How Crystal Works

Mindfulness-Based Therapy

Mindfulness is the practice of noticing what is happening right now, inside and around you, with a little less judgment. In therapy it becomes a tool for stepping out of autopilot.

How Crystal Works

Mindfulness in Plain Language

Much of our distress comes from replaying the past or rehearsing the future. Mindfulness brings attention back to the present: your breath, your body, the sounds in the room, the thought that just showed up. With practice, you get a small pause between a trigger and your reaction, and that pause is where choice lives.

You do not need to meditate for an hour or empty your mind. Most practices take a few minutes.

What It Can Help With

Anxiety and racing thoughts
Depression and rumination
Stress and burnout
Intense emotions
Staying present in relationships

How It Fits With Other Approaches

Mindfulness runs through several of the approaches Crystal draws on. It is one of the four skill areas in DBT, a core process in ACT, and a foundation for somatic work. Sessions often weave short practices into the conversation instead of treating them as a separate exercise.

How Crystal Uses Mindfulness

Mindfulness-based therapy is among the approaches in Crystal's training, and sessions may draw from it for anxiety, stress, depression and emotion regulation. Crystal does not apply one method to everyone. Sessions may draw from this approach when it fits your goals, alongside others in her training.

A One-Minute Practice

Pause wherever you are. Notice three breaths without changing them. Notice where your body touches the chair or the floor. Notice one sound. If a thought pulls you away, notice that too, and come back. That is the whole practice. It is small on purpose, because small practices are the ones people actually use.

In sessions, practices like this are used in the moment, for example when a worry starts to spiral or a conversation gets heated.

Common Misunderstandings

It is not about emptying your mind
It is not only for calm people or quiet rooms
It does not require any particular religious or spiritual belief
It is not about ignoring problems, but about seeing them more clearly

Getting Started

Mindfulness practices travel well, which makes them a good fit for telehealth. You learn them in session from your own space and use them in the same rooms where stress shows up. Sessions start with a free consultation of about 15 minutes. Individual sessions are $200 after a $250 intake.