“Mindfulness has been theoretically and empirically associated with psychological well-being,” wrote Keng, Smoski, and Robins in their 2013 study on the effects of mindfulness on psychological health. “The elements of mindfulness, namely awareness and nonjudgmental acceptance of one’s moment-to-moment experience, are regarded as potentially effective antidotes against common forms of psychological distress—rumination, anxiety, worry, fear, anger, and so on—many of which involve the maladaptive tendencies to avoid, suppress, or over-engage with one’s distressing thoughts and emotions.”

As a result, mindfulness can be used to manage your well-being and mental health. We all have times when we feel down, stressed, or frightened; most of the time, those feelings pass, but sometimes they develop into a more serious problem. Suffering from a serious mental illness such as schizophrenia, or bipolar disorder (BD) can certainly be stressful and frightening.

As a psychiatric physician assistant with Colorado Recovery, Christine Cork, PA-C, CAQ psych, uses mindfulness to encourage clients “to treat themselves with the same kindness as they would afford a friend.”

Cork models the mindfulness approach to individual needs. “When I see them doing these unkind things to themselves, I bring it back to ‘What would you tell a friend, if a friend was in that position?’”

Psychotic or manic episodes can be fairly traumatic for patients and their families. “Such episodes involve incredibly disruptive behaviors and as a result, the world may come down hard on them in a moment where they cannot fully understand,” says Cork. “Sometimes that means they’re really harsh with themselves.”

MINDFUL COMPASSION

Negative thoughts, self-blame, and feelings of worthlessness tend to induce an emotional downward spiral leading to further episodes. Cork teaches patients how to counter this unhelpful negativity.

The typical onset of schizophrenia or BD in the late teens or early twenties tends to be a particularly challenging time. “We talk about how to move forward when we have a slower processing speed or maybe feel a little bit more awkward socially. Or maybe the depression is coming on again; how can we meet that with love instead of loathing?”

Mindful compassion means to engage with feelings in a non-judgmental way. Cork helps her clients to pull away from the isolation many people with mental illness feel. “We tend to think, ‘Oh, my God, it’s only me,’ and ‘I’m feeling that way and it’s not okay to feel that.’ I like to show them that it’s okay to have those feelings. That’s the compassionate side. When we move on to how we act on those feelings, it becomes a different story. Usually, I show up for clients saying ‘It looks to me you’re feeling that and that seems normal to me’ and we take it from there.”

In psychiatry, emotional outbursts are frequently managed with medications but Cork likes to be conservative with this approach. “I use a lot of mindfulness first, saying ‘Okay you’re feeling this but what have you done in the past that’s been helpful’ and sort of let them guide where we go from there.”

Cork emphasizes that it’s often normal to feel anxious in life and she doesn’t necessarily want to suppress that with medications. “A lot of it is mindfulness. ‘Can you take a breath? Can you invite it in?’ They learn to just notice feelings in their body, find the edge, and just soften it. Or sometimes people need more active things like ‘Can you go on a walk or do you have a stretch that helps you?’ Or maybe they need therapy or call a friend.”

Building and strengthening social networks is a big part of our approach to therapy as is boosting self-confidence with challenging hikes and self-expression in art groups. At Colorado Recovery it is our mission to help adults with serious mental health issues stabilize their illness, minimize symptoms, improve functioning, and enhance each person’s social inclusion, quality of life, and sense of meaning in life.

Colorado Recovery transitioned to a non-profit organization in June. This pivotal change underscores our commitment to providing exceptional care and support to our clients while ensuring greater accessibility through scholarships and donations.

If you have questions about our recovery model or our services to treat schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and similar mental illnesses, call us at 720-218-4068 to discuss treatment options for you or the person you would like to help.