According to Jon Kabat-Zinn’s (founder and director of the Minsfulness Centers) definition, this practice would be “the awareness that arises from intentional attention to the present moment without judgment. It is therefore an intentional attention with an attitude based on the absence of judgment.

Precisely the attitude of absence of judgment, which connects with compassionate curiosity towards oneself, is one of the most healing aspects of Mindfulness , also called Full Attention. At this point it is necessary to explain that the attitude of curiosity is incompatible with that of generating a concrete expectation.

The difference between Mindfulness and relaxation techniques

Sometimes I have encountered patients in my practice who explain to me their difficulty in trying to relax when applying relaxation techniques; this is precisely where the goal of Mindfulness differs, it goes beyond relaxation.

Its goal is to allow us to observe the present moment without waiting for anything determined , in the absence of demands that usually end up generating guilt. And that is where we curiously end up getting the longed-for relaxation, which usually comes when we are not forced to come.

How to calm the mind with Full Attention?

There is research on the role of the practice of Mindfulness in reducing a range of symptoms such as chronic pain, anxiety and psoriasis . Dr. Kabat-Zinn has been studying the effects of Mindfulness on these disorders for 20 years and says “participants feel a strong reduction over the course of 8 weeks, both in the number of medical symptoms initially reported, and in psychological problems such as anxiety, depression and hostility. These improvements occur in most participants in each class and regardless of diagnosis, which means that the program is important for people with a wide range of medical disorders and different life situations.

We psychologists teach stress management through Midnfulness; we usually start with attention to the breath, trying to focus on it while consciously moving our attention away from events in the environment. This is achieved through practice, without rushing and with a compassionate attitude towards us. However, each case is unique and we must know how to adapt to the needs of the users.

What is compassion?

I would like to stop here and explain the concept of “compassion”, as it is too often confused with the almost dismissive grief with which we look at someone. From the conception of Mindfulness, compassion is understood as the attitude of loving and empathetic observation that will mobilize our acceptance so that, from there, we get the training in our resources to the day to day.

With daily practice we will come to have a sense of ourselves as a present awareness that observes our thoughts as something worth listening to but without identifying them with what “I” am.

When we can observe our thoughts from a certain “distance”, because we are much more than such thoughts, then our relationship with them changes. Mindfulness allows us to see our circumstances as observers and, from that privileged point of view, it will be easier to calm down.