Mindfulness Practice

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Mindfulness Practice
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What is mindfulness about?
Based on a Eastern meditation tradition but is
not dependent on any belief or ideology. It is
about being aware of what is happening in the
present on a moment-by-moment basis It is
contrasted with states of mind in which attention
is focussed elsewhere e.g. pre-occupation with
memories, fantasies, plans or worries, and
behaving automatically without awareness of ones
actions. It includes a sense of approaching all
experience with openness and kindly curiosity,
rather than avoiding difficult experience or
judging them or us.
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Mindfulness
paying attention in a particular way On
purpose, in the present moment, and
non-judgmentally (Jon Kabat-Zinn, 1994,
pg4).
Intention
Attitude
Attention
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Foundations of Practice
Kabat-Zinn (1990) Seven Core attitudes

• Non-judging
• Patience
• Beginners Mind
• Trust
• Non-Striving
• Acceptance
• Letting go/be or non-attachment

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Mindfulness Meditation
Mindfulness meditation is NOT - Positive
thinking - Just another relaxation technique -
Going into a trance -Trying to blank your mind
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Is It Just Distraction?

• Meditation is not an escape from life but
  preparation for really being in life
• Thich Nhat Han

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Mindfulness is essentially experiential we
practice it

• Formal practice meditation e.g. bodyscan,
  mindful movement, sitting practice, breathing
  space
• Informal Practice awareness of body sensations,
  thoughts, emotions and sensory input during daily
  life. Practiced in ordinary activities like
  eating, washing brushing teeth

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The Essence of Mindfulness Being vs. Doing

• Striving vs. Non-Striving
• Avoidance vs. Approach
• Thoughts as real vs. Thoughts as thoughts
• Living in the past and future vs. Living in the
  present moment
• Indirect experience vs. Direct experience
• Automatic vs. Intentional

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MBSR - generic
The Stress Reduction Clinic was founded in 1979
in a teaching hospital in Mass. USA by Jon
Kabat-Zinn, mainly for people with chronic pain
and stress related disorders (see
www,umassmed.edu)
MBCT - specific
Developed in UK and Canada by Mark Williams, John
Teasdale and Zindel Segal, cognitive therapists
working with depression Aimed at the prevention
of depressive relapse includes information on
how depression is maintained Participants
trained when in remission Similar 8-week group
format, based on MBSR with added cognitive
therapy elements (Segal at al, 2002)
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MBCT

• MBCT integrates two very different traditions
• The tradition of cognitive and clinical science,
  and
• The tradition of Buddhist psychology and
  mindfulness meditation

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From Buddhist Teaching (Dharma)

• Mindfulness of the breath
• Mindfulness of the body, in stillness and in
  movement
• Mindfulness of thoughts
• Mindfulness of everyday experiences
• Compassion, acceptance

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From CBT

• A cognitive model of vulnerability to emotional
  disorder
• A cognitive model of what maintains distress
• Options for working with negative thoughts
• Increasing nourishing activities
• Relapse prevention

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Applying MBCT skills at times of potential
relapse
NO RELAPSE
Non-negative thinking REMISSION
Negative thinking patterns nipped in the bud
Negative thinking EPISODE
Potential RELAPSE
Negative thinking patterns re-established
RELAPSE
LOW MOOD reactivation of negative thinking
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What Keeps Us Stuck in Distress?
Add extra, ruminate, elaborate
Avoid, run away
Fight, struggle
Suppress feelings/thoughts
Painful Emotions
Painful Thoughts
Keep asking 'why?'
Give up
Painful Memories
Painful Sensations
Focus on others' needs
Analyse, try to think your way out
Block it out
Keep busy
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The Rowans Hospice

• How have we been using MBSR
• Heath Centre
• Bereavement Groups
• Staff
• In my own therapeutic practice

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Reading List

• Books
• Brantley, J. (2003) Calming your anxious mind.
  New Harbinger Publications.
• Eckhart, T. (2002) Practicing the power of now.
  Hodder Stoughton
• Kabat-Zin, J. (2005) Wherever you go there you
  are. Hyperion
• Santoreli, S. (1999) Heal thyself. Bell Tower.
• Kumar, S. (2005) Grieving Mindfully. New
  harbinger
• Web Sites
• Centre for Mindfulness Research Practice
  University of Wales www.bangor.ac.uk/mindfulness