In past blogs, I’ve mentioned the use of mindfulness in military pre-deployment training. As this process is in its infancy, there are many service people who will never come across mindfulness training as part of their military experience. One organization that is trying to rectify this gap, at least upon reentry into civilian life, is […]
What’s Happening in the Brain During Meditation?
We’ve talked a lot about meditation for general health and even for neuroplasticity. And yet . . . . . . have you ever been curious about what is actually happening in the brain during meditation? This was addressed by a recent study published in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. Jim Lagopoulos, PhD, […]
Mindfulness and the Practitioner: How to bring our "best self" to our work
Some kids dream of being professional athletes or walking on the moon, but for many of us, it was the act of healing that motivated us entering the health and mental health professions. But this doesn’t mean there aren’t days when we wouldn’t rather be on the moon than treating a particularly challenging patient. Or […]
Mindfulness and Emotional Acceptance: The Power of Yes
Has anyone seen the Jim Carrey film “Yes Man”? In this film, he decides to change his unsatisfactory life by saying yes to everything. While he ends up modifying his yes stance somewhat, he may have been on to something. Mindfulness practitioners for many years have understood the effects that saying “no” can have on […]
Mindfulness, Memory, and the Military
I’m always on the look-out for new mindfulness studies and projects. I’ve mentioned a number of my “favorite” researchers in past blogs and recently a new researcher (at least new to me) has caught my attention. Amishi Jha, PhD, out of the University of Miami, is the lead investigator of the Schofield Barracks Training and […]
Could Mindfulness Cure Road Rage and Other Indulgences in Righteous Indignation
I just read another article on road rage. Let’s face it . . . some drivers are incompetent and that can be annoying . . . but violence? over someone else’s driving? Could mindfulness “cure” road rage and help the rest of us calm our righteous indignation? Probably not wipe it out altogether, but . […]
Mindfulness Meditation and Pain Reduction
In an earlier post, I reported on some work by Montreal University researcher Pierre Rainville, PhD, who found that meditators experienced an 18% reduction in pain sensitivity compared to their non-meditating counterparts. A new study by Christopher Brown, PhD out of the University of Manchester, UK and published in the journal Pain, found that meditation […]
Mindfulness in Action: Reclaiming the Wonder of Newness
We’ve talked about how mindfulness can encourage self-compassion, lack of judgment, and acceptance for things as they are.
Mindfulness Meditation and MS
According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, an average of 400,000 Americans live with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), while each week 200 new cases are being diagnosed. The symptoms of MS are numerous, but include fatigue, numbness, depression, and pain. Treatments for MS generally focus on reducing disease progression, but what about the psychological effects of […]
Wise Concentration – A Beginner’s Exercise for Developing Mindfulness
Help build patients’ mindfulness and awareness by using Dr. Sylvia Boorstein’s exercise to determine reaction style under stress.