INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE: Managing Cravings with Mindfulness of the Heart

Mindfulness is also translated as heartfulness

The viral pandemic has caused an outbreak of anxiety, depression, loneliness, domestic violence, substance abuse and suicide. Cravings can become unhealthy habits in response to these emotional cues. Many people are self-soothing and self-medicating for the first time with drugs and alcohol. Many others recovering from substance abuse are relapsing.

While professional counseling, medication and reducing the stigma of emotional distress are all critical to reversing this trend, there are simple self-care skills that can make a huge difference in this tragedy that affects so many men, women, youth and children.

The Heart Center

Throughout history, the heart has held a central place in philosophies, religions and other spiritual and contemplative traditions. In Judaism, the heart is the seat of wisdom, emotion and inner intelligence. Sufism, the mystical branch of Islam, is known as “the religion of the heart.” The symbol for Sufism is a heart with wings. The Heart Sutra is a foundational recitation in Buddhism that supports the path to joy, wisdom, compassion and freedom from fear and suffering. In Catholicism, the sacred heart represents Christ’s love for all humanity. The “golden rule” (“do unto others as you would have them do unto you” – Matthew 7:12) is the highest ethical principle common to all religions. Namaste, the ancient Hindu greeting, is expressed with palms together at the heart and acknowledges our interconnectedness. In the yoga tradition, the heart center (aka heart chakra) is the seat of love, compassion, kindness and friendliness.

We often keep our hearts closed to protect ourselves emotionally. This limits our ability to experience and share our heart qualities of love, compassion, kindness, friendliness, forgiveness, generosity and gratitude. Connecting with our heart – opening our heart and sharing our heart qualities with others – can be a deeply healing experience and provide a healthy way to self-soothe in response to cravings.

Mindful Meditation on the Heart

Begin by adopting a comfortable position – sitting, reclining or lying down. The eyes can be open or closed. I recommend closing the eyes at least partially – soft eyes. Honor your decision to simply slow down, noticing the changes in your body and your mind as you do. Connect to your gratitude for the opportunity to take this time for yourself – for your health – for your heart – and for others.

Intention.

We often act on autopilot, sometimes feeding a craving without consciously appreciating our underlying emotional needs. Mindful living and insight into your habits can be cultivated by stating your intention for doing what you are doing. So, as you begin meditating on the heart, honor the fact that you are beginning by saying to yourself, “I am beginning mindful meditation on my heart – and I know I am beginning.” Then honor your intention, perhaps saying, “I am practicing this heart meditation to relieve my own suffering and the suffering of those around me.”

Connecting with our heart can provide a healthy way to self-soothe in response to cravings.

Follow a guided 15-minute version of this Mindfulness Meditation on the Breath, Body and Heart. It can be used by those with or without a history of unhealthy cravings: www.mindbodystudio.org/?page_id=1594 Opening to Sounds and Thoughts.

We often think meditation requires a silent place and a silent mind. While both are nice, we often cannot avoid sounds and we certainly cannot avoid thoughts. It helps to cultivate a welcoming attitude to both. So open the senses wide, welcoming sounds – sounds from inside the body, inside the room or outside the room. Notice sounds coming and going and perhaps notice a space between sounds – maybe even silence – a quiet mind. Welcome both the sounds and the silence. Then shift your attention to thinking. Notice how thoughts naturally come without any effort. Welcome those thoughts, being grateful for the ability to think and allowing thoughts to come and go without pushing them away – just letting thoughts be. Welcome both the thoughts and the space between thoughts.

Paying Attention to the Breath, Body and Heart.

Drop your attention down into the body and feel the physical sensations in the breath as it moves in and out of the body. Feel the body being breathed by the breath and feel your gratitude for the miracle of your breath. Feel the heart. Feel the breath enlivening the heart. Feel the energy of the breath and the heart moving throughout the entire body. Feel the constant flow of heart energy into every cell of your body, pulsing, throbbing, vibrating, tingling.

Returning Your Attention as the Mind Wanders.

The normal mind is a wandering mind. Wandering of your attention is not a problem. We simply notice when the mind wanders off into sounds or thinking, and we simply bring attention back to the breath, the body and the heart. This may happen over and over again. This returning is an important part of the practice. It may even consume most of the practice. That’s okay.

This practice can last a few seconds or a few minutes, ideally practiced daily either at formal dedicated times for meditation or, many times, randomly throughout the day for a few breaths – a few heartbeats. Mindfulness can reconnect you to your heart – your inner wisdom – your compassion for yourself and others. It may help you manage cravings in a healthy way.

Resources

• I have recorded a guided 15-minute version of this Mindfulness Meditation on the Breath, Body and Heart. It can be used by those with or without a history of unhealthy cravings. www.mindbodystudio. org/?page_id=1594

Dr. Patterson

About the Author:

Dr. Patterson is past president of the Kentucky Academy of Family Physicians and is certified in family medicine, mind body medicine, integrative holistic medicine, mindfulness-based stress reduction, physician coaching and yoga therapy. He is on the faculty of the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Saybrook College of Integrative Medicine and Health Sciences (Pasadena) and the Center for Mind Body Medicine (Washington, D.C.). He operates the Mind Body Studio in Lexington, where he offers classes, consultations and coaching to manage stress-related conditions and prevent burnout. He can be reached through his website at www.mindbodystudio.org.

About Mind Body Studio in Lexington, Kentucky:

517 Southland Drive, Lexington • 859.373.0033 • www.mindbodystudio.org

Offering integrative medicine consultations and experiential health and wellness education to help you mobilize your natural healing ability by integrating mind, body, spirit and our relationship with each other and the earth.