What Mindfulness Is
The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, part of the National Institutes of Health, describes meditation as a variety of practices that focus on mind and body integration, used to calm the mind and enhance overall well-being, and describes mindfulness as maintaining attention or awareness on the present moment without making judgments.1 At Sol it is part of the week across three levels of care, and it also sits inside the DBT skills groups, where mindfulness is one of the four skill areas.
“Without making judgments” is the heart of it. The practice is not emptying your head. It is noticing what is in it, gently, without grading yourself.
What the Research Supports
NIMH puts the position in one sentence worth building a page around: stress management techniques such as exercise, mindfulness and meditation can reduce anxiety symptoms and enhance the effects of psychotherapy.2
In other words, it supports treatment rather than replacing it. NCCIH reaches the same place from the research side, stating that while positive findings are less common in people with anxiety disorders, the evidence supports adjunctive use.3 Adjunctive means alongside the treatment, not instead of it.
On how strong the evidence is, NCCIH’s own summary of a large analysis of more than 12,000 participants found that for anxiety and depression, mindfulness-based approaches were better than no treatment at all and worked as well as the evidence-based therapies. It also found they were more effective than the usual treatments at reducing severity, but that only some types of mindfulness approaches were as effective as cognitive behavioral therapy.1
NCCIH also notes a caveat: although the results showed that all the practices had some effect, most of the studies included in the review were of poor quality and had a high risk of bias.1
What It May Help With, Specifically
In NCCIH’s own words.
| Area | What NCCIH says |
|---|---|
| Anxiety and depression | “Mindfulness-based practices may be helpful for anxiety and depression.”4 A 2014 meta-analysis of 47 trials in 3,515 participants suggests mindfulness meditation programs show moderate evidence of improving anxiety and depression.3 |
| Depression specifically | A 2019 review concluded that as monotherapy or an adjunctive therapy, mindfulness-based meditation has positive effects on depression, and its effects can last for 6 months or more.3 |
| Sleep | “Mindfulness meditation practices may help reduce insomnia and improve sleep quality.”1 |
| Substance use | “Mindfulness-based practices may help people recover from substance use disorders.”4 Mindfulness-based interventions may help people reduce their use of substances such as alcohol, cigarettes and opioids.5 |
| Anxiety, named programs | A 2023 trial of 208 participants with anxiety disorders found mindfulness-based stress reduction was not less effective than escitalopram, a commonly prescribed anxiety medication.6 |
We make no claim that mindfulness prevents relapse or keeps people in treatment. The substance use findings above are about craving and consumption.
When Mindfulness Feels Difficult
Mindfulness is often described as risk-free, and for many people it is gentle. NCCIH offers a more careful picture.
NCCIH states that meditation and mindfulness practices usually are considered to have few risks, and then adds that few studies have examined these practices for potentially harmful effects, so it is not possible to make definite statements about safety.1 In one 2020 review, about 8 percent of participants had a negative effect from practicing meditation, similar to the percentage reported for psychological therapies, and the most commonly reported negative effects were anxiety and depression.1
NCCIH’s reassurance that meditation is generally considered safe is specifically scoped to healthy people.6 If you are in or considering treatment, it helps to know that mindfulness can sometimes feel uncomfortable.
For some women, particularly with a trauma history, sitting still and turning attention inward is not calming at first. The noise that activity was keeping down can get louder. That is a known response, it is not you doing it wrong, and it does not mean you have failed at anything.
If that happens here, say so. There are ways to work with it, including keeping the eyes open, shortening it, moving instead of sitting, or leaving it for later in treatment. Please let us know, so we can adjust it with you.
Where It Sits in Your Treatment
Mindfulness runs as its own practice in the week, led by Angel Jones, MA, RMT (Registered Mindfulness Teacher), RYT-200, and it is also one of the four skill areas in DBT skills groups, where it is taught as observing, describing and participating in the present moment.
Mindfulness supports your clinical care rather than replacing it. The clinical work is CBT, EMDR where trauma is central, the group program, and medication management, which is included for every client.
As the Office on Women’s Health gently reminds us, meditation and mindfulness should not replace or postpone seeing a healthcare provider about a medical condition.7
Starting Treatment
1
Call or Send Your Insurance Details
Admissions answers 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
2
Assessment
A clinician works out what is being treated and which level of care fits.
3
Verify Your Insurance
We contact your plan and walk you through your benefits.
4
Start Date
Set around what your week can hold.
