At the start of our Mindfulness Based Symptom Management (MBSM) program, I ask the participants what they think mindfulness is. They usually say some version of "Being in the Now" or "The Present Moment". I ask again at the end of the eight weeks and typically they say, "It's being aware" or "It's knowing that everything [...]
Book Review: Siddhartha’s Brain by James Kingsland
Siddhartha's Brain, written by science journalist James Kingsland, opens with what would be a somewhat shocking quote from Ajahn Amaro, a Buddhist monastic in the UK. We are all mentally ill. While this should not quite raise the eyebrows of mental health professionals, it is a rather bald (apologies to Ajahn Amaro!) statement to make in [...]
Interested in working for a mindfulness clinic? We’re looking!
Interested in working in a mindful environment? Want to learn more about mindfulness and support those who do? Curious, open-minded, creative? We're looking for someone who can be supportive, compassionate, and disciplined in their work with others. RECEPTIONIST/ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT The Ottawa Mindfulness Clinic (OMC) & Sea Glass Psychological Services (SGPS) are two aspects mental health [...]
Are you weaponizing your mindfulness skills?
Allan faithfully attended each class of the Mindfulness-based Stress Management program we offer at the Ottawa Mindfulness Clinic. He shared openly about his anxiety and insecurity as a father to three children and a son caring for ill parents. The heart of his distress though was in his relationship with Debra, his partner of 15 [...]
Into the Magic Shop by Dr. James Doty MD: the magic in mindfulness and compassion
Into the Magic Shop by Dr. James Doty, founder and director of The Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE), captivates from the first page and continues at an unrelenting pace through Doty's life, beginning with a disadvantaged childhood to his current work as a leader in the field of compassion training. The book [...]
Ottawa Mindfulness Clinic 