Reduce Low Self-Control Drug Use with Mindfulness

August 11, 2016 psyjdc Leave a comment

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

“The idea behind mindfulness meditation is to observe the present moment by paying attention to the breath and body, as well as thoughts and emotions. People with challenges related to addiction tend to act out on addictive behaviors to avoid uncomfortable feelings and to bring pleasure. . . . Mindfulness practices help the client to learn to face the present movement with all of its pleasant and unpleasant sensations, feelings and thoughts.” – Eric Millman

College students make up one of the largest groups of drug abusers nationwide. Alcohol is the most abused substance, but there are many others. These include: marijuana, prescription medications (including stimulants, central nervous system depressants, and narcotics), over-the-counter drugs, cocaine, heroin, and ecstasy. Of these marijuana is the most commonly abused substance by college students. In fact, 47% of college students have tried it at least once, with 30% admiting to using it in the past year. In addition, one in five college students admits to using amphetamine and 13% of college students admit to using ecstasy at least once in their lives.

These are sobering statistics and underscore the need to find effective methods to prevent and treat substance abuse in college students. It is established that problematic family environments are linked to college student substance abuse. It has also been established that mindfulness tends to counteract substance abuse. Indeed, mindfulness training has been shown to be a safe and effective treatment for reducing drug use and relapse after successful treatment. In today’s Research News article “Parent-Child Conflict and Drug Use in College Women: A Moderated Mediation Model of Self Control and Mindfulness.” See:

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1292270250796898/?type=3&theater

or see summary below or view the full text of the study at:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4175297/

Tarantino and colleagues investigate whether mindfulness modulates the effects of difficult family environments on substance abuse.

They recruited a large on-line sample of college women and measured perceptions of the relationship between the student and his/her parent, mindfulness, self-control, and drug use. They found that the higher the level of parent-child conflict the higher the level of substance abuse. They also found variables that tended to counteract substance abuse. The higher the levels of mindfulness, self-control, and being in a relationship, the lower the levels of substance abuse. But, by far the strongest negative relationship was between self-control and substance abuse. They also found that mindfulness and self-control modified the effects of parent-child conflict on substance abuse. Mindfulness tended to blunt the effects of parent-child conflict on substance abuse only when the women were low in self-control but not when they were high in self-control.

These results suggest that the ability of a problematic home environment to stimulate drug abuse is diminished primarily by high self-control. But, when self-control is low mindfulness blunts the effects of parent-child conflict on substance abuse. “This relation can best be understood as a compensatory effect wherein a higher degree of either self-control or mindfulness protects against a lower degree of the other.” The complexity of these findings suggest that different strategies for treating drug abuse may be needed for women who were low vs. high in self-control. Self-control is the most important factor, but mindfulness training may work well for women who have low self-control. Future research is needed to further clarify the utility of mindfulness training in women with low self-control.

So, reduce low self-control drug use with mindfulness.

“though it may seem paradoxical, by increasing your ability to accept and tolerate the present moment, you become more able to make needed changes in your life. This is due to your learning to deal with uncomfortable feelings that might accompany modified behaviors, rather than reacting on automatic pilot. Also, practicing balanced emotional responses can reduce your stress level, and anxiety and stress are often triggers for substance abuse and addictive behavior. In addition, when you choose a neutral rather than a judgmental response to your thoughts and feelings, you can increase your sense of self-compassion rather than beating yourself up, which is often associated with addictive behaviors.” Adi Jaffe

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Google+ https://plus.google.com/106784388191201299496/posts

Study Summary

RESEARCH NEWS –

Tarantino, N., Lamis, D. A., Ballard, E. D., Masuda, A., & Dvorak, R. D. (2015). Parent-Child Conflict and Drug Use in College Women: A Moderated Mediation Model of Self Control and Mindfulness. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 62(2), 303–313. http://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000013

