Jennifer Butler, LISW-CP

Transcription

1 Jennifer Butler, LISW-CP

2 Find Balance and Walk the Middle Path The middle ground between opposites or extremes 2

3 Mindfulness Interpersonal Effectiveness Emotion Regulation Distress Tolerance 3

4 Being in control of your mind (instead of letting your mind control you) Develop a lifestyle of participating with awareness (living your life rather than going through life mindlessly) Through mindfulness, you discover how to live in the present moment in an enjoyable way rather than worrying about the past or being concerned about the future. Mindfulness is a translation of the Indian word, Sati, which means awareness, attention and remembering. The only goal of mindfulness is to be mindful!

5 Mindfulness is the foundation for effective DBT practice!

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7 Emotion mind: exciting, passionate, impulsive, creative, etc. Reason mind: logical, detached, organized, intellectual, etc. Wise mind: the integration of emotion and reason peaceful, centered, strong, wise

8 Mindfulness skills help achieve wise mind Everyone has wise mind; no one is in wise mind all the time

9 You can break down the meaning of mindfulness as follows: Paying attention: To be mindful, you need to pay attention, whatever you choose to attend to. Present Moment: The reality of being in the here and now means you just need to be aware of the way things are as they are now. Your experience is valid and correct just as it is. Non reactively: Normally, when you experience something you automatically react to that experience according to your past conditioning. Example: if you think, I still haven t finished my work, you react with thoughts, word and actions in some shape or form. Mindfulness encourages you to respond to your experience rather then react to thoughts. A reaction is automatic and gives you no choice; a response is a deliberate and considered action.

10 Nonjudgmentally: The temptation is to judge experience as good or bad or like/dislike. I want to feel bliss; I don t like to feel afraid. Letting go of judgements help you to see things as they are rather then through the filter of personal judgements based on previous conditioning.(experiences) Openheartedly: To be openhearted is to bring a kindness, compassion, warmth, and friendliness to your experience

11 NO! Mindfulness meditation is paying attention in a systemic way to whatever you decide to focus on, which can include awareness of your thoughts. By listening to your thoughts, you discover your habitual patterns. Your thoughts have a massive impact on your emotions and the decisions that you make so paying attention to them is helpful!

12 Informal meditation is when you focus your mind to which ever activity you are doing during your day. This could include: brushing your teeth, cooking, cleaning, etc. Formal meditation is when you take time out of your day to complete a meditation practice. Some practices include the body scan, mindfulness of the breath, mindful yoga, etc.

13 Help Battle Depression Help Battle Anxiety Reduce Stress Levels Reduce Physical Pain Improve Sleep Increase Dopamine Levels in The Brain

14 It is the exact opposite of ruminative thinking (the tendency to dwell on the same thought or theme) which creates low moods to persist and return. Teaches to attach labels to thoughts, to detach from emotions. You are experiencing an event/emotion you are not that event/emotion. Teaches that thoughts are thoughts, not facts. Teaches to just be aware instead of judging. Teaches self compassion as well as compassion to experience and others.

15 Automatic Pilot - going to the grocery store but driving right by it, not remembering anything from a drive home; taking a walk in the park to relax, but being consumed in thoughts of your next project. Mindfulness isn t focused on finding solutions to problems. Its focused on acceptance. So if you suffer from anxiety, mindfulness shows you how to accept the feeling of anxiety rather than denying or fighting the feeling, and through this approach, change naturally comes about. As an old saying goes what we resist, persists. Mindfulness says what you accept, transforms.

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17 Some issues can be the attitude going in to a meditation practice: I am going to do this perfectly, I will try so hard, I should focus 100% for best results. Once meditation has started many have stated they have thoughts like I cant focus on all, I can t do it, that was a bad meditation. Coping statements can include : My mind is bound to wander, I will accept these feelings, it is what it is. Be gentle! Be kind! Just bring your attention back to its original destination.

18 REMEMBER: You can not decide to focus and then become 100% focused without any issues. Meditation is a gym for the mind as a physical workout is a workout for the body. You can train your attention as you can train your biceps at the gym. However you do not have to make a huge effort as you do when working out. When training the mind to be attentive, you need to be gentle, or the mind becomes less attentive. This is why mindfulness requires a kindness about it. If your too harsh, your mind rebels.

19 Mindfulness Walking Mindfulness Breathing Mindfulness Word Search Mindfulness Coloring Mindfulness Eating Mindfulness Relaxing Mindfulness Making/Drinking Tea Mindfulness Listening/Dancing to Music Body Scan

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21 Breathe In Breathe Out Breathe In Breathe Out May I be one with the heart (heart of the universe). May I be free from suffering. May I be healed. May I be at peace. Instructions: 1) Say it for yourself until you feel it. 2) Then pick someone that you love and say it for them. 3) Then pick someone that you don t like and say it for them. 4) Then pick someone that you hate/really can t stand and say it for them.

22 Say this mantra: I have always had the power The power to change, The power to be strong, The power to be wise, It is with me now, As it has always been. Repeat until you feel the words.

23 The importance of practice can not be underestimated Repetition of concepts is useful this stuff can sound deceptively easy the real meaning sinks in over time as skills evolve Remember the goal of mindfulness

24 Get the client/audience involved both in discussing the skills and PRACTICE in the moment Validate the difficulty of these skills make it acceptable to say this is hard Try to elicit examples of where strengths/weaknesses might exist

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26 The Mindful Way Through Depression Mark Williams, John Teasdale, Zindel Segal, and Jon Kabat-Zinn Buddha s Brain: the practical neurosceince of happiness, love & wisdom by Rick Handon, Richard Mendius Power over Panic Brownwyn Fox Coming to Our Senses Jon Kabat Zinn Mindfulness Ronald D. Siegel, Christopher K Germer, and Andrew Olendzki Psychiatry Research : Neuroimaging- Britta K. Holzel, James Carmody, Mark Vangel, Christina Congleton, Sita M. Yerramsetti, Tim Gard, Sara W. Lazar Using Mindfulness Meditation to Teach Beginning Therapists Therapeutic Presence: Eric E. McCollum, Diane R. Gehart Mindfulness Meditation Training Changes Brain Structure in 8 weeks Science Daily (article) Amiishi Jha & James Carmody Mindfulness for Dummies Ahamash Alidina