“Mindfulness” has been a tantalizing therapy buzzword for several years now, but what exactly is it? For many clinicians—not to mention clients and the general public—the concept is mystifying, despite its increasing mainstream popularity. Wonder no more with this comprehensive new video featuring Ronald D. Siegel, a longtime mindfulness-oriented psychotherapist and expert in the approach. Here, you’ll discover how mindfulness differs from meditation, folds into treatment for a vast range of clinical issues, and supports our own personal and professional growth.
Mindfulness is simultaneously a set of experiential practices and a philosophical stance, and Siegel demonstrates both in four sessions with very different clients. You’ll watch Siegel promote a “felt sense of meaning” with Carl, a man in his sixties with past suicidal ideation and current financial stress. With Julia, a woman in her 20s grieving multiple deaths and suffering from anxiety, Siegel emphasizes the somatic element of mindfulness. Teaching her to track her moment-to-moment physical experience with acceptance rather than aversion, Siegel helps Julia reframe her anxiety as physical tension that she can begin to release with mindful awareness.
You’ll also watch Lorraine, a middle-aged woman with chronic back pain, benefit from Siegel’s integrative knowledge to get in touch with her present-moment experience of fear, which may actually exacerbate her condition. Finally, you’ll observe Mac, a Japanese-American man who lived in an internment camp as a child, move toward greater emotional awareness in his desire to connect with his wife.
Siegel supports his clients with practices and psychoeducation, and the viewer with useful commentary that details his interventions and outlines his goals. His approach to mindfulness is both accessible and grounded, making it a suitable adjunct to modalities ranging from the cognitive to the psychodynamic to the humanistic. If you’re a clinician wanting to understand what mindfulness looks like and how it can fit into your work, you’ll find this to be an excellent resource.