Abstract

This cross-sectional study examined the association between parent-child conflict and illicit drug use in a sample of female college students (N = 928). The mediating roles of self-control and mindfulness, as well as an interaction between self-control and mindfulness, were examined in a moderated mediation model for the purposes of expanding etiological theory and introducing targets for the prevention and treatment of drug abuse. Whereas deficits in self-control were found to facilitate the positive relation observed between parent-child conflict and the likelihood of experiencing drug-related problems, an interaction between mindfulness and self-control helped explain the association between parent-child conflict and intensity of drug-related problems. Parent-child conflict was related to low mindfulness when self-control was low, and low mindfulness in turn was related to a higher intensity of drug-related problems. This association did not exist for women with high self-control. Findings are consistent with developmental research on the etiology of drug use and the protective properties of mindfulness and self-control. Mindfulness as a potential target of intervention for drug users with low self-control to prevent drug-related problems is explored.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4175297/

Increase Overall Mindfulness and Mental Health with Mindfulness Practice

August 10, 2016 psyjdc Leave a comment

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

“Studies show that the ways we intentionally shape our internal focus of attention in mindfulness practice induces a state of brain activation during the practice. With repetition, an intentionally created state can become an enduring trait of the individual as reflected in long-term changes in brain function and structure.” – Daniel Siegel

“Mindfulness is awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgementally. It’s about knowing what is on your mind.” (Jon Kabat-Zinn). It has been shown to be highly related to the health and well-being of the individual. Mindfulness training has also been found to be effective for a large array of medical and psychiatric conditions, either stand-alone or in combination with more traditional therapies. As a result, mindfulness training has been called the third wave of therapies. In fact, though, little is known about how training improves mindfulness.

It is amazing that so little is known about the development of mindfulness, given its effectiveness and increasing popularity. It is important to understand how it develops and what affects that development in order to optimize its use. In today’s Research News article “From a state to a trait: Trajectories of state mindfulness in meditation during intervention predict changes in trait mindfulness.” See:

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1291374517553138/?type=3&theater

or below or view the full text of the study at:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4404745/

Kiken and colleagues study the development of mindfulness during 8-weeks of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) training. MBSR includes meditation, body scan, and yoga training. They measured the enduring tendency toward being mindful, called trait mindfulness, and also psychological distress before and after the 8-weeks of training. They also measured the individuals’ immediate states of mindfulness each week.

They found that mindfulness significantly increased in a linear fashion over the 8-weeks of training and simultaneously psychological distress decreased. In addition, trait mindfulness increased from the beginning to the end of training indicating that the training increased the enduring tendency to be mindful. This is important as it indicates that MBSR training doesn’t just produce momentary changes in mindfulness but produces lasting changes. Individual participants differed in how rapidly they increased mindfulness during training. Kiken and colleagues used a sophisticated statistical technique called Latent Growth Curve Analysis to investigate if these differences were responsible for differences in the change in trait mindfulness. They found that participants who increased in state mindfulness fastest over the 8-weeks ended up having the greatest increase in trait mindfulness and decrease in psychological distress.

These results are significant and interesting. They clearly show that Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) training increases mindfulness weekly over the program and these increases are significantly related to increases in the enduring tendency to be mindful, trait mindfulness, and to decreases in psychological distress. In other words, the momentary changes in mindfulness are translated over time into more permanent changes in mindfulness and psychological health.

So, increase overall mindfulness and mental health with mindfulness practice.

“There is more than one way to practice mindfulness, but the goal of any mindfulness technique is to achieve a state of alert, focused relaxation by deliberately paying attention to thoughts and sensations without judgment. This allows the mind to refocus on the present moment. All mindfulness techniques are a form of meditation.” – Harvard Health Guide

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Google+ https://plus.google.com/106784388191201299496/posts

Study Summary

Kiken, L. G., Garland, E. L., Bluth, K., Palsson, O. S., & Gaylord, S. A. (2015). From a state to a trait: Trajectories of state mindfulness in meditation during intervention predict changes in trait mindfulness. Personality and Individual Differences, 81, 41–46. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2014.12.044

Abstract

Theory suggests that heightening state mindfulness in meditation practice over time increases trait mindfulness, which benefits psychological health. We prospectively examined individual trajectories of state mindfulness in meditation during a mindfulness-based intervention in relation to changes in trait mindfulness and psychological distress. Each week during the eight-week intervention, participants reported their state mindfulness in meditation after a brief mindfulness meditation. Participants also completed pre- and post-intervention measures of trait mindfulness and psychological symptoms. Tests of combined latent growth and path models suggested that individuals varied significantly in their rates of change in state mindfulness in meditation during the intervention, and that these individual trajectories predicted pre-post intervention changes in trait mindfulness and distress. These findings support that increasing state mindfulness over repeated meditation sessions may contribute to a more mindful and less distressed disposition. However, individuals’ trajectories of change may vary and warrant further investigation.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4404745/

