How to Be More Present: Mindfulness, Psychology, and Spirituality with John-Paul Dombrowski
How Mindfulness and Presence Can Transform Your Life
I recently had the pleasure of speaking with John-Paul, a therapist and content creator who has built a large following on Instagram by sharing honest, relatable insights about mental health, mindfulness, and spirituality. What stood out most in our conversation was his approach to presence and mindfulness, not as a task or a quick fix, but as a practice and a way of being.
Letting Go of Identity to Truly Be Yourself
John-Paul’s philosophy centers on embracing the uncertainty of life rather than clinging to a fixed sense of identity. He draws on the work of psychoanalyst Erich Fromm, who suggested that our task as humans is not to feel secure, but to tolerate insecurity.
“We often bind ourselves to an identity,” John-Paul explained. “When we allow ourselves to emerge spontaneously, this is actually when we are truly ourselves. As soon as we say, ‘I am this,’ we put a box around something that is inherently boxless.”
This perspective applies not only to personal growth but also to therapy and mindfulness practice. By letting go of rigid self-definitions, we create space for authentic connection with ourselves and others.
Mindfulness as a Practice, Not a Quick Fix
One of the biggest misconceptions about mindfulness is that it’s a tool to eliminate thoughts, calm anxiety, or “fix” yourself. According to John-Paul, this approach often backfires because it turns mindfulness into another performance task.
“The thinker, the mind, is trying to be mindful, but your mind can’t actually be mindful. Mindfulness is an innate quality of your being. When we set the stage through intentional practice, mindfulness emerges on its own.”
He encourages approaching mindfulness without agenda or expectation. Sitting down to focus on your breath, for example, is not about forcing calm or controlling thoughts. It’s about creating the conditions in which awareness naturally arises.
Presence Is About What You’re Attending To
John-Paul reframes presence in a simple but powerful way: rather than asking, “How do I become more present?” ask, “What is there to be present with right now?”
Whether it’s washing the dishes, driving your car, or walking in nature, mindfulness involves tuning in to what’s happening in the moment and not trying to escape your thoughts or feelings. Even discomfort becomes part of the practice.
He gives the example of parenting: when his young daughter approaches a potentially dangerous situation, the mindful response isn’t to ignore the moment or focus solely on a spiritual or mental goal, it’s to be present with what’s happening, responding from awareness rather than autopilot.
Mindfulness and Spirituality Intersect
John-Paul also shared how his spiritual journey informs his therapeutic practice. Growing up Roman Catholic, he experienced both the gifts and the limitations of structured religion. Over time, he moved toward a more personal, relationship-based approach to spirituality, where the goal is connection and presence rather than rigid belief.
“Much of my prayer practice is about showing up, whether I feel like it or not. The act itself creates space, and presence emerges from that,” he said. This mirrors his approach to mindfulness: showing up, without expectation, creates the conditions for awareness and connection to unfold.
Takeaways
The key message from our conversation is that mindfulness and presence are not tasks to complete, rather they are ways of being to practice and cultivate over time. Real presence involves:
Letting go of rigid identities and expectations.
Embracing discomfort and the full spectrum of experience.
Focusing on what is actually here to attend to, rather than trying to control or eliminate thoughts.
Practicing consistently, even when it feels mundane.
By shifting the focus from achieving results to showing up fully, you open the door to authentic connection, both with yourself and the world around you.
ready to stop doing it alone?
Inside my 10-week program, Panic to Peace, I’ll guide you through this work step by step and you’ll be surrounded by people who truly get it.
You don’t have to stay stuck. Healing is possible and it’s closer than you think.
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