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Tara Brach is a clinical psychologist and one of the foremost American teachers of Buddhist practices, who's developed a distinctive approach to healing that bridges Western psychological knowledge and Eastern spiritual traditions.

In the following excerpt, Brach not only conveys the message of Buddhist acceptance and wisdom, but illuminates the differences between therapy and the spiritual path.

One of the advantages of the Palm the Present Moment practice is that it's portable and easy to use. It offers a multi-purpose means of centering to counter anxiety—especially when transitioning from one physical location or situation to another.

I began seeing that most of what came out of my mouth was about my discomfort with silence. It felt too naked. My incessant talking was a way to fill the void. As I accepted that I couldn’t sing, and I couldn’t speak, the voice in my head began to quiet.

Now I’m not proud of this, but I’ve been known to pretty much drive folks off the road so I’m not late for my Yoga class. We’re all so busy running around to get it all done that it’s easy to forget the real deal: the peace and possibilities that comes from being in the moment.

As a therapist, you’re likely well versed in mindfulness-based therapies. You’ve probably even tried a mindfulness-based technique with a client. But when you walk out of the office, and you’ve put your therapist self aside for the evening, have you used mindfulness for your own self-healing?

We all have a steady stream of thoughts and feelings. Use the simple guided imagery handout with your clients to help them learn to notice and dismiss thoughts without engaging in them.

In this optimism-building exercise, we’ll be thinking about goals that you have for the future, and breaking them up into more manageable sub-goals. By focusing on these, we can shift from pessimism to optimism.

Can a raisin transform your life? It’s possible. If you want to give your clients the skill to live in the present moment and help them put stress and pain behind them, take a few minutes to watch this video by MBSR expert Elana Rosenbaum.

Are you working with a client suffering from anxiety, PTSD, depression or any other stress-related condition? This technique can keep their mind from wandering.