santa barbara mindfulness therapy
Santa Barbara Mindfulness Therapy is based on the conviction that all human beings are capable of meaningful and lasting transformation.
All of us, regardless of whether we are 6 or 60, can use our minds to change our brains to change our minds to… well, you get the picture.
Neurons that fire together wire together. This is thanks to a phenomenon called “neuroplasticity.” Neuroplasticity says that neurons that fire together wire together. This means that through the intentional development of a new set of skills for choosing healthier thoughts and responses to life challenges, we can actually change the structure of our brains. This gradual transformation of our neurology allows us to restructure our lives to eliminate needless suffering as we navigate life’s inevitable challenges.
Shift happens. Thich Nhat Hanh has said that life is like a kaleidoscope, filled with shifting patterns - at once poignant and beautiful - of loss and gain. The suffering occurs when we try to stop the kaleidoscope from turning.
Happiness occurs when we are able to welcome the new patterns that emerge. We can’t change what happens out there. But we can change how we respond to what happens out there. We can shape our emotional and cognitive life to embrace change with more skill, less fear, and the peace and self-empowerment that come when we engage with reality exactly as it presents itself.
In the words of John Kabat-Zinn, founder of MBSR, a mindfulness-based approach to the reduction of stress, “You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf!”
