Welcome to Exploring Mindful Moments. My goal is to bring the joy, curiosity and magic of mindfulness and living a mindful life to people just like you.
My name is Therese Sheedy. I have been a student of positive psychology from its earliest inceptions and have developed my private practice over the past twenty four years focusing on supporting people building their resilience and wellbeing.
Twelve years ago I was introduced to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and using mindfulness with people experiencing depression and anxiety. Immediately I saw how mindfulness helped people feel calmer, more connected with their daily life and who they really were.
My mindfulness journey
I was curious about the scientific research coming out about the success of mindfulness in decreasing stress and increasing people’s joy in their lives as well as its links with positive psychology and wellbeing. I needed to know more. So, six years ago I took myself to a MBSR, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, retreat in Menorca, Spain. Here I was immersed in mindfulness in daily tasks, mindful movements such as yoga, as well as formal sitting meditations. While I had done meditation and yoga before, through this retreat my personal and professional world changed. I gained so much clarity on deciding my life’s mission. I returned from Spain deciding to fully focus on bringing mindfulness to as many people as possible.
Since then I have continued my own mindfulness journey, training as a meditation teacher and in Mindfulness-integrated Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. My history and qualifications, including a Masters in Applied Positive Psychology, have established me as a leader and expert in mindfulness and wellbeing.
The ‘dance’ of mindfulness and the Cha Cha of life
I see my role as a mindfulness practitioner a bit like that of a dance instructor. I teach people step by step how to be more present in their frantic lives. I encourage them to practice what they are learning so they can become proficient at mindfulness anywhere, anytime. A bit like having the confidence to being able to get up and dance in the kitchen or at a party. People working with me become more aware of the mind-body connection. They understand their thinking is not necessarily always useful. They come to trust that that they have the ‘moves’ to get them through the next dance-set or whatever life, like the Cha Cha, demands of them.
I teach people how to interact differently with the stressors in their daily life. We go through the brain science behind mindfulness, the mind-body connection and learning how to ‘step-out’ of unhelpful thoughts and emotions (all part of the dance). In understanding these connections you can be more aware of the impact of stress on your whole nervous system. You will learn about where you hold tension in your body. Tension and stress increase fatigue and lower your immunity to sickness as well as emotional turmoil. Working this way I support people, just like you, to develop practices to be more focused, more productive and feel more at peace.
As a leader in mindfulness and wellbeing I encourage people to see thinking and emotions a bit like an invitation to dance. You can get caught up spinning around, or you can choose which invitation (thought) to accept and go with. You may even decide to sit this one out, knowing that the music (thinking and feeling) will still go on. This gives people the confidence in choosing which thoughts they interact with and how.
I remember a young mum came to work with me because she felt anxious, sad and guilty as she was yelling too much at her small children. She knew she wasn’t enjoying her role as a mum as much as she expected to or wanted to. Over our time together she has been able to let go of the perfectionist thoughts and urges pushing her into yelling at her children. She is calmer and laughing a lot more than ever before. She has found more time to spend playing and enjoying her children instead of feeling like she was being constantly pushed around by other people’s (and her own) expectations of what she should be doing.
I have worked with women (and their partners) struggling to conceive and I have seen them transition from being overwhelmed, depressed and highly anxious to being calm, patient and energised. I have worked with women as they have navigated their fertility treatment and I am thrilled to say we have celebrated together as they have started their parenting lives.
In one of my mindfulness programs a man reported he was there because his wife wanted him to address his anger and road rage. She had attended a six week program I had run and felt he would gain the same benefits she had experienced. He came in Week 4 and told everyone in the group about an ‘aha’ moment he’d had coming home from work the night before. Sitting in traffic he became aware that he wasn’t ‘in’ traffic, rather, he saw that he ‘was’ traffic! He had realised that he was also preventing others from getting home. This enabled him to release his anger and agitation as he realised everyone in traffic was also wanting to get somewhere and they weren’t just there preventing him from getting home. This was a big moment for him to feel connected to others and ‘step-out’ of his focus solely on his own needs. A life-changing experience.
When people work with me they develop the tools to help them de-stress. They can reduce the feelings of being overwhelmed by day-to-day demands and find peace in the franticness of their everyday life.
I love this work and I am passionate about supporting busy people find the energy to explore and express who they really are in everything they do!
Quick Facts about Therese
Full member Australian Psychological Society
Australia Health Practitioner (AHPRA) Registered psychologist with 24 years experience in counselling, consultancy and training
Private Health Provider
Degrees in Psychology, Applied Science, Applied Positive Psychology
Specialist training in the Mind Body Program for Fertility with Dr Alice Domar Assoc Prof Harvard University & Director Domar Center Boston IVF
Certificates in Positive Psychology Coaching and Positive Psychology Education
Work history:
Currently: Personalised Mindfulness Coaching, Consultancy and Training with individuals, groups (including sporting groups) and workplaces
Private counselling practice
School Psychologist both Catholic and government schools
Catholic Education Office Ballarat Dioscese – youth suicide prevention, critical incident response, Youth Services Officer
Dept of Education & Training Ballarat Region – counsellor, student services support, Regional Drug and Alcohol Educational Facilitator
Relationships Australia (relationships & problem gambling program)