Paul Nelson, M.Ed. Mindfulness Coach and Stress Management Specialist
Paul earned his master’s degree in counseling psychology at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, with a concentration in positive psychology. He has over twenty years of experience working in community mental health settings in the Boston area. In addition, Paul served as a Clinical Research Coordinator at Dartmouth Medical School and the Boston VA Research Institute.
A graduate of the Wellcoaches School of Coaching, Paul also served for four years as owner and senior Wellness Coach at HeartCoaches, helping cardiovascular patients make critical lifestyle changes.
Paul is a lifelong student of Buddhism and practitioner of mindfulness meditation and other mind/body practices. His studies include Vipassana, Vajrayana, and Zen traditions. He has studied personally with the Dalai Lama, as well as Ram Dass, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Joseph Goldstein, Jack Kornfield, and others.
As a teenager going through some rough times, I found myself wondering about this thing called "happiness." My curiosity eventually led me to study Zen Buddhism, where I learned about the importance of focusing on the present moment instead of getting caught up in the past or future. Before I knew it, I was hooked on mindfulness meditation.
I went on to earn my counseling degree and worked for many years as a behavioral health specialist. I often introduced mindfulness exercises to my clients, helping them manage stress, handle emotional difficulties, and drop habits that put their health and happiness at risk.
Later, as a wellness coach working with cardiovascular patients, I taught these exercises to help my clients lower their blood pressure and modify at-risk behaviors.
Along the way, here’s what I learned about happiness—it’s not about landing a dream job, finding the perfect relationship, or sailing around on a fancy yacht. Peace, joy, love, contentment…these are all within us. They’re already part of who we are. Somewhere along the way, stress has complicated our lives, and we’ve lost touch. But like old friends, they’re all waiting to welcome us home again.
As the wise Dorothy once said, “If I ever go looking for my heart’s desire again, I won’t look any further than my own backyard. Because if it isn’t there, I never really lost it to begin with.”
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