Mindfulness is the skill of paying attention to your mind- not so much to the content of your mind, but bringing your full presence of mind to the awareness of that content. In one sense, mindfulness is distraction control. By applying mindfulness, the content of your mind can arise more slowly and you can learn to quiet the distractions of your mind. Having a quiet mind is a legitimate goal of treatment. However, the absence of distractions and other negative states of mind is not the same as happiness. Most psychotherapies do not focus on happiness but focus instead on psychopathology, maladaptive behaviors, and negative states of mind (what is wrong with how someone thinks and acts). Positive states of mind are often an afterthought, with the primary work being labeling (making a diagnosis for insurance companies) and identifying the negative states. The best psychotherapies integrate equally reducing the negative states and then, when appropriate, creating positive states of mind. Choosing the most appropriate task to your immediate need is crucial. Many people try to bypass the difficulties in their life and move directly into Positive states by the use of Eastern methods (mindfulness, meditation, etc.) Meditation can be very helpful for some people to help them relax, but there is more. A log can sit very still on the log pile for years, but at the end it is still a log. Intelligence and direction must be brought to a Mindfulness or Meditation practice for greater understanding of how our minds work to fully utilize that knowledge.

What is your path? If your psychotherapy only uses methods that largely work with Negative states, and if those methods are effective, the best that you get out of that relationship is a relative reduction of, or an absence of Negative states. That, in and of itself, does not translate into the development of Positive states-it just means the absence of Negative states. You need a whole other set of methods designed to cultivate Positive states. Positive states flow from a sense of self- a strong, solid, tangible sense of your strengths and virtues- essentially, who you are as a person. Without a healthy-enough sense of self, psychotherapy methods can make things worse. Going over and focusing on negative emotions may contribute to greater disorganization of mind. However, developing positive internal representations (having positive experiences) has an organizing effect on the mind that leads to happiness. Certain developmentally informed approaches to psychotherapy (Accelerated Experimental Dynamic Psychotherapy, Hypnosis, Schema Therapy, and Mentalization Based Treatment- in which we specialize and integrate the latest research and developments) actually have a self-organizing quality and increase the organization and coherence of mind. If your Eastern interventions are leaving you feeling confused, doubtful, or empty, and therefore worse off, then you are working in the wrong direction.

The methods we use to work with Negative states of mind (experienced as moods that leave you feeling sad, angry or scared), and Positive states of mind, which are desirable and happiness-oriented, are complimentary, but not reducible to each other. We must ask ourselves, "What is the good life? Am I happy most of the time, more days than not?" We must actively seek out Happiness. This requires a whole other set of methods designed to cultivate Positive states. Most psychotherapies are designed to work only with Negative states- only one-half of the problem. Positive psychology can use Mindfulness as a tool that can lead to an increase of Positive states and thus address the 2nd half of the problem- the absence of positive states of mind. However, Positive states are also cultivated in other ways, the most important of which is having a solid healthy psychological foundation on which to build your mindfulness and meditation practice. Mindfulness-and Beyond and Positive psychology represent both the cultivation of positive states and eradication of negative states. We work in these enlightened ways to help you access the strengths that are inherent in everyone, but are often obscured by the "surface" of our mind (distortions in our beliefs and thinking) and our life's experiences. The good news is these things that have been getting in the way were learned and can be unlearned. Please ask us about integrating mindfulness and a more positive therapy to your life to gain direction and feel your best.