Reduce Anxiety and Depression Among Patients with Cancer with Mindfulness

August 9, 2016 psyjdc 3 Comments

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

“Mindfulness meditation is known to have a positive emotional and psychological impact on cancer survivors. But some groundbreaking new research has found that meditation is also doing its work on the physical bodies of cancer survivors, with positive impacts extending down to the cellular level.” – Carolyn Gregoire

Receiving a diagnosis of cancer can have a huge impact on most people. Feelings of depression, anxiety, and fear are very common and are normal responses to this life-changing experience. These feeling can result from changes in body image, changes to family and work roles, feelings of grief at these losses, and physical symptoms such as pain, nausea, or fatigue. People might also fear death, suffering, pain, or all the unknown things that lie ahead. But, cancer diagnosis is not a death sentence. Over half of the people diagnosed with cancer are still alive 10 years later and this number is rapidly improving. It is estimated that 14,483,830 adults and children with a history of cancer alive in the United States today. So, there are a vast number of cancer survivors.

Surviving cancer carries with it a number of problems. “Physical, emotional, and financial hardships often persist for years after diagnosis and treatment. Cancer survivors are also at greater risk for developing second cancers and other health conditions.” National Cancer Survivors Day. Unfortunately, most of these residual problems go untreated. Psychologically, cancer survivors frequently suffer from anxiety, depression, mood disturbance, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), sleep disturbance, fatigue, sexual dysfunction, loss of personal control, impaired quality of life, and psychiatric symptoms which have been found to persist even ten years after remission.

Mindfulness training may be helpful for dealing with these psychological residual symptoms of cancer. It has been shown to improve recovery from cancer and to reduce anxiety and depression in people with a wide variety of conditions. In today’s Research News article “Effectiveness of Mindfulness-based Therapy for Reducing Anxiety and Depression in Patients with Cancer: A Meta-analysis.” See:

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1290482744308982/?type=3&theater

or below or view the full text of the study at:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4912240/

Zhang and colleagues examine the published research literature investigating the effectiveness of mindfulness training for anxiety and depression in cancer patients. They report that the most common form of mindfulness training used in the published research for cancer were 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) programs involving meditation, body scan and yoga practices. All studies examined contained a control condition, most commonly a treatment as usual wait-list group.

They found that the literature made a clear case that mindfulness based therapies produce significant improvements in both anxiety and depression in the cancer patients. Since mindfulness training involves training to focus on the present moment, it is easy to see how it could be effective against anxiety and depression. Anxiety involves fear of potential future problems while depression involves rumination about the past. The focus on what’s happening now, produced by mindfulness training, prevents thinking about the past producing depression and thinking about the future producing anxiety.

The findings in the research literature are important as depression causes great distress, impairs functioning, and might even make the person with cancer less able to follow their cancer treatment plan. In addition, high levels of anxiety are stressful, depleting the patient’s energy and reducing their ability to fight the cancer or other potential infections. Hence the ability of mindfulness training to reduce the depression and anxiety is important for not only the patients’ mental health but also for their physical ability to fight the cancer.

So, reduce anxiety and depression among patients with cancer with mindfulness.

“Cancer is not something that any of us would ever want to have happen to us, but it can be a tremendous opportunity to look at some of our conditioning. It can also be an opportunity to look deeply and make amends for some things we don’t like. We can come into a greater sense of peace with ourselves and with others.” – Elana Rosenbaum

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Google+ https://plus.google.com/106784388191201299496/posts

Study Summary

Zhang, M.-F., Wen, Y.-S., Liu, W.-Y., Peng, L.-F., Wu, X.-D., & Liu, Q.-W. (2015). Effectiveness of Mindfulness-based Therapy for Reducing Anxiety and Depression in Patients with Cancer: A Meta-analysis. Medicine, 94(45), e0897. http://doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000000897

Abstract

Anxiety and depression are common among patients with cancer, and are often treated with psychological interventions including mindfulness-based therapy.

The aim of the study was to perform a meta-analysis of the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions for improving anxiety and depression in patients with cancer.

