Treatment · Mindfulness

Mindfulness: space between trigger and response

Mindfulness as I use it is down-to-earth and practical: attention training that helps you notice what is going on inside you, without being pulled straight into it. No incense, just a skill you can use anywhere.

What is mindfulness?

Noticing instead of being pulled in

In a busy head we often merge with our tension: we are the stress, the worrying, the low mood. Mindfulness is the clinically applied skill of interrupting that process. You train your attention so that you learn to observe thoughts, emotions and bodily sensations, without immediately getting stuck in them or fighting them.

That sounds simple, and the principle is. But above all it is a trainable skill, like physical fitness: you build it up with short, concrete exercises. Think of a three-minute breathing anchor, a body scan, or learning to notice when your worrying mind kicks in, right at the moment it happens.

This creates space between what happens and how you respond. In that space lies your freedom of choice: do I react automatically, or do I choose consciously? Within the treatment I always use mindfulness in combination with CBT or EMDR, as a reinforcement and not as a replacement.

What does it help with?

Mindfulness is effective for, among other things

Persistent stress and overload
Worrying and a head that never switches off
Recurring low mood (relapse prevention)
Quickly becoming irritated or overstimulated
Difficulty relaxing and getting out of "always on" mode
Living on autopilot more than you would like

The approach

What mindfulness looks like in the treatment

Recognising

We map out when your autopilot kicks in: the moments when stress, worrying or low mood takes over without you noticing.

Training

You learn short, concrete exercises: a breathing anchor, a body scan, shifting attention. In the session we practise together; at home you continue training with audio exercises of a few minutes.

Applying

The gain is in daily life: a pause button before a difficult conversation, noticing that you are worrying while cooking, calming your nervous system at the office, invisible to the outside world.

Sustaining

We build the exercises into your routine, so the skill stays with you after the trajectory has ended. Especially with recurring low mood, this is a proven buffer against relapse.

What does the science say? Mindfulness-based interventions (such as MBSR and MBCT) have been studied in hundreds of trials. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy is included in the Dutch guidelines and considerably reduces the risk of relapse in people with recurrent depression. Meta-analyses also show clear effects for stress and anxiety.

Frequently asked questions

About mindfulness

Is mindfulness religious or vague?

No. The exercises have roots in centuries-old meditation practices, but the form I use is fully secular and clinical: attention training as applied in hospitals and mental healthcare worldwide. No incense or mantras, just concrete exercises with measurable effect.

Do I have to meditate for a long time every day?

No. We work with short exercises of three to ten minutes that fit into an ordinary working day. Regularity matters more than duration. Just like fitness, you build the skill with small, achievable steps.

I cannot empty my head. Can I even do this?

Good news: emptying your head is not the goal. Nobody can. The goal is noticing what is happening in your head, and learning to deal with it differently. People with busy, analytical minds often get a lot out of this.

Take the first step today.

Sign up directly for an intake, or start with a free 15-minute introductory call. I will personally get back to you within two working days. Usually you can start within a week.

I work solo and take on a limited number of new clients each month

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