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Mindfulness is Sustained simple, easy focus without unnecessary thought... We explore a broad range of complementary exercises that have mindfulness as the central component, the “Gala

© Jonathan C Smith, PhD

AN EXPLOSION OF INTEREST

IN MINDFULNESS

You can see it in the popular press

Even supermarket magazines on mindfulness

EXPLOSION OF HYPE ON BENEFITS OF MINDFULNESS

Surf the web

SERIOUS RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS

(Last two columns: 2010, 2015)

REVOLUTIONARY BRAIN RESEARCH

Mindfulness has a real impact on the brain

General networks: Executive Network, Default Network,

and Salience Network

Specific areas and structures: Left Prefrontal Cortex, the

Cingulate, the Amygdala, and the Insula

Brain wave activity: generalized EEG Alpha activity, and

localized Alpha dampening activity associated with pain and depression reduction Gamma bursts

From: Yi-Yuang, Tang, Holzel, B K., Posner, M I (2015) The neuroscience of mindfulness meditation Nature Reviews

Neuroscience, 16, 213-225

RECOGNIZED BENEFITS

Psychological effects recognized by the American

Psychological Association (which will grant

psychologists CE credits for learning):

6 Less emotional reactivity

7 Cognitive flexibility

8 Relationship satisfaction

9 Health benefits

BENEFITS FOR THERAPISTS

1 Increased Empathy

2 Increased Compassion — nonjudging and nonreacting

3 Improved Counseling Skills -

Mindfulness is incorporated in third wave cognitive behavior therapy programs such as Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Act and Commitment Therapy

THE ROOSEVELT UNIVERSITY

MINDFULNESS INITIATIVE (Formerly the “Stress Institute”)

Goals

1 Basic research on mindfulness from a broad non- Buddhist perspective

2 Classroom and online training for students

wishing to incorporate mindfulness into

cognitive and problem-solving stress

management Core texts:

What it is not

1 Not Buddhism

2 Not training in specific therapeutic strategies

3 Not intensive personal intensive training

Accept without pursuit or judgment

distraction and mind wandering

Mindfulness is Sustained simple, easy focus

without unnecessary thought

OUR APPOACH, OTHER APPROACHES

Most mindfulness-based therapies like Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

elaborate upon the acceptance component

Actually, this is the easiest task, perhaps achieved through tutoring, education, and homework assignments

Developing the skill of simple, sustained, easy focus is more difficult People find it frustrating and drop out of programs Probably takes more than a month of daily practice Maybe much more We don’t know

We focus on both elements, with an emphasis

on training the skill of sustaining focus and exploring: deeper relaxation, positive affective experience, proto-transcendent experiences, and transcendent experiences (Later)

OUR TRAINING MODEL IN A

NUTSHELL

1 We start, and always return to a core set of

standard mindfulness exercises, the “Eye of

Mindfulness.” This is our “Home Base.”

2 We explore a broad range of complementary

exercises that have mindfulness as the central component, the “Galaxy of Mindfulness

Companion Exercises.” The serve as warmup and followup exercises that prepare for

mindfulness and extend and apply the effects of mindfulness beyond the core practice session

3 Our goal is to explore, experiment, and develop personalized programs

4 We use the M-Tracker, a simple post-

exercise checklist, to sensitize trainees to effects and help compare and combine strategies

THE EYE OF MINDFULNESS

Four Central Exercises Taught in virtually all mindfulness programs

1 FA (Focused Attention) Meditation

FAs (somatic focus, body and breath)

FAc (cognitive focus, mantra)

All involve restricting attention to a single simple stimulus

2 OM (Open Monitoring) Meditation

Restricted Mindfulness (like on sounds) Pure Mindfulness

Involves opening attention to all stimuli

3 Breath Scanning

4 Body Scanning

Virtually all schools of “mindfulness” blend these The current popular metaphor among scholars is a camera lens Meditation is like a lens Meditation can have a narrow or wide focus or “aperture” (FA, OM) Or a roaming focus, moving from one target

to another (breath, body scanning)

These 4 form my “Eye of Mindfulness”

THE GALAXY OF COMPANION

“WARMUP/FOLLOWUP” EXERCISES

Popular warmup and followup exercises that:

1 Have a mindfulness component

2 Make mindfulness easier with additional “support activities”

Example: Hatha yoga is: Stretching focus (mindfulness) supported and enhanced by continuously interesting and relaxing stretches

3 All are mindfulness “warmup” or

“followup” exercises that prepare for

practice and extend the benefits of practice

beyond the practice session

THE MINDFULNESS GALAXY

Central core of “Eye of Mindfulness” plus

Body-Based and Emotion-Based Cognitive Approaches

CORE TRAINING TOOL:

WHAT DID YOU FEEL OR EXPERIENCE IN THIS SESSION?

