Being there for your kids - Mindfulness Made Real

Episode Date: July 5, 2024

People often dismiss being mindful as psycho-babble. Just talking stuff to sound cool. And yet, if you are in emotional crisis, being weighed down by past experiences and dreading the future, then learning mindfulness can be a part of your lifesaving healing journey of mentalligent psychotherapy (MPT). In my new book, The Healing Journey: Overcoming Adversity on the Path to the Good Life, I identify mindfulness as one of three critical treatment strategies of MPT. To avoid the gap if your depressive past and your dreaded future of more of the same, stay in the present. Mind the gap.

Hi, I'm Dr. John Robinson, and this is Teachable Moments. Let me share with you some thoughts about mindfulness. You know, the British come up with some crazy sayings, period. They're interesting, sometimes funny. They have slogans and ways of referring to things that are unique to them. The car hood is called the boot. The subway is the tube, just different, maybe quirky to me. But there's one slogan that I'm adopting, mind the gap.

For the Brits, this slogan is cautionary. Every train and tube station in England has this slogan in bold, colored, big font, six-inch letters painted on the platform next to the edge. When the train is in the station and dispersing passengers, they must mind the gap as they get on and off the train. You see, there's a space between the train doors and the station platforms. When you mind the gap, you are less likely to misstep and injure yourself. So Brits, mind the gap. I'm adopting this slogan, however, as a cautionary tale in the healing process on your journey in mental and psychotherapy.

Part of your journey is embracing mindfulness as a context for healing. In my book, The Healing Journey, overcoming adversity on the path of the good life, I introduced mindfulness to the reader. Many patients, especially newbies, at first see mindfulness as either duh or gimmicky. They tend to dismiss it until they see the benefit as a gateway to emerging from a difficult past. Okay, Sandra, let me try another way to explain mindfulness. I took a different tack. I know, Doc, Sandra started being dismissive. It's just being here, you know, the present. Well, it's more than that, I added. So let me show you. Okay. So stretch out your arms, shoulder height, to each side. Like this, Sandra followed my directions. Yep. Now, from midpoint to your left hand represents your past.

from midpoint to your right hand represents your future. So bring both of your hands to meet in the middle in front of you. I paused as she did so. If the movement of your healing journey is represented by your hands, where are you? Right now, with my hands together in front of me, Sandra clarified, I guess I'm right here, the present. You are more than just present. Your arms have erased your past and not anticipated your future.

You are now free to focus your mind on your present. not just here in body, but also in mind and spirit. I then encourage my patience to use mind the gap as a cautionary catchphrase. Depression comes from allowing your past to consume you. Anxiety is generated by anticipating the future. Staying in your present allows you to embrace your moment. Current philosopher Eckhart Toll puts it succinctly. If your mind carries a heavy burden of the past, you will just experience more of the same.

The past perpetuates itself through long. lack of presence. The quality of your consciousness at this moment is what shapes your future. I picked up a book of mindful sayings called positivity, taking a moment to nurture yourself. One of the sayings I really like is this one. Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are. Being mindful releases tension and encourages relaxation. With this context, your healing journey begins. If my comments, stir questions of your own, contact me through my website at www.org.org.com or email me at John Robinson 0.0.0. at Bellsouth.net. I'm Dr. Jonathan C. Robinson, licensed clinical psychologist and author of

Teachable Moments Building Blocks of Christian Parenting, and more currently, the healing journey, overcoming adversity on the path to the good life. And this has been Teachable Moments. Teachable Moments, Building Blocks of Christian Parenting, is available online at AmazonBooks.com. and in local and national bookstores. More on Dr. Robinson at TMC-P-I-N-C.com.