Provides information on mindfulness, how to practice it and how it can help with mental health problems.
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This page gives an overview of the following options, and lets you know where to find out more about them:
Our information on deciding whether mindfulness is right for you and getting the most from mindfulness also suggests some useful things to bear in mind.
"Sometimes mindfulness makes you turn towards things you would normally avoid. That can be challenging. But if you have an experienced mindfulness teacher they can help you to pace yourself."
'Introduction to mindfulness' courses:
Brief taster sessions and informal mindfulness groups are also common.
You might find introductory courses, taster sessions or groups are organised through your place of work or education, or a local library or community centre. Some local Mind branches may run mindfulness courses and groups. Private practitioners may also offer introductory courses for a fee.
"I went on a mindfulness course once a week for about eight weeks. It covered body mindfulness, mindful eating, mindful walking, mindful environmental awareness and more."
Some structured mindfulness therapy programmes have been developed to treat specific problems. The most well-established courses are:
In some cases these are recommended treatments on the NHS, as studies show that they can work well. But their availability on the NHS varies across the country, and waiting lists can be long. Different courses may have slightly different structures, but in general they:
Talk to your GP or use the online NHS service finder to find out if these programmes are available near you. They may also be offered through the private sector, although this involves paying a fee.
You can also find out more from our pages on cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and talking therapy and counselling, and the MBCT website.
These kinds of courses include traditional Buddhist practices of mindfulness meditation and other mindful techniques. They're usually taught at Buddhist centres in the context of Buddhist teaching, and are likely to promote general mental wellbeing (not be a tailored treatment for specific health problems).
See Buddhanet's world Buddhist directory to find a Buddhist centre near you, and contact them directly to see what they offer.
Some mindfulness teachers offer one-to-one sessions through the private sector. Some therapists and counsellors also have mindfulness training and can integrate mindfulness-based techniques into their approach. One-to-one sessions are more likely to be be tailored to your particular situation, and don't include any group work, but they may be expensive.
You can look for a qualified mindfulness teacher or therapist in your local area through:
For more information on things to consider when starting any kind of therapy, see our page getting the most from therapy.
There are many self-guided mindfulness resources available to guide you through different mindfulness exercises. Apps, books and CDs are typically less structured than an online courses.
There's no formal regulation of self-help resources and they vary greatly in quality and cost, so it can be hard to judge what might work for you. But in general, it's a good idea to look for course or resource that:
For example, Breathworks offers mindfulness courses to manage pain, stress and illness. The NHS Digital Library also lists mindfulness apps and online courses which may help.
Our page of mindfulness exercises gives more tips on doing mindfulness by yourself. For support with using digital mental health tools, see our pages on staying safe online.
This information was published in June 2018. We will revise it in 2021.
References are available on request. If you would like to reproduce any of this information, see our page on permissions and licensing.