"Yipper and His Quest for Mindfulness" is a story about mindfulness. It follows a puppy's journey with his mother while he experiences several feelings and physical sensations. He learns to "pay attention and be aware" of his body. Yipper follows his mother on a walk through nature. During this walk he experiences several different sensations. Some of these are pleasant while others are uncomfortable. In each example the sensations tell Yipper something (ex. he is hungry or scared). When he stops to notice his body, he finds that these sensations "won't stay." This helps him to deal with challenges and also learn from the feelings his body has. Throughout Yipper's journey his mother is a constant reminder to him that he should stop and feel these experiences. She gently guides him throughout the journey and lovingly supports him. As therapist, we take the role of walking with our clients. This is mirrored in the story. Yipper makes great strides and has his mother to keep him safe and encourage him. Mindfulness techniques are used in treating anxiety and also teaches us to pause and experience life before it passes by. There is wisdom in the "pause." If we stop and pay attention, our body tells us what to do. Children are especially open to these concepts. As adults the distractions of grown up life can make things like listening to our body more difficult. Children are usually more open to this because they understand what is is to feel. In a world that encourages people to "feel better" instead of just feeling, it can be difficult to grow and heal. Mindfulness teaches us to listen to our feelings instead of ignore them. Allowing a child to feel and learn from that feeling will help them to cope with life in a healthier way.
About the Author: Darcie Nuttall has been working in private practice as a counselor in the Massachusetts area for over ten years. She mainly specialize with children and their families but she also has expertise in the area of addiction and the management of anxiety and depression. She has created and facilitated groups for children with anxiety and also children affected by divorce. Darcie also works in the community doing school based work with children. Darcie is currently in private practice part time. The remainder of her time is spent being a mother of two small boys and enjoying family life.