Mindfulness meditation

Mindfulness is a state of presence in the moment. It is the full experience of the sensations, emotions and thoughts that pass through us, without lingering or attaching to them.

Mindfulness meditation is therefore the practice which allows us to train ourselves to reach this state, to let go of our mental attachments to reconnect in the present moment with conscious attention which can be internal, on physical sensations or emotions for example, or external, focused on noises, events, etc.

Inspired by Buddhist meditations, it is however not spiritual. It is a real therapeutic tool with many benefits.

Relaxation is a practice whose primary objective is to achieve a state of relaxation and well-being. Whether it is muscular relaxation (Jacobson's progressive relaxation), respiratory (cardiac coherence) or self-hypnosis (Schultz's autogenic training), the relaxation session is supposed to immediately relieve stress and anxiety, with effects of varying duration over time. The primary objective, however, remains very short term.

Meditation, on the other hand, has no immediate well-being goal. This is an exercise that can be difficult or boring. Some people find it to have a relaxing effect, but it is not particularly sought after and far from being systematic. On the other hand, mindfulness provides in the long term a set of capacities for detachment from thoughts and emotions, for acceptance of difficulties, to cope with everyday life.

The first effect is that of serenity. Situations that previously appeared insurmountable seem less important, less impressive. Mindfulness helps to put things into perspective and put distance between our thoughts and the impact they can have. Intrusive thoughts are just that: thoughts. Mental events that have no impact on reality. They appear, we become aware of them, then they disappear. Not dwelling on them helps prevent them from clinging to our consciousness, letting them slip away and disappear.

It is the same for emotions, simple mental events which are born and live for a short time in our mind before quietly disappearing.

Becoming aware of the ephemeral nature of thoughts and emotions allows you to realize that no suffering is infinite, that no difficulty can last indefinitely, and that although it is important to fully experience your thoughts and emotions when they appear, they will always eventually disappear.

Mindfulness also allows, in an ultra-connected world and always on the move, focused on the future, to focus again on the present, to get out of autopilot, and to fully rediscover life's experiences.

Mindfulness meditation can be beneficial to everyone. It allows everyone to free themselves from unnecessary worries and reconnect with the present for a more serene life.

However, it is an extremely useful tool in the treatment of many pathologies:

• depression (more specifically the MBCT program)
• anxiety disorders (more specifically the MBSR program)
• ADHD
• PTSD
• chronic pain
• sleep disorders
• anxiety disorder linked to a chronic illness

More generally, mindfulness meditation helps patients suffering from negative intrusive thoughts and ruminations by allowing them to better realize the ephemeral nature of cognitions and to reduce their impact. Thoughts are seen as simple mental events with no impact on the real world, which diminishes their effect and facilitates cognitive restructuring.

Nowadays, many tools and guides are available for free on the Internet. They offer a good introduction to the practice of mindfulness, without going into the details of more in-depth programs.

If you suffer from one of the disorders mentioned above, or you think that mindfulness meditation could be beneficial in your life in the long term, do not hesitate to contact a trained professional who will be able to offer you a program adapted to your needs.

Professionals wishing to learn how to practice mindfulness can turn to training in specialized therapeutic protocols such as Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (or MBSR) and Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (or MBCT). Practicing mindfulness also helps to teach it, to better understand the experience of this practice, its difficulties and the solutions that can help practice it.

Virtual Reality and Virtual Reality Exposure Therapies (VRET) also offer additional tools for mindfulness practice, with digital environments that help facilitate and guide meditation practice.