Medline, the Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and Google Scholar were searched. The randomized controlled trials designed for patients diagnosed with cancer were included. Mindfulness-based interventions were provided.

The outcomes assessed were the changes in anxiety and depression scores from before to after the intervention. The treatment response was determined by calculating the standardized mean difference (SMD) for individual studies and for pooled study results. Subgroup analyses by cancer type, type of therapy, and length of follow-up were performed.

Seven studies, involving 469 participants who received mindfulness-based interventions and 419 participants in a control group, were included in the meta-analysis. Mindfulness-based stress reduction and art therapy were the most common interventions (5/7 studies). All studies reported anxiety and depression scores. The pooled SMD of the change in anxiety significantly favored mindfulness-based therapy over control treatment (−0.75, 95% confidence interval −1.28, −0.22, P = 0.005). Likewise, the pooled SMD of the change in depression also significantly favored mindfulness-based therapy over control (−0.90, 95% confidence interval −1.53, −0.26, P = 0.006). During the length of follow-ups less than 12 weeks, mindfulness-based therapy significantly improved anxiety for follow-up ≤12 weeks after the start of therapy, but not >12 weeks after the start of therapy.

There was a lack of consistency between the studies in the type of mindfulness-based/control intervention implemented. Patients had different forms of cancer. Subgroup analyses included a relatively small number of studies and did not account for factors such as the severity of anxiety and/or depression, the time since diagnosis, and cancer stage.

Mindfulness-based interventions effectively relieved anxiety and depression among patients with cancer. However, additional research is still warranted to determine how long the beneficial effects of mindfulness-based therapy persist.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4912240/

Reduce Stress during Pregnancy with Mindfulness

August 8, 2016 psyjdc Leave a comment

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

“Mindful awareness practices helped me so much during the adventure of pregnancy and early motherhood that I began to turn my professional interest toward how mindfulness might help reduce stress and improve mood among pregnant women and early moms, enhance their connection with their babies, and really thrive through the transformation of motherhood.” – Cassandra Vieten

Pregnancy produces vast changes in the woman’s life, her body, her emotions, and her family. These changes may well be desired and welcomed, but they produce stress. Indeed, stress is a common experience in pregnancy. But, it must be controlled. Too much stress can produce sleeping problems, headaches, loss of appetite or its opposite, overeating. If the levels of stress are high and prolonged it can produce health problems such as hypertension (high blood pressure) and heart disease in the mother. It can also make it more likely that the baby will be born prematurely or with a low birthweight, both of which are indicators of health problems for the infant and in the later child’s life.

So, it is important to either control stress during pregnancy or find ways to better cope with it. Mindfulness training has been shown to reduce the individual’s psychological and physiological responses to stress. It does not lower stress. Rather, it lowers the individual’s responses to the stress. Mindfulness has been shown to be helpful during pregnancy. It can help to relieve the anxiety and depression that commonly accompany pregnancy and even appears to benefit the neurocognitive development of the infant. Hence, mindfulness training may be a safe and effective method to assist the pregnant woman in coping with the stresses of pregnancy.

In today’s Research News article “Effect of Mindfulness Meditation on Perceived Stress Scores and Autonomic Function Tests of Pregnant Indian Women.” See:

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1289644157726174/?type=3&theater

or below or view the full text of the study at:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4866093/

Muthukrishnan and colleagues studied the effects of mindfulness meditation on stress in pregnant women. They randomly assigned women who were 12 weeks of gestation to receive either 5-weeks of mindfulness meditation training in addition to treatment as usual or treatment as usual only. The meditation group received 2 training sessions per week and were asked to meditate at home for 30-minutes per day. The women were assessed prior to and after the training for perceived stress, heart rate, and heart rate variability responses normally and in response to a stressor.

They found that the meditation group had a significant decrease in perceived stress, respiration rate, and lower blood pressure changes in response to a physical and a mental stressor. There was also a significant increase in heart rate variability in the meditation group. These measures indicate that autonomic nervous system tone has been improved with an increase in vegetative (parasympathetic) activity. These are important findings that indicate that meditation training decreases the pregnant women’s responses to stress and improve her overall peripheral nervous system functioning.

