Audio Collection: Psychology Tools For Mindfulness

Mindfulness-based programs such as mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT: Segal, Williams & Teasdale, 2013) and mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR: Kabat-Zinn, 1990) have demonstrated beneficial effects for a wide range of psychological disorders including depression, as well as helping people to cope with pain and illness (Goink et al, 2015; Khoury et al, 2013). Mindful awareness exercises form part of treatment approaches such as dialectical behavior therapy (DBT: Linehan, 1993) and compassion focused therapy (CFT: Gilbert, 2014). The Psychology Tools For Mindfulness Audio Collection is a guided introduction to the practice of mindfulness meditation. Developed by a clinical psychologist and qualified mindfulness teacher, the audio collection contains a sequence of over one and a half hours of mindfulness exercises that will help your clients to develop an effective mindfulness practice. The audio exercises in this collection can be used during clinical sessions, or prescribed as self-practice to complement clinical work and to develop a client’s personal practice. The audio collection contains an introduction and eight exercises:

1. Introduction. A general introduction to the why and how of mindfulness.
2. Raisin exercise. An exercise encouraging present-moment awareness of the senses.
3. Thinking versus sensing. An exercise drawing attention to the differences between ‘thinking about’ and ‘sensing’ experiences directly.
4. Body scan. An exercise encouraging present-moment awareness, using the body as an anchor for your attention, encouraging you to experience body sensations directly vs thinking about them .
5. Mindfulness of breath (short version). A short (5 minute) exercise encouraging present-moment awareness using the breath as an anchor, to help focus the mind.
6. Mindfulness of breath (long version). A longer (10 minute) exercise encouraging present-moment awareness using the breath as an anchor. The extended duration allows for a wider range of experiences to be noticed such as mind wandering, boredom or frustration.
7. Mindfulness of sounds and thoughts. A practice to encourage observing sounds and thoughts as mere phenomenon. The exercise uses the metaphor of the self as a microphone, that simply observes thoughts and sounds as they come and go.
8. Being with difficulty. A gentle introduction to bringing present-moment awareness to bear upon thoughts or feelings that are more difficult or distressing.
9. Mindfulness in everyday life. A short exercise to guide clients to how to bring present-moment awareness into everyday life.

To accompany the audio collection there is also a verbatim script for each exercise. This allows clinicians to guide the exercises ‘live’ in session, or to record personalized versions for clients in their own voice to reinforce work completed in therapy.

This audio collection is designed for anyone who would like to develop their own mindfulness meditation practice. No previous experience with mindfulness is necessary on the part of the client, although best practice is for the clinician working with that client to be familiar with mindfulness. The audio exercises can be used in session, or prescribed as self-practice to complement clinical work and to develop a client’s mindfulness practice.

In common with other psychological interventions, mindfulness exercises result in clients confronting difficult and potentially distressing thoughts, emotions, and sensations and so care should be taken when prescribing them (Baer et al, 2019).

How can I share the audio collection with my clients?

The audio collection is downloaded as a .ZIP file which contains multiple .MP3 files. The .ZIP file will need to be ‘unzipped’ before the audio files can be accessed. Once unzipped, the audio files can be played in most media player apps. Instructions on how to unzip files for all major platforms are available at the support pages here:

• Windows: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/zip-and-unzip-files-f6dde0a7-0fec-8294-e1d3-703ed85e7ebc
• MacOS: https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/mac-help/mchlp2528/mac
• iOS: https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT211132
• Android: https://support.google.com/files/answer/9048509?hl=en

 The simplest way to share an audio collection with your clients is by using the Psychology Tools ‘Email a client’ function. After obtaining their consent to send them the file you can send it directly from this page by clicking ‘Send securely to my client’. Your client will receive a secure email containing a unique link, and when they click the link the .ZIP file will be downloaded onto their device.

• Baer, R. A. (2003). Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 10(2), 125-143.
• Baer, R., Crane, C., Miller, E., & Kuyken, W. (2019). Doing no harm in mindfulness-based programs: conceptual issues and empirical findings. Clinical Psychology Review, 71, 101-114.
• Brown, K. W., & Ryan, R. M. (2003). The benefits of being present: mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(4), 822.
• Gilbert, P. (2014). The origins and nature of compassion focused therapy. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 53(1), 6-41.
• Gotink, R. A., Chu, P., Busschbach, J. J., Benson, H., Fricchione, G. L., & Hunink, M. M. (2015). Standardised mindfulness-based interventions in healthcare: an overview of systematic reviews and meta-analyses of RCTs. PloS one, 10(4), e0124344.
• Kabat-Zinn, J., & Hanh, T. N. (2009). Full catastrophe living: Using the wisdom of your body and mind to face stress, pain, and illness. Delta.
• Khoury, B., Lecomte, T., Fortin, G., Masse, M., Therien, P., Bouchard, V., ... & Hofmann, S. G. (2013). Mindfulness-based therapy: a comprehensive meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 33(6), 763-771.
• Linehan, M. (1993). Cognitive-behavioral treatment of borderline personality disorder. New York: Guilford.
• Segal, Z. V., & Teasdale, J. (2018). Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression. Guilford Publications.