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Therapist Theresa McCafferty, Ph.D., LCMHC has openings for clients in need of behavioral or emotional health treatment.

463 Washington Street, Keene, NH1st Floor - Handicap Accessible 603.305.0965

Experience in the treatment of Trauma, Substance Misuse, and Behavior Modification

Treating Children • Adolescents • Adults

All Insurances Considered • Sliding Fee Scale Available

819 Court Street, Keene info@MonadnockPerio.com

Monadnock Perio & Implant Center

Dr. Tae H. KwonBoard Certified Periodontist

Dr. Howard YenBoard Certified Periodontist603-215-5800

Serving New Hampshire, Vermont and surrounding areas.

Accepting VT/NH/MA state insurance

www.BrattleboroHearing.com130 Austine Dr. Ste. 210, Brattleboro, VT  05301  802-254-3922 217G Old Homestead Hwy, Swanzey, NH  03446  603-354-3325

Hearing is Health Care. Hearing loss may seem manageable, but studies have shown

long-term consequences to mental and physical health. Don’t wait - see a Doctor of Audiology.

Casey Milkey AuD, Alexandra Tully AuD, Sarah Moore AuD, Kimberly Messer LHAD

WE ARE OPEN FOR BUSINESS. MAPS Counseling Services355-2244 • 924-2240

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Helping ChildrenSucceed

Celebrate Recovery ProgramMondays • 6:30-8:30pm

Church of Christ 12 Arch Street, Keene

The purpose of Celebrate Recovery is fellow-ship and celebration of God’s healing power found by using eight principles based on the Beatitudes and twelve Christ-centered steps.

By implementing these principles and steps, we find freedom from hurts, habits,

hang-ups and addictions.

For details, call 603.352.3814 (please leave message)

Rebecca Roentsch Montrone, B.S.Certified Holistic Health Practitioner

We Are Fully open Monday - Friday 9:30-5103 Roxbury Street, Suite 300 • Keene, NH(603) 439-2603 • www.wondrousroots.org

Nutritional ConsultationComplementary Therapies

Botanical Pharmacy & Products

Several Simple Mindfulness PracticesIn this month’s column, I want to focus on a variety

of simple and practical mindfulness practices one can do during the day. Between COVID-19 and the up-coming election, the next few could be very stressful.

A new book called Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor has become a bestseller. Nestor cites research that indicates that making even slight adjustments to the way we inhale and exhale can have powerful healing effects on our body and mind.

A key part of practicing mindfulness during the day is to remember to pause, even if only for a few seconds, and simply breathe.

Below, I offer several mindfulness practices that can give us mini-breaks during the day. Metaphori-cally, mindfulness can be likened to a surge protector which protects the computer from frying or like a reset or restart button. Ahh, the pause that refreshes!

Take several conscious natural breathsBy placing more attention on the out-breath, you

can feel the natural relaxation that can come with simply breathing out. Remembering to do this a few times a day has made a big difference to many people who have come to our center. At the end of a few breaths, you can add a simple reflection: something you are grateful for. This can be done while driving your car, drinking your morning cup of tea/coffee, while waiting in a line, etc.

SmileResearch shows that our body will naturally

respond to smiling by releasing small amounts of dopamine and serotonin into the bloodstream. When I teach mindfulness courses, one week’s assignment is to smile more often and write down what you notice. Many of the participants report results like those found in studies.

STOPBelow is a description of a commonly taught

practice called STOP that you can employ when you have 30 seconds or a minute to simply stop. Again, this can be done while waiting in line or waiting at a stop light.

S: Stop whatever you are doing in this mo-ment.

T: Take a few natural breaths. Feel the breath. O: Observe what is happening for you in this

moment. Many people notice tightness in their shoul-ders or jaw and relax this tension as they breathe out.

P: Proceed. Make a conscious intention to incorporate what you noticed from that minute of stepping back.

5-3-1 The 5-3-1 Practice comes from the Center for

Healthy Minds founded by Dr. Richard Davidson who has been doing groundbreaking research on mindfulness and meditation for 40 years. Many people to whom I have introduced this practice have found it to be very powerful.

5...Meditate 5 minutes per day. For many people,

focusing on the breath or taking a break from your to-do list helps de-stress and calm the mind.

3...Write down 3 good things that happened today.

Research shows a positive relationship between gratitude and well-being.

1...Do 1 act of kindness. Whether it’s holding the

door for the person behind you or paying someone a heartfelt compliment, generous behavior is not only good for the person receiving it, but also for the giver.

Below are a variety of practices that one can do during the day to reduce stress and to increase one’s sense of joy and appreciation:

Develop a morning ritualFind a simple practice that gets you off on the

right foot: meditation, prayer, yoga, tai chi, chi gong, Pilates, etc.

Take a few minutes to sit quietly or to take a walk and contemplate what you are grateful for.

Read a passage in an inspirational book, a short prayer, a poem

During the dayWhen you get to work, take a few slow, deep

breaths before you leave the car or enter the building. Do the same thing when you get home.

When you sit down at the computer, take one or more slow breaths before you start.

Use everyday occurrences as reminders to breathe or slow down – for example, phone ringing, waiting in line, walking down the hall.

Find creative ways to remind yourself to pauseChoose passwords on your computer that make

you smile, e.g., Smile12!, Breathe12, etc. Keep inspiring photos or ones that make you laugh

on your phone or on your desk.TechnologyHere are five highly rated apps that are free or that

have free components:Insight Timer; Headspace; Stop, Breathe & Think;

Calm; Aura.I suggest picking one of the ideas or practices

mentioned here and try it out for a week as best as you can. See what you notice over time. And remember, it’s a practice!

Tom has been practicing mindfulness meditation for almost 40 years and has taught mindfulness and meditation at Keene State College, at Cheshire Medi-cal Center, at the county jail, in local schools, and at the Monadnock Mindfulness Practice Center, which he helped to found in 2002.

HealingPerspectives

with Tom Bassarear

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Keene Psychotherapy Trauma Recovery

93 Roxbury Street, Keene, NH 03431 • (603) 809-5193www.KeenePsychotherapyTraumaRecoveryServices.com

www.keenepsychotherapytraumarecoveryservices.com

Richard C. Donovan MSW, ACSW, LICSW, Psychotherapist/Traumatologist

Transforming TraumaAddiction Insights

Right here, right now are you wondering what makes you want to act out? (alcohol, drugs, sex, food, depression, fear)

What Heart Wound may be calling you forth that needs to be transformed?

What Body Pain may be giving you a message to be embraced and transformed?

Could it be you are beginning to face your authentic self?Trauma is about a disconnection to yourself.

Psychodrama will help you connect with yourself.Gestalt Somatic Process Work will help you work through

the trauma beneath your addition.

Remember: Stay humbled. Stay present. Breathe and Pray. What we resist will persist.

If you have any questions about the above -mentioned methods please check out the webpage or call.