If you get a diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, commonly called ADHD, chances are the next thing you will get is a prescription for a drug such as Adderall or Ritalin. In most cases, doctors never discuss alternative measures anyone, at any age, can take that might actually get them off their drugs and live a more-focused life.

At Pathway to Mindfulness many of our clients are students, their parents and working professionals willing to take charge of their life through insightful mindfulness meditation, also called Vipassana. It’s basic: by learning how to live in the moment, they also are learning how to focus and pay attention to what is going on in their lives.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 11 percent of youths 4 to 11 are diagnosed with ADHD, while approximately 4.4 percent, or 8 million U.S. adults are diagnosed with ADHD.

Through meditation and an understanding of how meditation calms our brains, our clients learn to slow down their thinking, to become more organized and to focus more clearly. During meditation they learn to train their minds to simply notice thoughts, making no judgments, and then letting them drift away as they return to our breath. This process does not happen overnight, but with practice, is achieved over time.

Lidia Zylowska, M.D., who specializes in mindfulness-based approaches to mental health and adult ADHD, agrees with our approach. She says: “Mindfulness is a state of mind that can strengthen by specific meditation practice; however, not all meditation training is mindfulness. The meditation training used to develop mindfulness skills is often called open awareness meditation or, in the Buddhist context, Vipassana meditation.”

How we can help
We supply the ongoing support needed to calm the mind, offer ways to implement structure and routine into their lives, gain the self-confidence needed to focus on a project to the end and to turn down the critical inner voice that becomes self-defeating. Through mindfulness, they learn how:

  • To develop better awareness of attention.
  • To be less distracted.
  • The tools to take a breath, step back, and observe their thoughts and feelings.
  • To respond to situations rather than react, thereby managing the stress that control their lives.
  • To accept their ADHD symptoms and change their behavior patterns.

Call us today at 203-628-4492 Ext. 592 for more information.