Mindfulness Aloud

®

Mindfulness Aloud

®

Mindfulness Aloud® isn't therapy, nor is it meditation.

So, what is it? Mindfulness Aloud® is a body-based process of turning towards what's challenging and relating to it with kind, curious, non-judgmental attention so that tension eases, wounds heal, vitality returns and a connection to oneself deepens and expands.

Change is possible.

My nervous system was shaped by a combination of developmental trauma and shock traumas; as a result, I lived with chronic anxiety, amped-up urgency, heightened sensitivity, heavy depression, and full body tension. Unfortunately, all of that helped reinforce what I once held as a core belief - I am bad, broken and wrong. Sound familiar?

If what I just shared resonates with you, then let me say right from the start there is nothing bad, broken or wrong with you. The patterns and habits we perceive as "bad," "wrong" or “in the way” are often healthy responses to an unhealthy environment and/or a traumatic experience(s). They're here for some good reason. For example, anxiety isn’t bad or wrong; it’s functional! Maybe, you needed to be on alert and quick to anticipate the moves and needs of others. Or, perhaps circumstances caused you to please and appease as a way of mitigating tension and avoiding conflict. These are just a few examples of adaptive strategies, which may have been necessary back then but may be hindering you now. I get it. I’ve been there. I know what it’s like to feel as if you’re continuously bumping up against the inescapability of the past.

Do you feel like you're continuously bumping up against your past? Are you wanting to feel more clarity and confidence when making decisions and choosing directions?

Wouldn’t it feel refreshing to live more freely and fully with a greater sense of ease and empowerment?

It is possible to feel differently. To go from living within your past to living on the other side of it. It’s why I created Mindfulness Aloud®.

Lauren Taub Cohen

I'd love to share with you a process that invites you to come back to yourself and reconnect with your sense of inner rightness, which has been there all along, so that you can live a life that feels authentic and true to who you are and what you want.

What do Mindfulness Aloud sessions look like?

Together we'll bring a curious and non-judgmental attention to a stressful experience, challenging life situation or habitual way of being that’s interfering with your quality of life.

To help facilitate the process, I'll offer suggestions rooted in my Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner training as well as my Inner Relationship Focusing (IRF) training. IRF is an experiential, body-oriented process of self-awareness and emotional healing developed by Ann Weiser Cornell and Barbara McGavin. And, Somatic Experiencing® (SE) is a body-oriented approach to healing trauma and stress disorders developed by Dr. Peter A. Levine.

In our sessions we'll pay particular attention to the body’s felt sense. Another way of saying “felt sense” is to say felt experience. The felt sense is what you notice happening within as you share a challenging situation. By bringing a soft curiosity to an emerging felt sense and describing it aloud, a middle ground comes into being. Instead of pushing away what’s surfacing or feeling overwhelmed by what's surfacing, we can be with what’s surfacing; as a result, shifts arise, tension eases and next steps emerge.

When working together, it’s important we respect your nervous system and its protective care as we create the conditions for the shifts you seek and the change you want. My motto is always - nothing too much, too fast, too soon. And, the dynamic is never I lead, you follow. While I’ll be facilitating your session and supporting you throughout your session, anything I offer is always a suggestion. So, I encourage you to ask questions about the process as we go, and you can always stop the session at any time.

The impact and residue from our past can show up in a variety ways. Some of the reasons why people have sought my support include struggles with:

overwhelm, stress, anxiety
experiencing/ allowing states of ease, joy, happiness
having to make a decision
restlessness, procrastination
creative blocks/ stagnation
feeling stuck and/or lost
self-criticism, judgment, doubt
addictive behaviors and habits
heartache, loss, grief
depression
loneliness
injuries, chronic pain
falling asleep, resting, pausing
unwanted/ unexpected change
upcoming surgery/ post-surgery
disorganization/ clutter

Click here to learn more about how Mindfulness Aloud® differs from guided meditation, therapy and life coaching.

