improving overall health.
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) is a form of cognitive behaviour therapy used to treat people with severe mental health issues that are typically linked to the following conditions:
- Emotional dysregulation
- Interpersonal conflict
- Self-destructive behaviours such as self-harming or substance abuse
In DBT, treatment focuses on acceptance (accepting things as they currently are) while learning to adapt and manage challenging emotions.
DBT Techniques
DBT focuses on four primary techniques to help people manage their symptoms. These techniques include:
- Mindfulness
- Interpersonal effectiveness
- Distress tolerance
- Emotion regulation
These principles help you find more helpful ways to manage your emotions, improve your well-being and bring about lasting positive change.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is an action-oriented approach where individuals focus on accepting what troubles them while actively committing to a course of action for change.
Mindfulness techniques are used in ACT to help people see things more clearly, allowing them to bridge the gap between acceptance and commitment.
Acceptance and commitment therapy is used to treat the following mental health conditions effectively:
- Stress
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Obsessive-compulsive disorders
- Psychosis
Other Mindfulness-Based Approaches
Other examples of mindfulness therapies where mindfulness techniques can be applied include:
- Mindfulness-based eating awareness training (MB-EAT)
- Mindfulness-based art therapy (MBAT)
- Mindfulness-based relationship enhancement (MBRE)
- Mindfulness-based relapse prevention (MBRP)
What Does Mindfulness-Based Therapy In Toronto Involve?
Mindfulness-based therapy can be used in various therapeutic settings, including:
During mindfulness-based therapy, your therapist will teach you a wide range of mindfulness techniques, including basic knowledge of cognition (i.e., the relationship between your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours).
In between sessions, your therapist will assign homework tasks designed to encourage you to practise, develop and strengthen your knowledge and experience around mindfulness.
The ultimate goal is to help you establish a more routine mindfulness practice that can be used in every aspect of your life to help you find more peace, balance, and fulfilment.
The Four Foundations of Mindfulness Practice
The four foundations of mindfulness-based therapy in Toronto can help alleviate psychological stress and promote lasting well-being are:
- Mindfulness of the body
- Mindfulness of feelings and emotions
- Mindfulness of the mind (or consciousness)
- Understanding how the mind works (the mind-body connection)
Some of the mindfulness techniques used in therapy include:
- Breathing exercises
- Meditation, including body scanning and standing or walking alternatives
- Guided imagery and creative visualisation
- Therapeutic yoga
- Practising gratitude
When using a combination of the above techniques, individuals learn two essential skills which help increase self-regulation, creativity, and mental, emotional, and behavioural flexibility.
Essential Skills Taught in Mindfulness Therapy.
There are two primary skills taught during mindfulness therapy in Toronto, they include:
1. Attention
Here, people learn to self-regulate, which helps them become more focused and sustained in the present moment, freeing them from habitual judgments and interpretations.
2. Attitude
By being present, a person can adopt a healthy attitude towards experiences characterised by curiosity, openness, acceptance, and compassion (toward the self and others).
In addition, practising mindfulness during weekly therapy sessions with a trained professional helps individuals learn and practise mindfulness techniques until they develop a mindful attitude.
They can then carry that healthy attitude into their daily lives, ensuring lasting recovery and well-being.
How Effective is Mindfulness-Based Therapy?
The practice of mindfulness has been around for thousands of years. However, the term has only recently become widely used in academic medicine and psychology.
Fortunately, as a result of ongoing research, it is now possible to see how mindfulness techniques change the wiring and the makeup of the brain, which was not possible before.
Mindfulness is one of the most effective ways to produce localised and specific biological changes in the brain. So, through practice and over time, it is possible to train our minds to be happy!
An increasing empirical evidence base supports mindfulness-based therapy’s effectiveness in treating a spectrum of physical and mental health issues.
As a result, mindfulness is integrated into various aspects of life in Western societies, including schools, sports, business, prisons, and government. 
Additional Benefits of Mindfulness
Research shows the many benefits of mindfulness and how it can help to:
- Reduce stress and anxiety
- Reduce addictive behaviours
- Reduce chronic physical pain
- Improve sleep issues, such as insomnia
- Boost the immune system and increase awareness
- Increase the ability to cope with complex life events
Please contact us for more information on our mindfulness therapy program in Toronto. Learn more about how mindfulness-based therapy at Centres for Health and Healing can benefit you or a loved one.
Now is the time to start your journey to health and wellness.
You can also access The Mindfulness Research Guide (www.mindfulexperience.org/), where information on the scientific study of mindfulness is available to researchers, practitioners, and the general public.
