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What is Mindfullness?

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
Hi there,

recently I have been diagnosed with depression after having to take some time out from university. A lot of people have been suggesting this thing called Mindfullness, which sounds like fanciful meditation to me so I must admit I'm a bit skeptical. When I ask people about it their answers tend to be a bit vague but I'm kinda curious as to what it is although I'm not really a very "spiritual" person.

Meh.

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Would it not be better to go with prescribed medication?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I thought that and tried it. Ended up tired, worse off depression wise, having concentration problems and horribly horribly thirsty. I had to be taken off it because it made me worse. It's annoying because usually I tend to dismiss "alternative" therapies but at this stage I would just like something to work.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Mindfulness is clinically proven to help with depression and is actually offered on the NHS (I'm desperate to get access to it!)

    Have a look at this. Its a long video, but Jon Kabat-Zinn is the world expert on mindfulness, he's written some amazing books and they are actually on the books on prescription list.

    Its less about meditiation is the traditional western sense and more about just changing your awareness, taking stock and not doing for a moment. Its not a spiritual practice any more than writing a to-do list is - its more a coping strategy which happens to have some of its origins from within taoism and budhism.

    Its really worth doing, I'm finding it emmencly helpful in not only dealing with depression and anxiety but also with chronic pain.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    cheers, might look at the video at a slightly more civilised hour :P

    I guess my problem with things like that is I find relaxing difficult when thoughts like "I look daft" keep finding their way into my mind.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Some information here about "Mindfulness":-

    http://www.mbct.co.uk/

    In summary, it involves some ancient techniques used in meditation in combination with the very latest developments in the cognitive sciences. As such, it involves evidence based methodology supported by various forms of research, including MRI scanning that has shown positive changes in the brains of people using the methods.

    Because a certain amount of effort and concentration is required to learn the techniques, it may not be suitable for people suffering with severe depression. But research has shown that it can be as effective as medication in mild to moderate depression. It has also been shown to substantially reduce the risks of experiencing further episodes of depression following recovery. The methods have been approved as a valid treatment for depression by NICE.

    However, you don't need to be depressed to benefit from the techniques, as the methods will help with any level of anxiety and stress.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    What is daft about sitting down and chilling out? Theres no cross legged ommming going on!

    Yeah I am mad trying to watch it right now...what he says is pretty mind-blowing though!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Mindfulness

    Mindfulness I managed to get hold off from the mental Health team when i was refered to them
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    That's good to hear.

    Mindfulness and other associated relaxation programs have been used in NHS Mental Health services for decades. So nothing new in the value of such methods. The principle effects of meditation go back in time as long as there are records to record its usage.

    Autogenics is another tried and tested method that uses the idea of "body scanning" to focus awareness.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autogenic_training

    The profile of these techniques have been raised in recent years because they have been validated by the use of the most recent ways of looking into the activity of the brain, MRI, CAT scanning, and the like.

    Being able to see what is happening in the brain has also allowed fine tuning of the methods.

    Another aspect that has driven the use of these methods in recent times is that links have been made between understanding gained by research into cognitive therapy, and what happens when people first start using these relaxation methods. One of the core principles of cognitive therapy is that how you feel is linked to how you think. However, such thinking is often just beneath the level of conscious awareness, and so is not under the direct control of the person experiencing such thoughts.

    When someone uses these relaxation techniques their low level thoughts (as they are often referred to) tend to rise to the surface of conscious awareness.

    Such thoughts are often repetitive and looping (circular in nature) and attempts to take conscious control of them can just serve to reinforce and energise them. Telling yourself not to think about something is nearly always counter productive - as in the old classic party piece of telling someone not to think about pink elephants. The harder they try, the more pink elephants pop up in their mind.

    The principle behind the Mindfulness techniques is that you work to reverse this paradox by allowing these low level thoughts to surface, but then you don't "chase" them, and you don't make any conscious effort to control them. Rather you allow them to drift through your mind as if they were passing clouds in the sky on a summer's day. As soon as you notice them you let them drift across your consciousness and switch your attention back to what it was you were doing, which might be paying attention to your breathing (the breath method), or focusing your attention on different parts of your body (the body scan method).

    The biggest challenges come in the early days of learning to be mind-full.

    The human brain is a very complex piece of equipment and it works by allocating resources in relation to how well it understand the tasks given to it.

    So when you attempt a new task your brain channels resources to help you with learning whatever it is you are wanting to master.

    Once a task has been fully learned and mastered your brain reduces the resources required because the task becomes automated.

    When we are multi-tasking we are running various automated processes in parallel. So if you are an experienced driver, you will probably be able to hold a conversation while driving at the same time. The better you know the route, the easier having a conversation is likely to be. However, if something unexpected crops up, such as a roadworks and a diversion, then you will need to switch more of your active thinking back to the task of driving, and you will probably drop or pause the conversation until you get back to a familiar route.

    Being able to automate thinking processes in this way obviously has many advantages when managing out daily activities.

    If you are a skilled touch typists, then you will be able to type without thinking about the keys you need to press. The information required re the skill of typing has been logged in your brain, and in the network that makes up your nervous system. The skilled and unconscious movements that you make with your hands and fingers when operating a keyboard are achieved by way of what is known as psycho-motor learning.

    If someone who has learned to touch type is given a keyboard that has had all the keys changed around and put in different places, they are not only going to have to start learning where the new keys are, they will be hampered by the fact that their automatic responses will be to press keys where they were on the old keyboard - so what was 'positive learning', has become 'negative learning'.

    Although it's not exactly the same, there are similar problems to overcome when learning to relax.

    People who suffer with stress often find that their thoughts are running away as if they have a life of their own.

    People suffering with depression often find that their thoughts go round and round in circular fashion. It may be that they are trying to solve problems that have no solutions, or it may be that their thoughts won't rest because they are so charged with emotion, as when recurring thoughts keep bringing up feelings of anger.

    When computer processes gets in a tangle it can often be sorted out by switching off and rebooting.

    However, switching off the human brain is likely to be a one-shot solution.

    But if you can slow things down, and simplify the processes, the chances are the human brain will sort itself out.

    We need to find a way to stop pressing the keys that reinforce and perpetuate unhelpful automated processes.

    Which is why learning the tricks of meditation and mindfulness can be so useful when your brain feels like it needs re-booting.

    The paradox that was learned way back in the history of mankind is that much can be achieved by learning to do nothing. Or more accurately, by developing the art of non-doing that involves a switch in consciousness from being a driven participant to that of an autonomous witness. Even if achieved for only a few minutes each day, such 'time out' can feel like a safe place to regain a sense of your self, and of a feeling of control over how you exist in this crazy world.

    It does take time to learn, allow yourself between 30 to 60 minutes a day for a period of 8 weeks. Keep in mind that the unhelpful processes that you are working to overcome may have been established over many years. Once you have learned the art of mindfulness it will be with you for the rest of your life, so it will be 8 weeks very well spent.

    Jed
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