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Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response.
In our response lies our growth and our freedom. -Viktor Frankl
what's different about mindfulness?
Mindfulness is for everybody, we all have habits that are not helpful. Are you Impatient? Anxious? In pain? Mindful awareness is a window into how habitual thoughts affect our life and our health. Neuroscientists say "neurons that fire together wire together". Our thoughts, for better or worse, flow through our mind, shape our brain, and influence our perception. Habitual thoughts form neural superhighways which become our mental/emotional patterns. We find ourselves repeating things we don't mean, behaving in ways we regret, chasing the same thoughts, even making difficult situations worse. Practicing mindfulness gives us the tools to be the person we want to be, and to respond intentionally to whatever happens.
about mindfulness-based stress reduction
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is the classic introduction to secular mindfulness. Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn pioneered MBSR in 1979 at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. It proved to be so effective at easing chronic pain that within a year it was made part of the Department of Medicine. Today it is offered in hundreds of hospitals, and clinics worldwide. MBSR is supported by research in medicine, neuroscience, and psychology, and recommended by the Mayo Clinic, and the National Institute of Health. Mindfulness is helpful for a wide range of medical symptoms and psychological distress including:
in the news
The Latest in Military Strategy: Mindfulness -Matt Richtel, NY Times. Troops who went through a month-long mindfulness training. were better able to discern key information under chaotic circumstances and experienced increases in working memory function. The soldiers also reported making fewer cognitive errors than service members who did not use mindfulness. April, 2019
How Pain Tolerance and Anxiety Seem to be Connected – Heather Murphy, NY Times, People with high levels of anxiety, tend to be more sensitive to physical pain, there may be a genetic basis for this? March, 2019
Do Not Disturb; How I Ditched My Phone, and Unbroke My Brain, Kevin Roose, a journalist's account of dialing back phone use, NY Times, Feb 2019
With 90% of Avalanches Triggered by Victims, Should Mindfulness Become a Backcountry Tool? Eli Francovich, Incorporating mindfulness into avalanche safety classes to help people make better decisions in changing conditions. Spokesman-Review, February 2019
Schools in England Introduce a New Subject: Mindfulness, Iliana Magra, England is teaching mindfulness in 370 public schools to help improve children's mental health, February, 2019
Why it Hurts to Lose Sleep - Benedict Carey, NY Times, research shows that poor quality can make physical pain more painful. January, 2019
Got Anger? Try Naming It To Tame It-M. Doucleff - NPR, January, 2019- how naming, ("noting" or "labeling") can help calm anger.
Proper Breathing Brings Better Health, Scientific American, January, 2019, a description of how specific breathing techniques can help with stress, insomnia, emotional regulation, and cardiac health.
In a segment on 6o Minutes, journalist Anderson Cooper talks about his experience, and interviews MBSR founder, Jon Kabat-Zinn.
The Joy of Being a Woman in Her 70's -by Mary Pipher- a great description of mindfulness , without using the word.
How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation - Ann Helen Petersen, BuzzFeed News, January, 2019- Its understandable that we may feel burned out and overwhelmed, (mindfulness can help!)
Mindfulness effectively reduces eye pressure in open-angle glaucoma, Medical Express Patients with primary open angle glaucoma showed significant improvements after participating in a program of mindfulness meditation focused on breathing, Nov 2018,
Stress Hormone” Cortisol Linked to Early Toll on Thinking Ability, Scientific American, Brain changes, visible on scans, are also associated with Alzheimer’s precursor October, 2018
Brain's Dumped DNA May Lead to Stress, Depression -Scientific American, how psychological stress leads to widespread inflammation and negative health effects. September, 2018,,
The Other Side of Paradise, How I Left a Buddhist Retreat in Handcuffs- Esquire, a disturbing personal account of how an intense meditation retreat can have harmful consequences,( my feeling is it is best to work with a personal teacher.) Dec., 2018