The Importance of Mindfulness in Symptom Management

The idea of mindfulness we share as a Western culture is fundamentally in contradiction to the unaltered mindfulness of the age-old traditions from which we borrow the idea.  Our version may be summed up as “focused intention,” or “living in the moment.”  This is not mindfulness.  So, what is, and why does it matter?

Neurological disorder, especially when there are many in one individual, often makes for a very loud mind.  The positive feedback loops through the brain and nervous system can be considered as a kind of fullness; it is common to feel pressure in pre-tic sensations, there is heaviness in depression, anxiety can feel expansive in our chest, and so on.  These sensations reflect fullness in our mind and body; the two are connected.

True mindfulness is in the emptying of mind, not the filling.

This is our strength.  The kinesthetic experiences of our symptoms are the windows into better symptom management.  Imagine trying to adjust the volume knob on a stereo with your eyes closed and ears plugged.  How do you know if you’ve adjusted the volume up or down?  Opening our eyes and unplugging our ears is akin to developing a stronger kinesthetic awareness.  When we can feel the sensations of fullness we can develop better control over them, skillfully adjusting our experience of the body, emptying the mind, and ultimately landing on a powerful means to symptom management.