Emotional pain is something most of us want to avoid. When it does happen, we often quickly look for ways to avoid or suppress it. Dr. Russell Razzaque, a London-based psychiatrist and mindfulness teacher, has used his mindfulness practice to allow himself to not only be present with his patients as they face their difficult emotions, but to personally experience the emotional pain they are struggling with. He sees his meditation practice as the foundation for his ability to be more than a technician observing, at a distance, his patients’ emotional distress. A successful outcome for Dr. Razzaque happens when both he and his patient stretch and expand their emotional boundaries together.
