Mindfulness — Noticing, Without the Wrestling Match
Not emptying your mind — noticing it, without the fight.
Mindfulness in therapy is the practice of noticing what’s happening in your mind and body without immediately reacting to it. It isn’t about emptying your head or achieving calm — it’s about creating a few seconds of space between the trigger and the response. Paulina Brunelle combines therapy, mindfulness, and outdoor practices in her work at Tea Time Therapy.
Good fit if
- Your thoughts have you rather than the other way around
- You react first and notice second
- The physical symptoms of anxiety or stress are running the show
- You’ve tried meditation apps and bounced off them
It isn’t emptying your mind — that’s not a thing minds do. It isn’t being calm on command, and it isn’t incense and a cushion unless you want it to be. Most people who "can’t meditate" have simply been told the goal was a blank head and reasonably concluded they were failing at it.
Noticing. That’s the whole skill. Noticing the thought as a thought instead of a fact. Noticing the tight jaw before it becomes a bad decision. The gap that noticing creates is small — a couple of seconds — and it’s where every other choice becomes possible.
Paulina specializes in anxiety, trauma, and stress management, and helps clients make lasting changes through a combination of therapy, mindfulness, and outdoor practices. She works with first- and second-generation Americans, veterans, and first responders, and sees clients Tuesday through Friday.