And welcome to this mindfulness meditation exercise Exploring Exposure Therapy.
So a disclaimer to begin with if you are someone suffering from moderate to severe anxiety and you have come here to self-treat I would advise you to seek professional mental health care and you may well use this series of mindfulness meditations within a treatment plan but please don't use this as an alternative to seeking professional help So exposure therapy is the gold standard for treating anxiety disorders Anxiety,
As you probably know,
Is a future facing emotion It's rumination,
Worry,
Conjecture about the future One of the reasons mindfulness is so helpful in tackling anxiety is that it shifts our focus to the present and in the present moment in this minuscule non-temporal moment between the past and the future we are safe and we do have everything that we need and mindfulness,
Groundedness,
Can keep us here Exposure therapy is,
As its name suggests,
Gradual exposure to the things which cause us anxiety and developing a sense of curiosity and acceptance about the feelings that are generated and about our ability to cope with and deal with those feelings effectively So it's not going to change anything overnight but it is going to gradually develop a metaphorical muscle So I'd like to begin by asking you to sit comfortably or lie down if that's more comfortable with your hands on your lap or gently lying by your side and if it feels okay,
Allow your eyes to close Take a deep,
Centering breath in through your nose Hold it and release And again,
In through your nose Hold this Two more times now And now gently bring your attention to your breathing as it returns to its natural rhythm Focus on where you feel your breath,
The in and the out The rise and the fall Perhaps it's the coolness of the air at your nostrils Perhaps it's your chest rising and falling or your belly expanding Sit with your breathing And now I'd like you to bring to mind something that typically triggers your anxiety And we're looking for something that triggers your anxiety on a scale from zero to ten at around about a three or a four So don't go to the big events Something that takes you to the edge of feeling comfortable but that you can generally deal with I'd like you to visualize that moment And as you do,
Focus on the sensations in your body Where do you feel those seeds of anxiety growing?
Do you feel a tightness?
A shortness of breath?
A pressure?
Use your breath to breathe into those sensations And as you exhale,
To release them and to let them go Continue to focus your attention on your visualization of this triggering anxiety event Instead of pushing it away Look at it with curiosity What is happening here?
Know that you are safe Right here,
Right now,
In this moment Nothing is threatening you Sit with the feeling of anxiety With the feeling of discomfort Without judgment You didn't choose to feel this way This is something that you have to deal with That arrived,
That happened to you Try not to push it away Maybe cock your head slightly to one side As though looking with curiosity Why are you here again?
What are you telling me?
What are you trying to protect me from?
Stay with those feelings And if your mind wanders into judgment Or into spiraling storying Notice that Let it go Even say to yourself Right here,
Right now,
I'm safe I am looking at anxiety with curiosity I'm not following it I'm not feeding it I'm simply aware of how my body is reacting And if my mind tries to engage I'm going to notice that Perhaps even with a friendly smile There I go again My mind trying to follow the anxious swirl of emotion But not right now Not this time I'm just sitting with the feelings Sitting with the discomfort All the while aware That right here,
Right now,
I'm safe There is no threat There is no need to protect To be guarded Nor is there any need to judge Stay here now Your attention on your visualization On your breathing And gradually,
Slowly Let go of that visualization,
That image And bring your attention fully To your inhale,
Your exhale Your physical presence in the here and the now Breathing in,
You are calm Breathing out,
You are relaxed You are safe in this moment And nothing is threatening you And you have just practiced what most people avoid Being present with your discomfort Leaning into your courage Leaning into your awareness Focusing on an accessible level of anxiety You have taught your body That you can sit with it And not feel threatened And not feel obliged to do anything other than notice that it's happening This is a first step toward accepting how you feel And gently,
But firmly Not allowing that to overwhelm you And to distract you from the safety of the moment Practice this As often as you can At least once a day And we'll return to extend this exercise further another time