Hence, mindfulness meditation is a safe and effective method to reduce the psychological and physical responses to the stress of pregnancy. So, practicing meditation should be encouraged for pregnant women.

“By cultivating a mindfulness practice in pregnancy you’ll be better able to switch off from worries and stay relaxed on the big day, allowing your amazing body to simply do what it is more than capable of doing: to give birth smoothly and without fear.” – Susan Morrell

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Google+ https://plus.google.com/106784388191201299496/posts

Study Summary

Muthukrishnan, S., Jain, R., Kohli, S., & Batra, S. (2016). Effect of Mindfulness Meditation on Perceived Stress Scores and Autonomic Function Tests of Pregnant Indian Women. Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research : JCDR, 10(4), CC05–CC08. http://doi.org/10.7860/JCDR/2016/16463.7679

Abstract

Introduction: Various pregnancy complications like hypertension, preeclampsia have been strongly correlated with maternal stress. One of the connecting links between pregnancy complications and maternal stress is mind-body intervention which can be part of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM). Biologic measures of stress during pregnancy may get reduced by such interventions.

Aim: To evaluate the effect of Mindfulness meditation on perceived stress scores and autonomic function tests of pregnant Indian women.

Materials and Methods: Pregnant Indian women of 12 weeks gestation were randomised to two treatment groups: Test group with Mindfulness meditation and control group with their usual obstetric care. The effect of Mindfulness meditation on perceived stress scores and cardiac sympathetic functions and parasympathetic functions (Heart rate variation with respiration, lying to standing ratio, standing to lying ratio and respiratory rate) were evaluated on pregnant Indian women.

Results: There was a significant decrease in perceived stress scores, a significant decrease of blood pressure response to cold pressor test and a significant increase in heart rate variability in the test group (p< 0.05, significant) which indicates that mindfulness meditation is a powerful modulator of the sympathetic nervous system and can thereby reduce the day-to-day perceived stress in pregnant women.

Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that mindfulness meditation improves parasympathetic functions in pregnant women and is a powerful modulator of the sympathetic nervous system during pregnancy.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4866093/

It’s the Suffering, Stupid

August 7, 2016 psyjdc 3 Comments

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

” If you want to understand suffering you must look into the situation at hand. The teachings say that wherever a problem arises it must be settled right there. Where suffering lies is right where non-suffering will arise, it ceases at the place where it arises. If suffering arises you must contemplate right there, you don’t have to run away. You should settle the issue right there. One who runs away from suffering out of fear is the most foolish person of all. He will simply increase his stupidity endlessly. We don’t meditate to see heaven, but to end suffering.” – Ajahn Chah

When I was first introduced to the Buddha’s Four Noble Truths I was underwhelmed, to say the least. They said first that there’s suffering. Yeah, I thought, that’s obvious, there’s lots of suffering in this world. So, what’s new. Then they said that there are causes for suffering. Again, I thought, of course, there are causes for everything. So, when do we get to the good stuff. Then they said that there’s a way to end suffering. That’s clear and obvious, I thought. Of course, if you know what causes it then there’s always ways to end it. Let’s get to the meat. Lastly, they said that there was a path to the end of suffering. Yeah, yeah, of course, let’s move on and get to how do we attain enlightenment. How do we get to nirvana and eternal bliss?

I don’t believe that my response was unusual as my unscientific discussions with peers has revealed similar responses. I believe that part of the reason that we missed the importance of what was being taught was the word suffering itself. It’s a translation from the Pali word “dukkha” that was the language that was likely used by the Buddha. But, it can equally well be translated as “imperfect”, “unsatisfying”, or “incapable of providing perfect happiness.” I happen to favor unsatisfactory. Using this translation, I began to see what was being taught here. Suffering implied to me an extreme and painful experience, agony, which I saw as relatively rare. But, unsatisfactoriness, now that’s a different story. Most things in life are to one degree or another unsatisfactory. So, the teaching now seems to apply to a much wider range of experiences. This was the beginning of the revelation as to just how seminal this teaching is. It’s when I realized that “It’s the suffering, stupid.”

I should have noted the clear and precise teaching of the Buddha. When asked about how to attain enlightenment the Buddha said “I teach one thing and one thing only: that is suffering and the end of suffering.” This should have been a clear message that the pursuit of enlightenment is actually the pursuit of the end of “dukkha”, the end of unsatisfactoriness. It should have been obvious that the key to enlightenment is unsatisfactoriness, its causes, and how to eliminate them. But somehow, I wanted to jump ahead and missed the most important teaching of all.

