Mindfulness: a conduit for integration and wellness

In an era where forces often push toward disintegration, this article discusses ways in which mindfulness can lead to integration and to the creation of a better relationship with ourselves and the pluriverse, i.e. the diversity or plurality of lives, from sentient to non-sentient, and lived realities interacting all at once. This article examines how mindfulness can be a conduit for integration and wellness for those afflicted by depression, anxiety, and other conditions exacerbated by the inhumane way in which the world is running. While mindfulness has become a nostrum sold in fancy bottles at centers near and far, especially in the United States, it is essentially distilled ancient wisdom which, when properly learned, practiced, and taught, can aid in the advance of the pluriverse, including our progress, members of a humankind very much in need of help as we march on a rapid journey of self-destruction. The discussion highlights how mindfulness might be applied to relieve the afflictions associated with disordered eating, fear of aging, and the devastating impact of humans on the environment. It also suggests marrying a technique of "retelling" personal stories with mindfulness in order to achieve its goals of healing and liberation.