Mindfulness and meditation

What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness means noticing what is happening right now, in your body, your mind and around you, without labeling it good or bad. Its roots are in contemplative traditions, and it came into mainstream mental health care in the late 1970s when Jon Kabat-Zinn created mindfulness-based stress reduction; mindfulness-based cognitive therapy later adapted it for depression. In therapy it is taught as a practical, secular skill: you learn to see thoughts and feelings as passing events rather than facts, which gives you a moment to choose how to respond instead of reacting on autopilot.

How does Femme Health use mindfulness?

Care starts with a personal intake so your therapist understands what pulls you out of the present, from racing thoughts at 3 a.m. to the constant demands of new motherhood or midlife. Practices are then chosen to fit that, and your season of life.

In clinician-led virtual groups, guided practices open and close many sessions, so the skill becomes a habit rather than something you only try when things fall apart. Practicing alongside other women often makes it easier to keep going.

With your primary therapist, you'll tailor practices to what actually triggers you, and build short ones into your day, a few breaths before a meeting, a body scan at night, a two-minute reset in a hard moment. Your care advocate helps with scheduling, costs and next steps.