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Therese J. Borchard, who blogs for Psych Central, wrote a stirring and eloquent post – “I, too, have a dream– about mental health” that I just had to share. I, too, hope that one day, people will be able to say, “I have (anxiety/depression/bipolar disorder/schizophrenia) without feeling ashamed.”
I am generally weary of claims that anxiety can be eliminated by simply changing negative thought patterns. I mean, if I could control my thoughts and mood, I wouldn’t have anxiety in the first place. But this L.A. Times article about “mindfulness therapy” for anxiety and depression piqued my interest.
The article references studies in which researchers concluded that mindfulness therapy is effective for relieving anxiety and improving mood for people with generalized anxiety disorder and recurring depression. Well, that’s me in a nutshell — evidently I’m the perfect candidate.
Mindfulness therapy is described as a meditation-based treatment with foundations in Buddhism and yoga. Like traditional meditation, mindfulness therapy involves focus on breathing, but it also involves elements of cognitive behavioral therapy to recognize negative thinking patterns. Patients are encouraged to “notice and not judge their thoughts and to generally live in the moment.”
I’m interested to learn more about mindfulness therapy and why it works. It makes sense that if you are living in the moment, you are not worrying about future events or ruminating on negative thoughts. But is it really that simple?
If you have tried mindfulness therapy, I would love to hear about it!
Anxiety-Prone 
