I was recently working with a client (let's call him Jim) who was deeply entrenched in his thinking. As a result, he was deeply depressed and anxious. Every day, all day, he felt this way. Some days were a little better, but not much. He wasn't getting far with several things we'd tried in his therapy. I guided him in a mindfulness exercise to bring him fully to the present moment. He struggled with this. Jim was unable to let go of hangups - even hypothetically - for a span

What is Mindfulness, Really? I define mindfulness as "nonjudgmental, focused attention." Often, people are taught mindfulness by focusing on the present, such as the sensations of drinking a cup of tea: the smell, the taste, the warmth. Mindfulness focused on the breath is a common practice. Because this is so relaxing, it can become a method of escape. But notice: when you use mindfulness to escape your feelings, you are judging! You are deciding it is bad to experience unpl

Fear of NOT ENOUGH ... invades our lives. We worry about there being not enough money although we've always managed to survive in the past. We've eaten enough not to starve. We've had shelter enough not to freeze. We've had company enough not to go mad from isolation. And perhaps most of all, we fear not having enough love and approval. The FEAR invades our lives, causing us to lose sight of what we have. Does Gratitude Help? Some suggest writing a gratitude list, trying to

Learn how anxiety and depression relate and change during the healing process.