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P E T E R STRON G
Online Mindfulness-based Therapy: Convenient, Effective and Affordable M
indfulness-based Online Therapy has gained tremendous popularity over the past few years. It provides the tools you need to manage depression, anxiety and emotional stress in the comfort of your own home and it is much more affordable. Mindfulness is becoming the preferred awareness tool for creating the right inner environment in which transformation and healing take place. The convenience of Online Mindfulness Therapy is one of the most cited reasons why more and more people are turning to this first. All you need is a laptop with a videoconferencing program installed and you are ready to start. Many people would like the opportunity of working on resolving their emotional problems, depression, anxiety, stress or past trauma but simply do not have the time to commute to and from a therapist’s office. Online Mindfulness Therapy allows me to work with clients from all over America, as well as helping clients in Europe, Australia, South Africa and beyond. We correspond through email to work out a convenient time and then connect through a videoconferencing program to begin a session. It is amazingly simple, and what is more amazing is that free video conferencing programs are available. Payment for sessions is also easy to make online through PayPal, which is very secure.
Besides the convenience, Online Therapy is typically much less intimidating than going to a therapist’s office and sitting in a waiting room. It is important that the client feels comfortable and in control, and Online Therapy, which some would say is in many ways a form of Life Coaching, is as natural as going to the local Recreation Center for a good workout. The client controls the whole process and this is empowering, which is important for the transformational process. Conducting a therapy/coaching session in the familiar environment of one’s home or office is also more conducive and helps the client get in touch with his or her feelings, which is of course essential for good therapy. Most online sessions are a combination of counselling and therapy. As a mindfulness-based therapist, I alternate between being a teacher, coach and counsellor, providing advice and instruction on the application of mindfulness for resolving difficult emotions at the core level. That is one aspect of the work of online therapy. The other involves experiential work with the client, helping him or her get in touch with core emotions to facilitate their resolution through mindfulness-based techniques. This approach works particularly well in video sessions because clients feel
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