CHECK CIRCLES USING THIS KEY (SKIP ITEMS YOU DID NOT FEEL OR EXPERIENCE)

Ó234 1Ó34 12Ó4 123Ó

Felt this SLIGHTLY Felt this MODERATELY Felt this VERY MUCH Felt this EXTREMELY (most ever)

SKIP ITEMS YOU DID NOT FEEL OR EXPERIENCE

1234 1 I felt FAR AWAY FROM MY CARES and the TROUBLES AROUND ME

1234 2 My MUSCLES felt RELAXED, loose, limp, warm and heavy

1234 3 My BREATHING was RELAXED, slow, even, and easy

1234 4 I felt AT EASE, AT PEACE, refreshed

1234 5 I was experiencing pleasant MIND WANDERING

1234 6 I felt lost in FANTASY and DAYDREAMING

1234 7 I felt FOCUSED

1234 8 Things seemed CLEAR, vivid, intense

1234 9 I felt CENTERED, absorbed, grounded

1234 10 Things felt UNEXPECTED, new, different, interesting

1234 11 I felt a sense of GOING DEEPER

1234 12 I felt things are changing, OPENING UP, being revealed.

2345 13 My mind was QUIET, still, few thoughts

1234 14 I felt ACCEPTING of what I can’t have or change

1234 15 It felt EASY to stay on task What was doing felt EFFORTLESS

1234 16 I’ was NOT EXPERIENCING MUCH MIND WANDERING I stayed focused

1234 17 I was NOT BOTHERED by possible disturbances They weren’t important.

1234 18 I felt like a QUIET OBSERVER like I was standing aside and watching uninvolved

1234 19 I simply WATCHED WHAT CAME AND WENT, not reacting or getting stirred up

1234 20 I felt HAPPY, OPTIMISTIC, TRUSTING

1234 21 I felt LOVING, CARING

1234 22 I felt THANKFUL, GRATEFUL

1234 23 I felt a sense of MEANING, PURPOSE, DIRECTION

1234 24 I felt a sense of something GREATER OR LARGER THAN ME

SPECIAL ITEMS (RARE STATES AND FEELINGS NOT OFTEN REPORTED)

Did you have a profound, personal meaningful spiritual or “mystical” experience – that is, a moment of sudden spiritual awakening or insight, like those below? Please rate the following SKIP ITEMS YOU DID NOT FEEL OR EXPERIENCE

1234 25 I felt a DEEP UNDERSTANDING of the mysteries of the universe

1234 26 I was struck with AWE / WONDER, DEEP MYSTERY beyond my understanding

1234 27 I felt REVERENT, SELFLESS, PRAYERFUL

1234 28 I felt TIMELESS, BOUNDLESS, INFINITE, AT ONE

1234 29 My experience was so profound it COULD NOT BE PUT INTO WORDS

© Jonathan C Smith, PhD

HOW WE USE THE M-TRACKER

1 Complete it after every exercise

2 Sensitizes one to hidden effects

3 Slowly trains one to articulate different

aspects of mindfulness (providing a lexicon

of mindfulness like students in music or cooking gradually learn to differentiate

types of music or cuisine by learning the

lexicon of music or cuisine)

4 Helps one identify what approaches work

best and which can be combined

The M-Tracker: Based on 3 Decades of Research on over 6000 reports from individuals exploring a wide range of practices.13 publications, 20 books (More later )

SPECIFIC TRAINING OBJECTIVES

1 Always return to pure mindfulness, the Eye of Mindfulness All paths lead to mindfulness The final goal is simple awareness of the world

as it is

2 Reduce frustration, boredom, and dropout by making training continually interesting and rewarding, individualizing exercises from the Eye of Mindfulness and Mindfulness Galaxy menu of strategy

3 Maintain curiosity and interest through diversity and exploration (“curiosity” is a core mindfulness emotion)

4 Teach skill components of mindfulness through different complementary “galaxy” exercises

5 Different parts of the Eye of Mindfulness work for different people Different complementary approaches work for different people Explore, Individualize, and combine Use complementary exercises as warmups and followups

