ABSTRACT
An important method for guiding clients to their present-moment aware - ness is how we observe and respond to their present-moment experience. As you may recall, in Chapter 1, I suggest that a mindfulness model of therapy focuses in part on the present-moment presentation of the client. That is, as mindfulness-based therapists, we pay attention to our clients’ body language, voice intonations, emotionality, cognitive processes, and personality characteristics as they manifest in the moment. This gives us the ability to track potential patterns and/or help the client engage his or her subjective state authentically. The pragmatic philosophy underlying this present-moment approach is the fact that life can only be experienced in the present moment. That is, we can remember many things about our past up until the moment that has just past, but can presently only remember such experiences as memories. Further, we can think, wonder, and imagine about the future, but can only do so abstractly. The only time frame we can truly experience is the now.
