Newly established individual and group mindfulness sessions at Inspire Neurocare provide an enormous benefit for individuals and colleagues in Worcester.
Over the last 10 years, interest in mindfulness has grown enormously, with a range of mindfulness books, YouTube videos, phone apps, and articles shared with techniques and practices.
Often discussed alongside mediation and sometimes yoga, the NHS describes mindfulness as knowing directly what is going on inside and outside ourselves, moment by moment. Commonly people use mindfulness techniques to let go of emotions and sensations, to ground themselves, and to reduce feelings of stress and anxiety.
When it comes to mindfulness for people with complex disabilities, mindful-based approaches are often recommended for medical conditions associated with sensory loss and absence, such as brain and spinal injury, multiple sclerosis and Functional Neurological Disorder.
Professor Mark Williams, former director of the Oxford Mindfulness Centre, explains,
“An important part of mindfulness is reconnecting with our bodies and the sensations they experience. This means waking up to the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of the present moment. It's about allowing ourselves to see the present moment clearly. When we do that, it can positively change the way we see ourselves and our lives."
At Inspire Neurocare, our Psychologist-led mindfulness sessions form part of our neuropsychology approach. The sessions are enjoyed by both residents with a range of neurological conditions and symptoms, and by colleagues from across the organisation.
“We introduced Mindfulness sessions to Inspire on a 1:1 basis to begin with, to further support individuals when conducting Neuropsychological therapy sessions.
Many of the people we support have knowledge and experience of mindfulness, so we then began to work together on providing this strategy as a group. The brilliant thing about Mindfulness is that it can be adapted to each person’s individual needs. Since completing both group and personal sessions, the people we support have reported using the technique independently, in addition to our sessions, as a way to bring them into the present moment.
Mindfulness has become an important part of the services we provide in Worcester, and we hope to support people to be open to exploring Mindfulness techniques throughout their rehabilitation and onwards.”
In 2020, researchers from the US found, in an analysis of studies, that Meditation, Yoga, and Mindfulness-Based Interventions revealed significant improvement of overall symptoms experienced by people with mild traumatic brain injury. The results showed that mental health, physical health, cognitive performance, quality of life, and social/occupational performance all improved, with a significant reduction in depression and fatigue.
Headway, the Brain Injury Charity, see a range of benefits for brain injury survivors, but warn that mindfulness is not a cure, but rather something can help strengthen the mind and focus attention on the present moment. Headway have a range of resources about Mindfulness on their website.
Inspire Neurocare is home to adults with complex needs in the heart of the community in Worcester. Take a virtual tour of the service, or find out about our approach.
To arrange a visit to the service, please get in touch via the form below.