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What is mindfulness? - Non-distraction and awareness - Acceptance and non-judging
Attention -filters both perceptions and thoughts -mindfulness's wide relevance is due to it's influence on attention
What are the fundamental mechanics of mindfulness? Attend - letting go of things that compete for attention and staying focused on what you are paying attention to
Release - release other distractions that come up so you can keep your attention for a longer period of time
Mindful Eating (e.g. eating orange) - choose an anchor for your mindfulness practice - can be (broad) or (narrow) - use orange as anchor - broad= present moment awareness - anything that is happening is fair game (sight, sounds, feeling) - release any thoughts of the past or the future
Mindfulness vs. Meditation - mindfulness can be practiced at any time during any activity - meditation is taking some time to deliberately engage in some type of quality of mind where it is your whole focus - being mindful during your daily life and meditating during the day go are mutually reinforcing
Definition of mindfulness, including two main components - Self-regulating of attention to focus on present moment - Taking an open, curious, non-judgmental stance towards one's present experience. (Paying attention to what is happening, being aware of present moment - being experientially open to reality of present moment, accepting it)
Difference between mindfulness and thought - Mindfulness can only exist in the present moment, it is non-conceptual awareness of the present, it involves direct perception of reality through our five senses - Thought is one step removed from reality, you can think about past or future but to be mindful only exists in present, thought is a way to interpret reality but it is removed from it, it is dead, it is a label, it is a representation (language)
The difference between accepting an outcome and not caring about an outcome Acceptance is defined as 'being experientially open to the reality of the present moment,' trying to 'be' with the experience as it is rather than immediately trying to make it go away
What mindfulness is NOT Mindfulness is NOT about having positivity or having a blank mind, becoming emotionless/detached, withdrawing from life, seeking bliss (clinging) or escaping pain (aversion)
Default Mode Network Scientific discovery that when the mind is at rest, when we are at baseline, not doing anything it is highly active - brains are more active when we are not doing anything - evolutionarily developed (I have food and shelter, I now have down time, how can I prepare to fight off lion tomorrow) - sense of self is generated and we project this self into future and past, looking for problems - negativity bias: it is easiest to have negative emotions
Two core types meditation practice in mindfulness meditation Concentration: involves keeping steady focus on single object, use single focal object (sound, breathing, body sensation, mantra, etc.), purpose is to anchor our awareness, calm and focus mind so it becomes less agitated, if keep mind still, will quiet down Open Monitoring: allows awareness to rest on whatever object is most salient in the moment (sound, thought, sensation, emotion, etc.) rather than one focal object, can easily switch from one object to another without losing mindfulness, usually practiced after mind has settled after period of concentration
Main insight cultivated by mindfulness meditation Insight is a key benefit of learning to pay attention to whatever arises in the present moment during mindfulness meditation, when we pay attention to what arises and passes away in awareness, we gain insight into the cause of our suffering
Research on the benefits of mindfulness (e.g. less depression and anxiety and better attention, behavioral control, and improved health) - Mindfulness is associated with more positive outcomes like happiness and life satisfaction, empathy, good relationships, etc. - Increases job satisfaction and reduces stress and exhaustion in the workplace - Increases ability to sustain attention and focus selectively, think more flexibly and efficiently.
The two key findings from the neurobiology of mindfulness Mindfulness increases attention control (activity in prefrontal cortex) Mindfulness decreases reactivity to threatening stimuli (amygdala)
Self-Compassion - Self esteem - Global evaluation of self worth - Potential problems with self-esteem: not if you have it, but how you get it. - Self compassion - Treating ourselves with the same care, concern and acceptance as you would a friend - Self-compassion: notice we are suffering, recognize that suffering is part of the shared human condition & responding with care and concern (Compassion means to suffer with)
Common domains in which people invest their self esteem - Social approval, appearance, performance, etc. - Perceived appearance most important domain affecting self-esteem - Appearance even more important factor for girls, but still most important factor for boys - In adolescence, girls rate appearance lower than boys, linked to lower self-esteem
Problems associated with the pursuit of high self-esteem - Need to be special/above average to feel okay about oneself - Self-enhancement bias: Most people feel they're above average - Social comparison - People may derive self-esteem from feelings of superiority - Ego defensive anger- externalize blame rather than take responsibility - Self-esteem is contingent on success in valued domains (appearance is our most valued domain) - Self-esteem contingency leads to unstable feelings of self worth - End result: feelings of inadequacy
Definition of Self- compassion and Three components of self-compassion - Self Compassion: extending compassion to one's self in instances of perceived inadequacy, failure, or general suffering. - Kindness- treating self with understanding rather than harsh judgment - actively soothing and comforting ourselves - Common humanity- seeing own experience as part of larger human experience rather than isolating or abnormal - Remembering that as humans, we are not perfect & life is not perfect - Mindfulness- avoiding extremes of disconnection/over identification with painful feelings - Allows us to 'be' with suffering as it is
Common misconceptions about self-compassion - The belief that it's weak, complacent, and passive - It's a strong, powerful force that stands up to harm - Self pity - - Self-compassion linked to common humanity + more mindfulness - Harsh self- judgment vs. constructive criticism - - Judgments see people as good/bad - - Constructive criticism point out the problems w/ behavior in a friendly way -Self indulgence - Self-compassion entails desire for long-term health, not short term pleasure - Making excuses - - Self compassion provides the safety needed to take responsibility for mistakes