Looking carefully at existence from the perspective of unsatisfactoriness, it is clear that unsatisfactoriness is ubiquitous, it’s everywhere.

The alarm goes off in the morning and I think, I want to sleep longer, but I can’t. The day starts off with unsatisfactoriness. I notice a slight ache in my neck and want it to go away, and this is more unsatisfactoriness. Rising out of bed in the morning there’s a need to use the bathroom. My state is unsatisfactory. When picking out some clothes to wear I find the outfit I want to wear is out at the cleaners and I’ll have to wear something less satisfactory. I feel a bit shabby and old fashioned in the clothes. Being late, a breakfast bar is grabbed as I rush out the door, wishing I could sit down and have some scrambled eggs but have to eat an unsatisfactory breakfast. I go outside and feel the cold and wish the day to be warmer. The temperature is unsatisfactory. Driving to work I get caught at a red light and want it to be green, feeling frustrated and unsatisfactory. Traffic is moving slower than I want, so I find driving unsatisfactory. At work my co-worker looks at me with a scowl and I’m unsatisfied because I think that she doesn’t like me. etc., etc., etc. The entire day is filled from one end to the other with unsatisfactoriness.

The more I look at it the more I see that some of the unsatisfactoriness is due to external circumstances, the red light, the outside temperature, and the neck pain that I have little control over. But, I see that the more insidious type of unsatisfactoriness is of my own making. I make myself suffer by my interpretation of how I look in the clothes I’m wearing or how I think about events like my co-worker’s scowl. I assumed it was because she didn’t like me and I want to be liked. But, that was my interpretation. I brought that unsatisfactoriness onto myself. She may have just had a bad morning or been called on the carpet by the boss. I make so many assumptions and interpret a large number of events as suggestive of some personal failure or fault when they probably have nothing to do with me whatsoever.

Once we take this perspective it begins to dawn that life is replete with unsatisfactoriness. There is no end to it. Now I get what the Buddha was talking about. It’s the suffering, stupid. It’s the unsatisfactoriness. I am constantly dissatisfied with virtually everything. What a miserable way to live. Seeing the all pervasiveness of my suffering, it becomes evident that I’m rarely truly happy and even then when it’s over I feel unsatisfied. This reveals another way that unsatisfactoriness arises. One that is produced by the impermanence of all things. Everything is constantly changing and I find it unsatisfactory when good stuff goes away or when bad stuff begins. I want pleasurable experiences never to end and unpleasant ones never to begin. This is perfectly reasonable, but nevertheless a major source of the unsatisfactoriness that fills my day.

So, life is inherently unsatisfactory. How can one ever experience eternal bliss, if unsatisfactoriness is everywhere? I guess that’s what the Buddha was talking about. It has been said that the way to nirvana is through samsara or in plain language we must go through suffering to get to bliss. If this is true, then we must fully experience and understand our unsatisfactoriness in order to make progress on the spiritual path toward enlightenment. The first step is to carefully explore our experiences and see where and what we find unsatisfactory.

So, begin with the suffering, stupid.

“On top of the sufferings of birth, aging, sickness, and death, we encounter the pains of facing the unpleasant, separating from the pleasant, and not finding what we want. The basic problem lies with the type of mind and body that we have. Our mind-body complex serves as a basis for present sufferings in the form of aging, sickness, and death, and promotes future suffering through our usual responses to painful situations.” – Dalai Lama

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

Improve Children’s Attention in School with Mindfulness

August 6, 2016 psyjdc 6 Comments

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

“Before we can teach a kid how to academically excel in school, we need to teach him how to have stillness, pay attention, stay on task, regulate, make good choices. We tell kids be quiet, calm yourself down, be still. We tell them all these things they need in the classroom, but we’re not teaching them how to do that.” – Jean-Gabrielle Larochette

Childhood is a miraculous period during which the child is dynamically absorbing information from every aspect of its environment. This occurs almost without any intervention from the adults as the child appears to be programmed to learn. It is here that behaviors, knowledge, skills, and attitudes are developed that shape the individual. But, what is absorbed depends on the environment. If it is replete with speech, the child will learn speech, if it is replete with trauma, the child will learn fear, if it is replete with academic skills the child will learn these, and if it is replete with interactions with others, the child will learn social skills.