What People Are Saying

"I have done various kinds of therapy, in addition to a whole range of somatic work. Of course, each approach had its plusses. However, I really had a breakthrough when I worked with Lauren. Her soothing presence and gift of weaving together Inner Relationship Focusing and Somatic Experiencing has had a transformative impact on me."

- Marjaneh Halati, UK

"I reached out to Lauren because I was experiencing so much anxiety from a situation at work. It felt totally out of my control and I was getting scared since I love and value my job tremendously. Throughout the session, I experienced such an opening and transformation. By the end of my time with Lauren, I had a plan, an action step, and felt so much relief."

- Jennifer, New Jersey

"When I saw Lauren for the first time I was in a very stressful season of life that involved a lot of change. A move across states, a career transition, and a breakup and I had lost access to many of my sources of grounding. The amount of big changes in quick succession landed me in a state of almost constant fight/flight and nothing seemed to be helping. I have seen Lauren many times since our first session and continue to be surprised by how she guides me to my own internal wisdom. I'm so very grateful for her process and feel it's been much more impactful for me than my decades long work with talk therapy."

- Ashley Paul, New York

"I really enjoyed working with Lauren, as she held the space in a very supportive and empathic manner. At the start of my session I was feeling a bit confused and overwhelmed and after my session ended I definitely felt a lot calmer and more open. Lauren has the capacity to be very gentle and unobtrusive, yet fully present whilst facilitating sessions. In fact something in me is in awe of her abilities."

- Adam, London

“I’m often yearning to go deeper, to get unstuck, and to find my heart, but it’s challenging to connect with my emotions on my own. However, Lauren’s ability to facilitate a deceptively simple process with such warmth and sturdiness has helped me connect with myself and go deeper. Meaningful shifts have arisen - tension has released, expansion has increased, and I am able to take my space.”

- Carol J Turner, Edd Retired Counseling Psychologist, New Jersey

"I sought out Lauren, because I was immersed in an important life transition and I wanted to live more freely and present within it. In an unhurried, respectful and authentic way, Lauren helped me explore, acknowledge and stay with old feelings about a new situation in ways that naturally brought about healing, integration and deep respect for my earlier experience. A younger me felt seen, heard and understood by myself and by Lauren. There is something about this kind of deep listening, witnessing presence which is so transformative, especially in a 50 minute session.

When I am with Lauren, I do not feel like me or my life is a project that needs fixing. I am seen and accompanied as I am and that brings about inner change that lasts."

- Kayley, Canada

"Being vulnerable and slowing myself down is not a comfortable place for me. Lauren's gentle guidance and soothing way were of great comfort as I moved through the experience of emotions bubbling up. Her way of holding space and not rushing through the process was a new experience. I'm intrigued by how deep this process is and how it promotes healing immediately. It reminds me of the feeling after a deep tissue massage. It's a deep tissue massage for my trapped and ignored emotions."

- Theresa, North Carolina

“I went through FOUR major life events so far this year, and it’s only September! Overwhelmed and exhausted, Lauren’s steady voice and intuitive process helped me get curious about, rather than judge, those parts of myself I’d rather ignore. I was immediately able to see why I’d been holding on to that which is already gone. Talk about freeing! That realization provided the deepest breath, creating space and such peace. I’m now more understanding and loving towards myself. Energized too. A win/win!”

- Jen, New Jersey

Sessions are 50-minutes long and conducted over Zoom.

First Session - $85

Future Sessions - $125

Package of 5 Sessions - $500

*A sliding scale is available. I don't want the cost of sessions to hinder access to the support you seek. So, please reach out and we can discuss options.

Contact me for a free, 20-minute consultation where we can talk and see if my services meet your needs.

When people say "this is a safe space," I bristle. I know they mean well, but my body responds with an"I'll be the judge of that." I believe we feel safe when we experience feeling safe.

It's why I created the Mindfulness Aloud® Client Bill of Rights. Click here to read it.

* Please note, being guided through a Mindfulness Aloud® session by MetaMinds® is not psychotherapy or a substitute for psychotherapy. MetaMinds® is not diagnosing, prescribing for or treating any physical or mental ailments or conditions.