Roxanne Dzierzewski, PsyD

 

Licensed Clinical Psychologist

Telehealth Psychology Services

What is Mindfulness?

 

Mindfulness is a non-judgmental awareness of the present,

instead of dwelling on the past and overly anticipating the future.

  • Have you ever been so trapped in thoughts of your past that it brought on heavy feelings of guilt, shame, sadness, and/or anger? 
  • Have you ever been so flooded with thoughts of the future that it brought on overwhelming anxiety and stress?
  • Have you ever felt so immersed in your feelings (i.e. anger, anxiety, sadness) that you could not see through them and reacted in a negative or unhealthy way?

Getting stuck with our emotions or judgmental thoughts of the past and future prevents us from living in the here and now and recognizing our current experiences from all sides.

 


Being mindful is:

  • Getting "unstuck" from the past and the future
  • Getting "untangled" from your emotions
  • Purposely paying attention and being aware of the present
  • Being non-judgmental
  • Not reacting impulsively
  • The opposite of mindLESS and autopilot

 

 

Mindfulness is a core concept of well-studied therapies including Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. 

Benefits of Being More Mindful

Mindfulness can be achieved within any situation and within any activity.

 

You can learn to be mindful at work, mindful in relationships, mindful in your communication, mindful of reaching certain goals, mindful of your feelings and thoughts.

 

Emotional Health:

Since mindfulness involves being nonjudgmental, it allows us to observe our emotions, non-judgmentally, no matter how difficult they seem. This practice can lead to more acceptance and less struggle with negative emotions. It can also improve the ability to regulate emotions and tolerate distress and pain.

 

Other benefits:

  • Chronic pain relief
  • Relaxation and Stress Management
  • Lifestyle or health changes
    • Weight loss - Mindful of dietary choices versus mindLESS eating
    • Smoking - Making mindful choices to not smoke versus mindLESSly falling into the urge
  • Communication and Anger Management
    • Mindfully knowing when to walk away from a frustrating conversation versus mindLESSly allowing the anger to drive your behavior

 Mindfulness Training

At Psychology and Wellness of Richmond, mindfulness training is provided in different ways:

  1. Formal curriculum that involves education, in-session practice, handouts, at-home practice, and illustration of use through your real-life examples.
  2. Incorporating mindfulness techniques into the therapy (in-session and at-home exercises) when needed as a way to supplement and/or enhance therapy gains. Please refer to "About Dr. Roxanne" to learn more about her approach to therapy.

Dr. Roxanne recognizes that mindfulness practice is not for everyone but can be incorporated or formally taught based on your treatment needs.