Improving Mindfulness
Module One: Getting Started Life constantly demands our attention, but when we become fixated on the past or worried about the future, we often miss vital information in our present situations. Cultivating a state where you are consistently aware of your present moment is not impossible, but it takes practice.
Perfection of character is this: to live each day as if it were your last, without frenzy, without apathy, without pretense. Marcus Aurelius
Workshop Objectives
Define mindfulness
Understand the value and utility of one’s emotions
Learn how to identify and counter distorted thinking
Module Two: What is Mindfulness People often confuse the concept of mindfulness with the idea that one should “stop and smell the roses.” However, if you found yourself with your nose stuck deep into a flower in a field where an angry bull was bearing down on you, this would be the exact opposite of being mindful.
In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s mind there are few. Shunryu Suzuki
Buddhist Concept
Needs
Distractions
Monkey Brain
Bare Attention
Beginner’s mind No prejudice No limitations
Psychological Concept of Mindfulness
Attentiveness and Concentration Curiosity and openness Mindfulness
Memory Mindfulness Implicit memory Explicit memory
Case Study Steve hated it whenever another driver cut him off. Steve would start honking his horn, flash his bright headlights, and drive up extremely close on the offending driver.
Steve had begun to practice mindfulness.
Instead of reacting like he normally does, Steve decided instead to slow down and give the other driver a wide berth.
Module Two: Review Questions 1.Which of the following is NOT an accurate translation of sati? a)Memory b)Mindfulness c)Awareness d) Kindness The Pali word sati refers to greater awareness, mindfulness, and memory. While kindness is valued in Buddhist practice, it is not a part of the concept of sati. 2. What is the Buddhist term for mental chatter? e)Lizard brain f) Monkey mind g)Talky thoughts h)Animal awareness Monkey mind refers to the brain’s capacity to CONSTANTLY comment, judge, worry, and reflect upon everything.
Module Two: Review Questions 3. According to Zen Buddhists, which is the more ideal state of mind? a)Beginner’s mind b)Expert’s mind c)They’re both equally ideal d)They’re both to be avoided Keeping a beginner’s mind allows you to approach situations with an openness to possibilities you might miss with an expert’s mind. 4. Which of the following is a component of bare attention? e)Judgment f)Prediction of the future g)Non-judgment h)None of the above Bare attention involves approaching any situation with an attitude of nonjudgment.
Module Two: Review Questions 5. Who first adopted mindfulness practices into psychology? a)Sigmund Freud b)Jon Kabat-Zinn c)Abraham Maslow d)B. F. Skinner Imagination is important to creativity. The other answers are useful for empowering imagination. 6. Which of the following does the practice of mindfulness NOT help? e)Depression f)Anxiety g)Immune system h)Riding a bicycle The practice of mindfulness has been found to help reduce anxiety and depression, and improve the functioning of the immune system. It has also been found to be detrimental in activities that involve implicit memory, such as riding a bicycle.
Module Two: Review Questions 7. Which of the following is an example of implicit memory? a)Making a right turn in a car b)Checking for pedestrians c)Learning a new skill d)All of the above The muscle activities involved in turning the steering wheel and hitting the accelerator to turn right are unconscious and involve the use of implicit memory. 8. When is adding 2+2 an example of explicit memory? e)Always f)Never g)Only after you have initially learned the concept h)Only during the time when you are learning the concept When you initially learn a new concept, you are using conscious explicit memory. Once you have learned the concept so that your knowledge is automatic, it becomes a function of implicit memory.
Module Two: Review Questions 9. What best describes Steve before mindfulness training? a)Reactive b)Evil c)Kind d)Psychic Before mindfulness training, Steve reacted to his emotions without thinking, making “reactive� the best description. 10. What did mindfulness practice help Steve increase? e)His ability to avoid anger f)His ability to avoid getting cut off while driving g)His ability to pause and consider his reaction when he became angry h)His ability to cut other drivers off before they did the same to him. As Steve improved his mindfulness, he was able to recognize the source of his angry thoughts and to choose alternative ways to react to them.
Module Three: Practicing Mindfulness Mindfulness is a natural state of being. Throughout our lives we are frequently in this state without realizing it. If you have ever heard a noise at night and went to investigate, the level of attention that you bring to that situation is a good example of being mindful. However, we frequently divide our attention and, by necessity, we will selectively ignore aspects of our environment.
Between stimulus and response there's a space, in that space lies our power to choose our response, in our response lies our growth and our freedom. Viktor Frankl
Attention
Meditation • Focus on breathing
Conscious Attention • Focuses on a small number of details.
Acceptance Acceptance Observation
Lack judgment
Meditation
Mindfulness Meditation Bod y Breath Thoughts
Scanning • Choose a comfortable space • Move up each leg • Continue up the Lie on back body
Begin with toes End with the neck and head
Case Study Alice and George both worked in the same, stressful department at work, the customer service center. Alice had begun practicing meditation, but George did not. She realized that her customers weren’t directly angry with her, and this helped to relieve her stress. George did not do anything to handle his stress. He just toughed it out.
Module Three: Review Questions 1.How can you develop mindfulness? a)Practice, through meditation b)Prayer c)Watching sports programs d)All of the above Although one can be mindful during prayer or while watching a television program, developing and improving mindfulness takes practice, and the way to practice is through meditation. 2. Paying attention is a _________ activity. e)Creative f)Unconscious g)Conscious h)Useless The more you consciously focus on your environment, the more details you can note, so paying attention is most of all a conscious activity.
Module Three: Review Questions 3. Which of the following is NOT true about acceptance a)The concept of acceptance can be found in many religions b)Acceptance means giving up c)Acceptance means acknowledging reality without judgment d)Acceptance can sometimes be a prelude to change, but not always Acceptance does not mean giving up. Rather it is recognizing the reality of a situation. 4. Mindfulness is _______ e)An attempt to change something f)A conscious attempt to ignore something g)A method of judging something h)An approach to observation Mindfulness is an attempt to observe rather than change something.
Module Three: Review Questions 5. What is the goal of mindfulness meditation? a)Problem solving b)Attentiveness c)Enlightenment d)Relaxation The goal of mindfulness meditation is to pay closer attention to your world. Problem solving, enlightenment, and relaxation are possible side effects, but they aren’t the main goal of mindfulness meditation. 6. How long should you meditate? e)One to two hours f)Three to five minutes g)45 minutes to an hour h)10 to 20 minutes While answers ‘a’ and ‘c’ are not wrong per se, the ideal for meditation practice is 10 to 20 minutes daily. Three to five minutes is not long enough to be effective.
Module Three: Review Questions 7. Body Scanning should be performed while _________? a)Lying down b)Watching television c)Sitting in lotus position d)None of the above Lying down is the best position for performing a body scan. 8. Who developed Body Scanning? e)Albert Bandura f)Michael Mahoney g)Jon Kabat-Zinn h)Wilhelm Reich Jon Kabat-Zinn developed Body Scanning as part of his eight week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction course.
Module Three: Review Questions 9. How did George handle the stress of his job? a)He exercised b)He didn’t c)He meditated d)He beat people up By not doing anything to handle his job stress, George eventually quit his job. 10. How did practicing mindfulness help Alice deal with her stress? e)She became enlightened and didn’t feel stress anymore f)She became relaxed and didn’t feel stress anymore g)She learned how to avoid stress h)She learned how to become detached Alice was able to detach from the angry comments her customers made and not take them personally.