Object-Based Mindfulness for Neurodivergent Minds: Practical Skills

Series Title: Adapting Mindfulness for Neurodivergent Minds: A Practical Skills Series

This session will focus on using fidgets, objects and textures as the focus of mindfulness. We will look through the lens of neurodivergence at the specific skills of absorption in sensory experience, finding pleasure in everyday experiences, and relishing positive sensations as a powerful way to immerse yourself in the present moment.

Most of the session will be spent on practical exercises, and you may find it helpful to bring with you a selection of objects that you find pleasing to touch, interesting to explore, or satisfying to look at. Some examples might be fidgets (particularly those that move or change shape), beads or stones, a plant or flower, putty, or anything that lights up or reflects or refracts light. It could also be interesting to have some “boring” objects to hand, like a pen or a teaspoon, if you’d like to explore using these techniques with less compelling objects.

This is part of a weekly series on adapting mindfulness to suit neurodivergent people. These sessions will focus on one form of mindfulness each week, exploring different practices in flexible ways. They are suitable for people who are completely new to mindfulness, those who have tried it but not found it a good fit, and those who have more experience and want to expand their repertoire.

Participants can choose to attend all the sessions or just some of them. There will be space for discussion and reflection, though you are welcome to be off camera and with your microphone muted if you feel more comfortable that way, during practices or throughout the session. The other sessions are body and movement (14th January), using the breath (21st January), music (28th January), sounds (4th February), and building your ongoing practice (11th February).

Learning Objective Participants Can Expect From This Event

• Explore new mindfulness practices and discover what is a good fit for you, and/or your neurodivergent clients.
• Find neurodiversity-affirming ways of practising mindfulness that reconnect neurodivergent people with their bodies and sensory experiences.
• By experimenting with a range of possible practices, build a repertoire of practices for different situations and a rhythm of ongoing practice that works for you.

Who is This Workshop Appropriate For?

• Neurodivergent people, and therapists, counsellors or psychologists of all neurotypes, working with neurodivergent people.

How May This Workshop Impact Your Practice?

• Broadening the repertoire of mindfulness practices you can draw on, for yourself and for clients, to allow them to be tailored to specific people and purposes.

RECORDING 

This event will be recorded and you can use the ticket function to pre-purchase the recording before the event. This will be useful for colleagues who are not able to attend the event live and also for those who attend the event live and want to watch it again.

ZOOM 

This event will be hosted on the Zoom meeting platform where we will use our cameras and microphones to interact with each other as a group.

SELF-SELECT FEE

The self-select fee is a radical inclusion policy to open learning for all colleagues. The guide price for this event is £20.00, however, we appreciate that income varies greatly in different locations and circumstances. Please contribute what you can to help us maintain inclusive professional training.

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At Onlinevents, we and the presenters we collaborate with are committed to working in a way that aligns with the ethical codes and frameworks of our respective professional organisations. We expect all colleagues attending our events to uphold the ethical principles of their professional membership.

If you are not a member of a professional organisation, we ask that you participate in a way that is both authentic and respectful, fostering a space of mutual learning and professional engagement.

By registering for this event, you agree to be present and interact in a manner that reflects these principles.

Dr Emma Bede

Dr Emma Bede is a Clinical Psychologist who works as a therapist with adults of all ages and neurotypes as a therapist, as well as carrying out formal diagnostic assessments for autism and ADHD, and providing support to people newly identified as neurodivergent. She also supervises other clinicians and works in clinical research. Her main approaches are based in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, attachment, and mindfulness, and she is particularly interested in working with people who have had difficult life experiences, with issues around becoming a parent, and with people with chronic illness or life-changing diagnoses.