Mindfulness and remembering to forget

Remembering to forget is an important part of recovery from chronic illness or traumatic experience. 

Any parent knows about the need to remind a young child to use the toilet before going out to avoid 'I need the toilet' interruptions to car journeys. There comes a time, though, when the child responds with 'I already have' or 'I don't need to'. The caring parent has to remember to forget, to trust the growing child's own judgement.
The same is true for people with a chronic illness. Say, for someone who experiences urgency to pass urine. They train themselves to visit the toilet before going out or visiting new places. The fear of 'having an accident' prompts them to make this habit a routine and in the short term the habit works. 
As time passes, things can change. The habit of frequent toileting stops working and the person seeks advice. Maybe their underlying condition improves but the default habit is so deeply ingrained that they cannot see the benefit.
A similar sequence can happen in eczema or psoriasis when the urge to scratch becomes the default position. If the skin condition improves, the scratch-itch cycle stirs it up to increase the discomfort.
It is possible that ruminating on a traumatic experience causes the same unhelpful re-running of the pain and upset.
What's needed here is the ability to 'remember to forget'. But how?
Mindfulness involves a focus on the present moment with acceptance. Some methods require a habit of regular meditation and diary-keeping. 

Natural mindfulness seeks to achieve this through contact with nature, such as while walking in the countryside. The calm, spontaneity and beauty of wild nature can train us to truly accept the present moment, driving away ruminations about the past or dreads about the future. Its role in recovering from trauma and easing skin conditions remains to be discovered.