Mindfulness in Therapy
Mindfulness is one of the most overused words in wellness — which is unfortunate, because what it actually refers to is genuinely profound.
Mindfulness has roots in Buddhist contemplative practice going back 2,500 years, but it was brought into clinical psychology primarily through the work of Jon Kabat-Zinn, who developed Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) at the University of Massachusetts in the 1970s. Decades of research have since established its effectiveness for stress, anxiety, depression, chronic pain, and general wellbeing.
In therapy, mindfulness is not a technique layered on top of other work. It is a way of being — one that develops gradually through practice and begins to change how you relate to your own experience. The goal is not to empty the mind or achieve a state of permanent calm. It is to be able to notice what's happening — in your thoughts, your emotions, your body — without being swept away by it.
Try this: The 5-4-3-2-1 grounding exercise
Name 5 things you can see. 4 things you can physically feel. 3 things you can hear. 2 things you can smell. 1 thing you can taste. This simple exercise anchors attention in the present-moment sensory world and interrupts rumination, anxiety spirals, or dissociation in real time.
"You can't stop the waves. But you can learn to surf." — Jon Kabat-Zinn
Try this: The RAIN practice for difficult emotions
Recognise what is happening ("I notice I'm feeling anxious"). Allow it to be there, without trying to fix or escape it. Investigate with curiosity ("Where do I feel this in my body? What is this feeling telling me?"). Nurture yourself with the same compassion you'd offer a good friend. This four-step process transforms the relationship with difficult emotions from avoidance to understanding.
Mindfulness in the therapy room
At Little Tree Psychology, mindfulness isn't a separate offering so much as a quality that informs our practice across approaches. Being present, cultivating awareness, meeting experience with curiosity rather than judgement — these are not just techniques. They are ways of relating to yourself that, developed over time, can genuinely change the texture of being alive.
