Mindfulness for ADHD has been adapted to combine useful educational content and techniques, with a variety of shorter mindfulness meditation practices. Mindfulness is explored through a playful and curious approach. Participants are encouraged to find their own ‘sweet spot’ by varying and adapting practices, to tailor them to their needs, with guidance and support. Each session will use a variety of teaching techniques to keep participants engaged, with frequent movement breaks. Group sessions last an hour and a half and individual session are 50 minutes long. All course materials are made available, including any educational content, worksheets and audio recordings.
In these sessions, we can find a common connection with others, while noting and celebrating our own differences and needs. Each individual is valued and respected, and encouraged to find their own way of making the most of all the information and skills shared. No practice is compulsory and participation in discussions is entirely optional, with each person’s feelings and needs respected at all time.
Course Content and Delivery for ADHD
Sessions 1 to 3
Moving Away From Automatic Pilot Mode, Strengthening Control and Monitoring of Attention
Session One: Becoming More Present
Attention and Rediscovering the Five Senses
Introduction to ADHD and mindfulness
How can mindfulness help with ADHD?
Reframing of ADHD
Introduction to the course
Session Two: Focus the Wandering Mind
Awareness of ADHD patterns and finding anchors
Mindful awareness of ADHD patterns
What is my ADHD like?
How can mindfulness support my ADHD?
What might be the barriers?
Session Three: Directing our Awareness and Finding Anchors
Mindfulness of sound, breath and body
Noticing shifts in our attention along with body awareness
Fostering the role of curious, non-judgemental observer
Sessions 4 to 8
New Relationship to Inner Experiences; Deepening Awareness and Ability to Choose Responses (Self-Regulation)
Session Four: Being in the Body
Mindfulness of sound, breath and body
Mindful awareness of body sensations
Bringing curious awareness to the body
Working with discomfort, agitation and pain
Repecting, accepting and communicating our window of tolerance
Finding comfort
Session Five: Mindful Awareness of Thoughts
Mindful awareness of body sensations
Working with judgemental thinking
Noticing choice points and indecision
Session Six: Mindful Awareness of Emotions
How do we feel notice emotions in the body?
How quickly do they pass?
Working with emotions non-judgementally
Session Seven: Mindful Awareness of Interactions
Building our curiosity of interactions, with open awareness
Mindful listening
Finding a 50:50 attention anchor
Communicating needs
Session Eight: Mindful Awareness - a Life Journey of Discovery
Building and maintaining informal practices - how to make them a habit.
Applying acceptance – changing our rhetoric
Renewing intentions and motivation
Keeping connections
What do we do now?
Seeing the end as a new beginning
Note: This course is both trauma and neurodiverse informed