If you have tried meditation before and it made things worse, that is worth mentioning at assessment. It is a known response and it changes how this is approached rather than whether you belong here.
In crisis right now? Call or text 988.
Frequently Asked Questions
Our admissions line is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at (951) 972-5085.
Does Mindfulness Actually Work?
It can help with some things, especially alongside treatment rather than instead of it. NCCIH states mindfulness-based practices may be helpful for anxiety and depression, may reduce insomnia and improve sleep quality, and may help people recover from substance use disorders. NCCIH also notes that most studies in its key anxiety and depression analysis were of poor quality with a high risk of bias.
Is Meditation Safe?
It is usually considered low risk, though NCCIH does not say so definitively. It states that few studies have examined these practices for potentially harmful effects, so it is not possible to make definite statements about safety. In one 2020 review about 8 percent of participants had a negative effect, most commonly anxiety and depression, which is similar to the rate reported for psychological therapies.
What If Sitting Still Makes My Anxiety Worse?
That is a recognized response, particularly for people with trauma histories, and it is not a failure. Say so and it gets adapted: eyes open, shorter, moving rather than sitting, or left until later in treatment.
Is Mindfulness a Treatment for Anxiety or Depression?
Not on its own. NIMH describes mindfulness and meditation as reducing anxiety symptoms and enhancing the effects of psychotherapy. NCCIH says the evidence supports adjunctive use. At Sol it sits alongside the clinical work rather than replacing it.
Does It Help With Cravings?
A 2018 review of 37 studies with 3,531 participants found mindfulness-based approaches to substance use disorder treatment significantly decreased participants’ craving levels. NCCIH also states mindfulness-based interventions may help people reduce use of substances including alcohol, cigarettes and opioids. The research looks at craving and consumption. We make no claim that it prevents relapse.
Is This the Same as the Mindfulness in DBT?
Related. Mindfulness is one of the four DBT skill areas, taught there as observing, describing and participating in the present moment. It also runs as its own practice in the week.
Do I Have to Be Good at It?
No, and there is no version of this you can fail. The practice is noticing what is there without grading yourself on it, which means the noticing is the whole activity.
Does Insurance Cover This?
It is part of your program rather than billed separately, so what matters is how your plan covers your level of care. Sol accepts most major insurance plans, including Aetna, Anthem, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Carelon, CareFirst, Cigna, UC SHIP and UnitedHealthcare. Sol can often work with HMO policies through a single case agreement. Sol does not accept Medi-Cal, Medicaid, Medicare, Molina, IEHP, Kaiser, TRICARE or TriWest. Every plan is different, so the quickest way to know is to verify your insurance. Our admissions team responds within 24 hours.
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A Gentle Practice Alongside Your Care
Mindfulness supports the clinical care at the heart of your treatment.
4175 Brockton Avenue, Riverside, CA 92501
Confidential, gentle and pressure-free. You never need to promise anything on the phone.
Sources7
- 1.National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, National Institutes of Health. Meditation and Mindfulness: Effectiveness and Safety. https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/meditation-and-mindfulness-effectiveness-and-safety
- 2.National Institute of Mental Health. Generalized Anxiety Disorder: What You Need to Know. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/generalized-anxiety-disorder-gad
- 3.National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Mind and Body Approaches for Stress and Anxiety: What the Science Says. https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/providers/digest/mind-and-body-approaches-for-stress-science
- 4.National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. 8 Things to Know About Meditation and Mindfulness. https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/tips/8-things-to-know-about-meditation-and-mindfulness
- 5.National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. 6 Things To Know About Psychological and Physical Approaches for Substance Use Disorders. https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/tips/things-to-know-about-mind-and-body-approaches-for-substance-use-disorders
- 6.National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Anxiety and Complementary Health Approaches. https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/anxiety-and-complementary-health-approaches
- 7.Office on Women’s Health, US Department of Health and Human Services. Meditation, Mindfulness and Mental Health. https://womenshealth.gov/node/1376
Medical Disclaimer
This page is educational and is not medical advice. Mindfulness and meditation are offered at Sol Women’s Treatment alongside clinical treatment and are not a treatment for any condition on their own. As the Office on Women’s Health states, meditation and mindfulness should not replace or postpone seeing a healthcare provider about a medical condition. Sol is certified by the California Department of Health Care Services for outpatient and intensive outpatient services, certification 330246AP, and licensed by the California Department of Social Services, facility 331881576, and does not provide detox, inpatient or residential care. No two women respond identically and nothing here promises a result. In a medical emergency call 911. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.