The Mindfulness Initiative (Mobile Friendly) \ Jonathan C Smith, PhD Roosevelt University © 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) Number of Pubs 4000 3900 3800 2700 3600 3500 3400 3300 3200 3100 3000 2900 2800 2700 2600 2500 2400 2300 2200 2100 2000 1900 1800 1700 1600 1500 1400 1300 1200 1100 1000 900 800 700 600 500 400 300 200 100 50 x 1920 1925 1930 1935 1940 1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 © Jonathan C Smith, PhD 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 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 We start, and always return to a core set of standard mindfulness exercises, the “Eye of Mindfulness.” This is our “Home Base.” 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 Our goal is to explore, experiment, and develop personalized programs We use the M-Tracker, a simple postexercise 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 FA (Focused Attention) Meditation FAs (somatic focus, body and breath) FAc (cognitive focus, mantra) All involve restricting attention to a single simple stimulus OM (Open Monitoring) Meditation Restricted Mindfulness (like on sounds) Pure Mindfulness Involves opening attention to all stimuli Breath Scanning 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 form my “Eye of Mindfulness” THE GALAXY OF COMPANION “WARMUP/FOLLOWUP” EXERCISES Popular warmup and followup exercises that: Have a mindfulness component Make mindfulness easier with additional “support activities” Example: Hatha yoga is: Stretching focus (mindfulness) supported and enhanced by continuously interesting and relaxing stretches 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: The M-Tracker (take after practicing an exercise) WHAT DID YOU FEEL OR EXPERIENCE IN THIS SESSION? CHECK CIRCLES USING THIS KEY (SKIP ITEMS YOU DID NOT FEEL OR EXPERIENCE) Ó234 Felt this SLIGHTLY 1Ó34 Felt this MODERATELY 12Ó4 Felt this VERY MUCH 123Ó Felt this EXTREMELY (most ever) SKIP ITEMS YOU DID NOT FEEL OR EXPERIENCE 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234 I felt FAR AWAY FROM MY CARES and the TROUBLES AROUND ME My MUSCLES felt RELAXED, loose, limp, warm and heavy My BREATHING was RELAXED, slow, even, and easy I felt AT EASE, AT PEACE, refreshed I was experiencing pleasant MIND WANDERING I felt lost in FANTASY and DAYDREAMING 1234 1234 1234 I felt FOCUSED Things seemed CLEAR, vivid, intense I felt CENTERED, absorbed, grounded 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 2345 1234 1234 1234 1234 13 14 15 16 17 My mind was QUIET, still, few thoughts I felt ACCEPTING of what I can’t have or change It felt EASY to stay on task What was doing felt EFFORTLESS I’ was NOT EXPERIENCING MUCH MIND WANDERING I stayed focused I was NOT BOTHERED by possible disturbances They weren’t important 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 20 I felt HAPPY, OPTIMISTIC, TRUSTING 21 I felt LOVING, CARING 22 I felt THANKFUL, GRATEFUL 23 I felt a sense of MEANING, PURPOSE, DIRECTION 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 1234 1234 1234 1234 25 26 27 28 29 I felt a DEEP UNDERSTANDING of the mysteries of the universe I was struck with AWE / WONDER, DEEP MYSTERY beyond my understanding I felt REVERENT, SELFLESS, PRAYERFUL I felt TIMELESS, BOUNDLESS, INFINITE, AT ONE My experience was so profound it COULD NOT BE PUT INTO WORDS © Jonathan C Smith, PhD HOW WE USE THE M-TRACKER Complete it after every exercise Sensitizes one to hidden effects 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) Helps one identify what approaches work best and which can be combined The M-Tracker: Based on Decades of Research on over 6000 reports from individuals exploring a wide range of practices.13 publications, 20 books (More later ) SPECIFIC TRAINING OBJECTIVES 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 selfhelp 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 MTracker 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 RESEARCH INITIATIVE Development of M-Tracker Reliability and Validity Different effects of different core Eye of Mindfulness Approaches, complementary exercises, and combinations Prevalence of M-Tracker states in everyday life Ways of enhancing compliance and interest in training Ways of enhancing generalization of MTracker 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 THE M-TRACKER Mindfulness consists of dimensions of experience, identified by our research on over 6000 practitioners of diverse approaches and new neurological approaches These dimensions are embodied in the M-Tracker Smith, J C (2016) Mindfulness Reinvented and the M-Tracker Method (Second Edition) Create Space Facets of Mindfulness in the M-Tracker (Core Dimensions highlighted) DIMENSION BASIC RELAXATION I felt FAR AWAY FROM MY CARES and the TROUBLES AROUND ME My MUSCLES felt RELAXED, loose, limp, warm and heavy My BREATHING was RELAXED, slow, even, and easy I felt AT EASE, AT PEACE, refreshed I was experiencing pleasant MIND WANDERING I felt lost in FANTASY and DAYDREAMING DIMENSION MINDFUL FOCUS I felt FOCUSED Things seemed CLEAR, vivid, intense I felt CENTERED, absorbed, grounded DIMENSION 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 MINDFUL ACCEPTANCE AND QUIET (“DEREIFICATION”) 13 14 15 16 17 My mind was QUIET, still, few thoughts I felt ACCEPTING of what I can’t have or change It felt EASY to stay on task What was doing felt EFFORTLESS I’ was NOT EXPERIENCING MUCH MIND WANDERING I stayed focused I was NOT BOTHERED by possible disturbances They weren’t important DIMENSION 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 MINDFUL POSITIVE EMOTION 20 I felt HAPPY, OPTIMISTIC, TRUSTING 21 I felt LOVING, CARING 22 I felt THANKFUL, GRATEFUL DIMENSION 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 MINDFUL TRANSCENDENT EXPERIENCES 25 26 27 28 29 I felt a DEEP UNDERSTANDING of the mysteries of the universe I was struck with AWE / WONDER, DEEP MYSTERY beyond my understanding I felt REVERENT, SELFLESS, PRAYERFUL I felt TIMELESS, BOUNDLESS, INFINITE, AT ONE 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: M indfulness Reinvented and the M-Tracker Method: Second Edition Jonathan C Smith PhD 282 pages ISBN-13: 978-1519618313 ISBN-10: 151961831X This revolutionary new approach to an ancient discipline uses to mindfulness to integrate a full spectrum of widely used relaxation, meditation, and relaxation exercises A professional text for teachers and scholars Appropriate for those new to mindfulness or individuals desiring to revive their practice Includes core mindfulness exercises, premindfulness booster exercises, and exercises for extending mindfulness into life Also included are transcripts for making audio recordings, tests, and checklists for assessing progress Complementary companion exercises include:mindful yoga, mindful breathing, mindful progressive muscle relaxation, mindful autogenics, and mindful deepening imagery Included: The M-Tracker Inventory, a new and validated tool for teaching and assessing training To purchase direct: https://www.createspace.com/5907751 Available on amazon.com