Mindfulness Therapy in Jupiter

Learning mindfulness in the Jupiter counseling office of Dr Ann Marie SemichMindfulness therapy is designed to focus a person’s attention on the present experience in a way that is non-judgmental and non-reactive. Learning these techniques, a person can reduce stress, anxiety, and emotional distress.

With mindfulness practice, people can better control their thoughts and emotions, rather than be controlled by them. Often, we incorporate mindfulness into other therapeutic modalities as part of an integrated approach to treatment.
In addition to therapy sessions, these widely popular techniques are also employed in schools, businesses, and the military to reduce stress, anxiety, depression and improve focus, clarity, productivity, and life-satisfaction, and much more.

Mindfulness Therapeutic Techniques

We can build upon cognitive therapies by incorporating mindful techniques, such as mindfulness meditation. Integrating these 2 methods, people can bring conscious attention to their thoughts and feelings without judging them.

Here are some of the mindfulness techniques you could incorporate:

Father and son practicing mindfulness that was learned in the Jupiter counseling office of Dr Ann Marie SemichMeditation: People may practice guided or self-directed meditation that helps them gain a greater awareness of their body, thoughts, and breathing.

Body Scan: You can scan the body and bring awareness to different areas. People usually begin at their toes and move up through the body until they reach the top of the head. Doing this gives you can release tension held in the body.

Mindfulness practices: You can practice during meditation, but people can also incorporate these activities into the things they do every day.
Mindfulness stretching: This activity involves stretching mindfully, helping people bring awareness to both the body and mind.

Yoga: You can facilitate mindfulness by incorporating a few yoga poses. When you focus on the body and the breath, you calm the mind.
Other Mindfulness techniques: You can include walking meditations, sitting with thoughts, and listening sounds.

Breathing techniques: You invite mindfulness by practicing various breathing techniques. One example is the “three-minute breathing space technique,” which focuses on three steps. Each step is one minute in duration:

  1. Observing your experience (How are you doing right now?)
  2. Focusing on your breath.
  3. Attending to your body and physical sensations

Benefits of Mindfulness

With mindfulness, you can gain more mental clarity, insight, and wisdom. You can experience less reactivity, self-judgments, and stress. One mindful modality, ACT utilizes elements of cognitive therapy to help you recognize and reassess your patterns of negative thoughts. Once you have this awareness, you are more able to replace negative thinking with more peaceful, encouraging thoughts that more closely reflect reality. People are better able to observe their thoughts with acceptance or without getting caught up in them. With ACT, people report better clarity of thought and have the tools needed to let go of old patterns.

Practicing mindfulness on a dock that was learned in the Jupiter counseling office of Dr Ann Marie SemichResearch indicates that Mindfulness can be effective for helping individuals who experience the following:

  • Anxiety
  • Stress
  • Depression
  • Emotional reactivity
  • Poor choices
  • Low motivation
  • Eating and body image
  • Low self-worth

Mindfulness in Daily Activities

People are encouraged to bring mindful awareness to daily activities. Some activities that you can do mindfully include brushing your teeth, showering, washing the dishes, exercising, or making your bed. By applying mindfulness skills, you will learn:

  • To do what works rather than second-guessing yourself.
  • Focus on the moment without distraction.
  • Be less reactive.
  • Increase gratitude.
  • Feel calmer.
  • Participate without being self-conscious.
  • Pay close attention to what is going on around you.
  • Taking a non-judgmental stance.


Mindfulness has become increasingly popular for its ability to promote health and well-being; many mental health professionals may incorporate some aspects of mindfulness practices in their therapy sessions.

request appointment

What is Mindful Eating?

Healthy foods as part of a mindfulness program that was learned in the Jupiter counseling office of Dr Ann Marie SemichMindfulness is the capacity to bring full attention and awareness to one’s experience, in the moment, without judgment. Mindful Eating brings mindfulness to food choice and the experience of eating.

Mindfulness can be incorporated into everyday life through many different methods. One of these is doing something that we as humans engage in multiple times a day — eating!

Mindful eating helps us become aware of our thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations related to eating, reconnecting us with our innate inner wisdom about hunger and satiety. The result is wiser and healthier choices.

Applied to eating, mindfulness is becoming more aware of our thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations related to food consumption, giving us insights about hunger and satiety. Mindful eating brings mindfulness to food choice and the experience of eating. When you eat mindfully, you learn to pay attention to things such as why you feel like eating and what emotions prompted the eating. On the other hand, mindless eating can be defined as eating without conscious awareness to what and how much is being eaten.

MB-EAT is a structured mindful eating program created by Dr. Jean Kristeller. The MB-EAT program has been well-researched, yielding significant improvements in many areas. Mindful eating has been shown to provide benefits including weight loss, mental health improvements, increased self-worth, and disease management. One study found that the number of binge-eating occurrences among participants decreased from four per week to one and a half, and that many patients no longer met the diagnostic criteria for binge eating. Another study that examined participants who used MB-EAT techniques found that participants experienced significant reductions in binge-eating episodes and improvements in depression.

Tips to Eat More Mindfully

Practicing mindful eating can help us to cultivate a healthier relationship with food. By committing to eating more slowly and intentionally, we can make a positive change in our diets and health, and as a result, more fully enjoy the practice of eating. Here are a few simple tips:

  • Set aside time to eat. Find a calm eating environment to help limit interruptions.
  • Reflect. Before you take that first bite, take a minute to reflect and notice how you feel. Then decide if you want to eat, what you want to eat, and how you want to eat.
  • Don’t eat on the go if possible. It’s physically less satisfying and it’s harder to keep track of how much you have eaten, potentially leading to overeating.
  • Avoid eating straight from the box or bag and measure out your portions ahead of time.
  • Make a conscious effort to take small bites, chew slowly, and concentrate on the flavors and textures of your food.
    ·Don’t multitask, watch TV, talk on the phone, or check social media. Focus on the meal in front of you.
  • Finish chewing and swallowing each bite before putting more food on your fork or spoon.
  • Take sips of water after every few bites to help increase satiety and to slow down.

How to Find a Good Mindfulness Therapist Near Me?

Your mental/emotional and physical health is important. So, finding the right therapist is very important. The quality of therapists can vary greatly. Here are a few things to consider:

  1. Know how long the therapist has been practicing. Often, the longer they have been practicing, the more experience they have, and therefore, the more effective they can be at guiding you through challenges and helping you heal.
  2. Know how much training they have had. Find out what mindfulness based trainings and certifications they have obtained beyond graduation. Determine if they have advanced training and experience specific to your personal concerns.
  3. Understand the costs. Self-pay or private pay therapists tend to have more experience, training, and education. Fees typically range from $125 to $225 per session. To curb the cost, you may consider therapy sessions every other week, or you can ask for a superbill to submit to your insurance company for out-of-network reimbursement. Other lower cost options include: University counseling centers if you are a student, company EAP directories, your insurance company directory, or community health care centers.
  4. Virtual or in-person Therapy. Many people believe in-person therapy is more effective than virtual. However, virtual therapy can be a convenient option in the privacy of your home.
  5. Get other’s recommendations. You might consider asking your medical doctor, or trusted friends for a referral. Additionally, checkout the therapist’s reviews on google.

No matter how credentialed the therapist might be, you should trust your own feelings and comfort level. Your therapist should make you feel heard, understood, and validated. Don’t hesitate to change therapists if you don’t believe the therapist is a good fit.

Dr. Ann Marie Semich is well-trained in various mindfulness modalities. Her goal is to help you gain insight and empower you towards lasting positive change. If you would like to schedule an appointment, contact us.

request appointment