1. The Child, Adolescent & Family Recovery Center
Mindfulness
The Child, Adolescent & Family Recovery Center

2. Mindfulness
MINDFULNESS IS LEARNING TO OBSERVE OUR EXPERIENCES, INTERACTIONS, AND RELATIONSHIPS AND ENVIRONMENTS FULLY WITHOUT JUDGEMENT
The Child, Adolescent & Family Recovery Center

3. Mindfulness
Mindfulness is about keeping your awareness in the current moment most of the time. It is about being present and aware in your life today.
“The past is past and the future isn’t here yet!”
This does not mean that you should not plan for the future, it means that there is no point to excessively worrying about what is to come… it is effective to plan and prepare for the future and not obsess about the future.
If you are thinking about the future, do it with intension and mindfulness.

4. Purpose and Objective of Mindfulness
The Purpose is to observe your experiences and environment
The Objective is to welcome your experience rather than control it
It is NOT a process that leads to solutions- the skill makes solutions easier to identify and learn
The Child, Adolescent & Family Recovery Center

5. Goals of Mindfulness
To improve one’s ability to recognize internal versus external sources of distress
To help observe rather than evaluate experiences
To learn solution-focused coping instead of emotion- focused coping
The goal of mindfulness activities is to “work out” you brain like a muscle. To train it to slow down and focus without allowing distractions to take control.
Scientific traditions tend to emphasize analysis rather than extended observation. MINDFULNESS is learning to observe fully without judgment… We try to observe without analysis, as if the experience or emotion is new. DETACH and DESCRIBE as fully as possible. Of course this is difficult as we often instinctively analyze- The goal is simply to get more practice at observing: “to sometimes choose to be mindful on purpose.”
The Child, Adolescent & Family Recovery Center
Slowinski & Welk-Richards

6. States of Mind Wise Mind Reasonable Mind Emotional Mind
The Child, Adolescent & Family Recovery Center

7. Beginners Mind
This concept is paired with the concepts of Radical Acceptance (Distress Tolerance). It suggests that we enter into experiences and situations in our life without judgment; no “good” or “bad,” no “positive” or “negative.”
You should enter every situation and every relationship as if you were seeing it for the very first time… “This reoccurring newness prevents you from bringing any old judgments into the present moment, ultimately helping you to stay in better control of your emotions” (Moonshine).

8. O N E M I N D
One thing in the moment Now! Environment Moment Increase sensations Non-judgment Describe (don’t prescribe or proscribe)
Focus on one thing at a time
Focus on the Now!
Pay attention to the environment
Pay attention to the moment
Increase sensations (touch, sight, hearing, taste, smells)
Strive to be non-judgmental
Describe situations- don’
T prescribe and don’t proscribe
The Child, Adolescent & Family Recovery Center
Slowinski & Welk-Richards

9. Taking Hold of your Mind: “WHAT”
OBSERVE
DESCRIBE
PARTICIPATE
DESCRIBING WITH WORDS- WORDS CAN EITHER DECRIBE OR DISTORT EXPERIENCES
The Child, Adolescent & Family Recovery Center
Slowinski & Welk-Richards

10. Observe and Describe
These two skills are about noticing what is going on inside and outside. Letting go of any thoughts about the past or the future and focusing on the here and now (Moonshine).
When distraction thoughts enter into your mind, imaging them floating away like a cloud floats by in the sky.

11. Participate Fully Participate fully in one experience at one time.
Being active and involved in your life.
“Fully participating may mean that you have to challenge yourself to come out of your shell, face your fears, or combat your impulse to withdraw” (Moonshine)

12. Taking Hold of your Mind: “HOW”
Non-Judgmentally
One-Mindfully
Effectively
The Child, Adolescent & Family Recovery Center

13. Non-Judgmental
This is about not assigning judgment to others or YOURSELF. It is also about not assigning judgment to a situation, environment, or moment.
In placing judgment on self or others we can create a tremendous amount of additional and unnecessary distress.

14. One-Mindfully and Effectively
Focus on one thing in the moment.
Multi-tasking versus one thing at a time
Effectively
Focusing on what is most useful
Not sweating the small, insignificant stuff
Balance between short-term and long-term goals as well as what is important right now
Doing what we know works instead of what we feel like doing

15. Additional Concepts
TURTLING
SQUARE BREATHING
BODY SCANNING

16. “THE IDEA IS TO BECOME MORE AWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS, YOUR EXPERIENCES, YOUR EMOTIONS, AND TO LEARN TO DESCRIBE THEM ALL AS IF YOU WERE OBSERVING RATHER THAN ANALYZING THEM. ONCE WE’VE ACHIEVED GREATER MINDFULNESS, WE CAN BEGIN TO DESCRIBE THE THINGS THAT UPSET UP EMOTIONALLY IN TERMS OF HOW THEY MAKE US FEEL, WITH THE ULTIMATE GOAL BEING TO ACHIEVE MORE EFFECTIVE EMOTIONAL CONTROL,” (
The Child, Adolescent & Family Recovery Center