Difference between mindfulness and self-compassion - Mindfulness is relevant to any experience (positive, negative, neutral) - Self compassion is relevant to pain + suffering (negative emotions) - You can be mindful of eating a raisin - you can't have self-compassion for the raisin
Physiological underpinnings of self-criticism and self-compassion - Threat defense system, cortisol and adrenaline, self-criticism: we are both the attacker and the attacked - Mammalian care-giving system: oxytocin and opiates, signals to make young feel safe and warm (gentle touch, sound of compassion=aww, cross-cultural signals) - Both the threat defense system and care-giving system are designed to make us feel safe, we feel safe because we have fight/flight reaction and because we have warmth/protection
Early influences on self-compassion Parental criticism, conflict in the home, attachment security (early attachment to parents impacts later interpretations of relationship interactions - am i worthy, is the world safe), disordered attachment (childhood abuse/neglect turns people into harsh-self critics, don't know how to be kind to themselves)
4 ASPECTS OF WELL-BEING our mind & thoughts our actions our relationships the meaning of what we do
4 BALANCES attentional balance cognitive balance emotional balance conative balance (decisional)
Mindfulness a non-judgemental awareness of the present reality, of our thoughts, feelings, sensations, and environment
neuroplasticity brain develops continuously from birth to death | New thoughts and skills carve out new pathways | repetition and practice strengthen these pathways forming new habits
elements of mindfulness intention attention attitude
INTENTION -having a purpose
- knowing why we're doing what we're doing
motivation: the drive to the source of our desire
always deliberate
benefits: -clarity in our life -self-awareness
common obstacles of intension tension sleepiness agitation
ATTENTION the key to develop the other 3 balances what we are focused on how we are focusing
selective attention ability to focus on one thing closely and ignore others enables us to keep the focus
non-judgemental open awareness ability to take in all of what's happening plus thoughts and feelings
5 point body posture grounded balance relax & straighten your back relaxed neck, shoulders & arms hands resting on lap or knees eyes slightly gazing downward
6 sources of distraction sight smell sound touch taste thoughts
8 attitudes acceptance openness curiosity kindness gentleness warmth trust patience
COGNITIVE BALANCE - the way we perceive reality is completely subjective - thinking is actually just interpreting - using a calm and focused mind to observe the nature of reality
vipassana intelligent investigation into the central features of our existence
amygdala store all emotional memories when this is activated, it gives us the impulse to act without passing through the thinking part of our brain when meditating we turn this off
thickened cortex more grey matter makes one more intelligent
thickened insula turning into ourselves, feeling empathy for others
hippocampus helps put things in context
brain plasticity ability to change as a result of experience
Obsessive Compulsive Delusional Disorder obsessive: can't turn off thoughts compulsive: we get sucked into the thoughts delusional: we think what we see is true disorder: the way our mind works that is counterproductive and contrary to reality
Left Hemisphere conceptual language/words planning organizing always in past/present doing state
Right Hemisphere perpetual abstract/creative always in present where we feel being state nature is good for this
RAIN METHOD recognizing thoughts acknowledge the unpleasantness investigate how you feel non-identification: observe from a distance
EMOTIONAL BALANCE - mindful of own internal emotional experience - mindful of other's emotions - responding with awareness
5 emotions enjoyment fear anger disgust sadness
functions of emotions save our lives motivate our behavior essential to formation of relationships
characteristics of emotions short acting quick onset out of our control
triggers universal: fear of death and pain due to genetic/social learning: fear of spiders, flying
factors that make it difficult to weaken a trigger how early in life how intense
the repetition of it closeness how closely current instances resemble the trigger
refactory period period of narrowed/distorted perception triggered automatically thinking cannot incorporate information that does not fit, maintain or justify the emotion we are feeling
factors which lengthen refactory period lack of sleep alcohol work stress long buildup of resentment
destructive emotional behavior harmful to yourself and others feel and show the right emotion but at an inappropriate time
feel the appropriate emotion but expressed it in a hurtful way - passive agressive
constructive emotional behavior promote understanding
in the appropriate amount express emotions at the right time and in the right way
anger fight, remove emotions
fear flight, escape from threat we can be afraid of anything
sadness want to be reassured elicit connection and caring from others
disgust get rid of something harmful or poisonous when grown up, we tend to be more disgusted with behaviors than things intimacy is what makes things that would otherwise be disgusting pleasant
surprise focus your attention to identify something has to be unexpected
contempt assert superiority
enjoyment deepen connection and co-operation
emotion alert database contains universal themes, but mostly filled with triggers we've learned
hedonic pleasures stimulation need
what i can get from the world sets us up for unhappiness
heudamonic pleasures genuine, lasting well-being what i can offer the world
the role of attitude H = S + C + V H= enduring happiness S= 50% personal characteristics C. 10% life circumstances V= 40% voluntary control (activities you choose)
positivity ratio 3 positives to 1 negative tipping point: languishing vs. flourishing
5 Steps to Overcoming the Hindrances to Mindfulness1. Understand them2. Recognize them when they arise3. See through them4. Release them5. Apply an antidote
antidotes to drowsiness1. Adjust your posture (sit tall, raise hands, open eyes, raise gaze)2. View energy as a non-limited resource3. Value awareness - appreciate ability to pay attention
shamata develops the faculties of awareness and introspection to enhance stability and vividness of attention focused attention
samadhi development of shamata
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