COURSES

The Department of Psychology offers two mindfulness courses: Psychology 203 (Coping with Stress) and Psychology 373/473 (Relaxation and Mindfulness)

PSYC 203 Coping with Stress is primary a

self-help course that integrates mindfulness with active coping techniques (assertiveness, problem-solving, anger management, negotiation, procrastination training, time management) and cognitive behavioral techniques for dealing with negative thinking The mindfulness cycling approach is applied After a coping strategy is applied, students return to practice mindfulness or a companion exercise (yoga, breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, autogenics, imagery, loving kindness meditation) Not a substitute for

counseling or therapy Coping with Stress is

popular among non psychology majors and those

just starting college It follows the text, Stress,

Coping, and the Eye of Mindfulness

PSYC 373/473 Relaxation and Mindfulness

presents the latest in mindfulness theory and research and includes the Eye of Mindfulness and the full array of companion disciplines It follows

the text, Mindfulness Reinvented and the

M-Tracker Method This course is popular among

advanced undergraduates in psychology and MA students in clinical, counseling, and industrial psychology MA and Doctoral students can take

Relaxation and Mindfulness (Psyc 473) as an

elective

3 Prevalence of M-Tracker states in everyday life

4 Ways of enhancing compliance and interest

in training

5 Ways of enhancing generalization of M-

Tracker states in everyday life

Currently, researchers from over a half dozen countries from around the world are using the M-Tracker to investigate meditation, mindfulness, and relaxation

EIGHT FACETS OF MINDFULNESS

Smith, J C (2016) Mindfulness Reinvented and the M-Tracker Method (Second Edition) Create Space

8 Facets of Mindfulness in the M-Tracker (Core Dimensions highlighted)

DIMENSION 1 BASIC RELAXATION

1 I felt FAR AWAY FROM MY CARES and the TROUBLES AROUND ME

2 My MUSCLES felt RELAXED, loose, limp, warm and heavy

3 My BREATHING was RELAXED, slow, even, and easy

4 I felt AT EASE, AT PEACE, refreshed

5 I was experiencing pleasant MIND WANDERING

6 I felt lost in FANTASY and DAYDREAMING

DIMENSION 2 MINDFUL FOCUS

7 I felt FOCUSED

8 Things seemed CLEAR, vivid, intense

9 I felt CENTERED, absorbed, grounded

DIMENSION 3 MINDFUL OPENING

10 Things felt UNEXPECTED, new, different, interesting

11 I felt a sense of GOING DEEPER

12 I felt things are changing, OPENING UP, being revealed.

DIMENSION 4 MINDFUL ACCEPTANCE AND QUIET (“DEREIFICATION”)

13 My mind was QUIET, still, few thoughts

14 I felt ACCEPTING of what I can’t have or change

15 It felt EASY to stay on task What was doing felt EFFORTLESS

16 I’ was NOT EXPERIENCING MUCH MIND WANDERING I stayed focused

17 I was NOT BOTHERED by possible disturbances They weren’t important

DIMENSION 5 MINDFUL “META-AWARENESS”

18 I felt like a QUIET OBSERVER like I was standing aside and watching uninvolved

19 I simply WATCHED WHAT CAME AND WENT, not reacting or getting stirred up

DIMENSION 6 MINDFUL POSITIVE EMOTION

20 I felt HAPPY, OPTIMISTIC, TRUSTING

21 I felt LOVING, CARING

22 I felt THANKFUL, GRATEFUL

DIMENSION 7 MINDFUL PROTO-TRANSCENDENT EXPERIENCES

23 I felt a sense of MEANING, PURPOSE, DIRECTION

24 I felt a sense of something GREATER OR LARGER THAN ME

DIMENSION 8 MINDFUL TRANSCENDENT EXPERIENCES

25 I felt a DEEP UNDERSTANDING of the mysteries of the universe

26 I was struck with AWE / WONDER, DEEP MYSTERY beyond my understanding

27 I felt REVERENT, SELFLESS, PRAYERFUL

28 I felt TIMELESS, BOUNDLESS, INFINITE, AT ONE

29 My experience was so profound it COULD NOT BE PUT INTO WORDS

© Jonathan C Smith, PhD

MATERIAL FOR THIS PRESENTATION IS

FROM OUR CORE REFERENCE:

Mindfulness Reinvented and the M-Tracker Method: Second Edition

To purchase direct: https://www.createspace.com/5907751

Available on amazon.com