Elementary school is an environment that has a huge effect on development. It is also an excellent time teach children the skills that will insure that the child has the ability to adaptively negotiate its environment. Mindfulness training in school, at all levels has been shown to have very positive effects. These include academic, cognitive, psychological, and social domains. Importantly, mindfulness training in school appears to improve the student’s self-concept. Since, what occurs in these early years and in school can have such a profound, long-term effect on the child it is important to further study the impact of mindfulness training on the emotions, behavior, and self-concept of grammar school children.

In today’s Research News article “Mindfulness-Oriented Meditation for Primary School Children: Effects on Attention and Psychological Well-Being.” See:

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1287962937894296/?type=3&theater

or below or view the full text of the study at:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4894866/

Crescentini and colleagues randomly assigned two 2^nd grade classes of 7-8 year-old children to either receive mindful meditation training or emotion awareness training. The training occurred 3 days per week for 8 weeks. The periods were gradually increased in duration, from 10 minutes per day at the beginning of training to 30 minutes per day by the end of the 8-weeks. The mindful meditation training involved mindful breathing, mindfulness of body, and mindfulness of thoughts. The control condition of emotion awareness training occurred over similar time periods and consisted of reading and discussing a book on recognizing and experiencing emotions. Measures were taken before and after training from children’s self-reports of depression and by the evaluations of two teachers who not involved and blind to the training. The teachers rated the children on anxiety/depression, withdrawal/depression, somatic complaints, social problems, thought problems, attention problems, rule-breaking behavior, aggressive behavior, internalizing problems, and externalizing problems.

They found that both groups improved on their teacher ratings of total behavior problems and internalizing problems. The mindful meditation training also produced improvements in attention, restlessness/inattention, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder scores. The children’s depression self-reports did not differ from pre-test to post-test and between trainings. These results indicate that mindful meditation training improved attention and ADHD type problems, and reduced internalizing problems.

It is important that mindfulness meditation training improved attentional skills. These are absolutely essential to classroom education and suggest that the training may produce improvements in academic performance. Improvements in attention are not surprising as meditation is in general an attentional training. It is also important that the meditation training reduced internalizing problems. This is important for the child’s development of a positive self-image. By not internalizing the child does not interpret everything that happens as a result of their own thoughts and behaviors. This then allows the child to develop a more accurate depiction of what they affect and what they don’t, developing a more accurate self-concept.

It is interesting that meditation training can be effective in children this young. Starting early in life while the individual is learning, developing, changing, and growing may be particularly important as an appropriate stage is set for positive psychological, emotional, and behavioral development.

“Studies of mindfulness programs in schools have found that regular practice — even just a few minutes per day — improves student self-control and increases their classroom participation, respect for others, happiness, optimism, and self-acceptance levels. It can help reduce absenteeism and suspensions too.” – Katrina Schwartz

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Google+ https://plus.google.com/106784388191201299496/posts

Study Summary

Crescentini, C., Capurso, V., Furlan, S., & Fabbro, F. (2016). Mindfulness-Oriented Meditation for Primary School Children: Effects on Attention and Psychological Well-Being. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 805. http://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00805

Abstract

Mindfulness-based interventions are increasingly being used as methods to promote psychological well-being of clinical and non-clinical adult populations. Much less is known, however, on the feasibility of these forms of mental training on healthy primary school students. Here, we tested the effects of a mindfulness-meditation training on a group of 16 healthy children within 7–8 years of age from an Italian primary school. An active control condition focused on emotion awareness was employed on a group of 15 age-matched healthy children from the same school. Both programs were delivered by the same instructors three times per week, for 8 total weeks. The same main teacher of the two classes did not participate in the trainings but she completed questionnaires aimed at giving comprehensive pre-post training evaluations of behavior, social, emotion, and attention regulation skills in the children. A children’s self-report measure of mood and depressive symptoms was also used. From the teacher’s reports we found a specific positive effect of the mindfulness-meditation training in reducing attention problems and also positive effects of both trainings in reducing children’s internalizing problems. However, subjectively, no child in either group reported less depressive symptoms after the trainings. The findings were interpreted as suggestive of a positive effect of mindfulness-meditation on several children’s psychological well-being dimensions and were also discussed in light of the discrepancy between teacher and children’s reports. More generally, the results were held to speak in favor of the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions for healthy primary school children.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4894866/

