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THE BENEFIT OF BEING PRESENT
Garrett HooperBody Mind Wellness Challenge
March 2010
How Mindfulness Practice Positively Impacts
Our Health and Well-Being
“Mindfulness is a moment-to-moment, non-judgmental
awareness, cultivated by paying attention in a specific way, that is, in
the present moment, and as non-reactively, as non-judgmentally, and
as openheartedly as possible.”
Jon Kabat-Zinn, Coming to Our Senses
What is Mindfulness?
Present moment awareness Non-judgmental Non-reactive Openhearted Challenge to the monkey-mind
Mindfulness Is…
Stopping our automatic, habitual pattern of reactivity
A space between one’s perception and response
Reflectivity, not reflexivity Investigative awareness
Observation, discrimination, causality
Orientation to Experience
Attitude of curiosity Where the mind goes… What is the object of experience?
Everything is relevant
Not trying to produce a “state”
Acceptance of each moment
The Stress Response
Good stress, bad stress Life on the Serengeti Life commuting on the 405
Chronic stress shutdown Immune system Digestive system Reproductive system
Predictions
Reduced use of strategies to avoid aspects of experience
Increase dispositional openness Change of psychological context Improved affect tolerance Emotional awareness Relationship between thoughts,
feelings, and actions
Predictions
Insight into the nature of thought Passing events of the mind, NOT
inherent aspects of the self
Awareness of thoughts as… Contextual Relativistic Transient Subjective
Origins
Most cultures have some form of mindfulness practice:
Breath meditation Mantra Yoga T’ai Chi Contemplative prayer
Why Mindfulness?
Physiological Benefits Decreased heart-rate during meditation Lower blood-pressure in normal and
moderately hypertensive individuals Quicker recovery from stress Increase in alpha rhythms (relaxation) Increase in synchronization (hemispheres) Reduced cholesterol levels Reduction in the intensity of pain
Why Mindfulness?
Psychological Benefits Greater happiness and peace of mind Less emotional reactivity Increased empathy Enhanced creativity Heightened perceptual clarity Reduction in acute and chronic anxiety Enhanced self-actualization
Therapeutic Interventions
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy
(MBCT) Reduction of symptoms:
Chronic Pain Anxiety Depression Eating Disorders Fibromyalgia Psoriasis ADHD
MBSR
8-week program: meditation, body scan,
hatha yoga
Baer’s Meta-analysis: MBSR effective in reducing stress, increasing well-being
Research: reduction of stress in medical students
Shapiro, et al., 1998; Rosenzweig, et al., 2003
Research: reduction of stress in cancer patients
Carlson, et al., 2004; Tacon, et al., 2004.
The Science of Mindfulness
Reduction of negative affect Increase in left-side activity of the
prefrontal cortex Increase in immune-system functioning Increased gamma-wave oscillations
(synchrony)
Davidson, R. J., Kabat-Zinn, J., Schumacher, J., Rosenkranz, M., et. al. (2003). Alterations in brain function produced by mindfulness meditation. Psychosomatic Medicine, 65, 564-570.
Making Time for Mindfulness
Set aside 5-10 minutes per day Find time before, during, or after one of
your regular activities:
Add 5 minutes of mindfulness during mealtime
Meditate for a few minutes before watching TV
Meditate before work begins, during your lunch hour, or at the end of the workday
References
Baer, R. A. (2003). Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 10(2), 125-143.
Bishop, S. R., Lau, M., Shapiro, S., Carlson, L., Anderson, N. D., Carmody, J., Segal, Z. V., Abbey, S., Speca, M., Velting, D., Devins, G. (2004). Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 11(3), 230-241.
Brown, K. W., Ryan, R. M. (2003). The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84, 822-848.
Rosenzweig, S., Reibel, D. K., Greeson, J. M., Brainard, et. al. (2003). Mindfulness-based stress reduction lowers psychological distress in medical students. Teaching and Learning in Medicine, 15(2), 88-92.
Shapiro, S. L., Schwartz, G. E., & Bonner, G. (1998). Effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction on medical and premedical students. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 21, 581-599.
References
Tacón, A. M., Caldera, Y. M., Ronaghan, C. (2004). Mindfulness-based stress reduction in women with breast cancer. Families, Systems, & Health, 22, 193-203.
Teasdale, J. D., Williams, J. M., Soulsby, J. M., Segal, Z. V., Ridgeway, V. A., & Lau, M. A. (2000). Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 68, 615-623.