Reduce Stress during Challenging Tasks with Mindfulness

August 5, 2016 psyjdc Leave a comment

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

“Sprinkling “Omm” mantras between “Ooh Rah!” battle cries can pay dividends for members of the Marine Corps and other branches of the military. According to a growing body of research, regular meditation improves the wellbeing of military members — both active duty and those who have previously served.” – Ella Xiong

Stress is an integral part of life. In fact, I’ve quipped that the definition of death is when stress ceases. People often think of stress as a bad thing. But, it is in fact essential to the health of the body. If the muscles are not stressed to some extent they deteriorate. As it turns out, this is also true for the brain. The same goes for our psychological health. If we don’t have any stress, we call it boredom. In fact, we invest time and resources in stressing ourselves, e.g ridding rollercoasters, sky diving, competing in sports, etc. We say we love a challenge, but, challenges are all stressful. So, we actually love to stress ourselves. In moderation, it is healthful and provides interest and fun to life.

If stress, is high or is prolonged, however, it can be problematic. It can damage our physical and mental health and even reduce our longevity, leading to premature deaths. So, it is important that we employ methods to either reduce or control high or prolonged stress or reduce our responses to it. Participation in the military can be highly stressful. Hence, this can be an excellent laboratory in which to test methods to reduce or control stress. Mindfulness practices have been found routinely to reduce the psychological and physiological responses to stress. So, it makes sense to test the effectiveness of mindfulness practices to reduce responsiveness to the high levels of stress that can be experienced in the military.

In today’s Research News article “Impact of Mindfulness Training on Physiological Measures of Stress and Objective Measures of Attention Control in a Military Helicopter Unit.” See:

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1287188401305083/?type=3&theater

or below or view the full text of the study at:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4867781/

Meland and colleagues recruited military helicopter pilots who were undergoing high workload, high stressful preparations for deployment into a combat zone. They were randomly assigned to receive a 4-month Mindfulness Stress Reduction Program (MBSR) program or were assigned to a wait-list control group. Measurements were taken both prior to and after the training of salivary cortisol levels that are indicative of stress levels and of mindfulness, attention, mental demand, anxiety, depression expectancies of positive outcomes, sleep, and physical activity.

They found that the MBSR program resulted not surprisingly in increases in mindfulness, particularly the observing and describing facets of mindfulness. It also produced a reduction in the physiological responses to stress as evidenced by a significant decrease in salivary cortisol levels. In addition, mindfulness training resulted in significant reductions in mental demands produced in a stressful task, worry, and depression and longer sleep with better sleep quality than the wait-list control group.

These results extend our knowledge of the effectiveness of Mindfulness Stress Reduction Program (MBSR) to reduce the physical and psychological responses to stress into real world highly stressful situations. It appears to help the individuals to cope with the mental demands of challenging tasks. This may improve the health and well-being of the military helicopter pilots and increase their effectiveness in the highly demanding role of pilot. If it can be effective here it can be effective virtually anywhere.

So, it is clear that mindfulness training can reduce stress not only during everyday life but also during highly challenging tasks.

“Mindfulness helps the body optimize its response to stress by helping the body interpret stressful events as bodily sensations. The brain adds less emotional affect to experiences and this helps with stress recovery.” – Martin Paulus
CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Google+ https://plus.google.com/106784388191201299496/posts

Study Summary

Meland, A., Ishimatsu, K., Pensgaard, A. M., Wagstaff, A., Fonne, V., Garde, A. H., & Harris, A. (2015). Impact of Mindfulness Training on Physiological Measures of Stress and Objective Measures of Attention Control in a Military Helicopter Unit. The International Journal of Aviation Psychology, 25(3-4), 191–208. http://doi.org/10.1080/10508414.2015.1162639

Abstract

Objective: This study sought to determine if mindfulness training (MT) has a measurable impact on stress and attentional control as measured by objective physiological and psychological means.

Background: Periods of persistent, intensive work demands are known to compromise recovery and attentional capacity. The effects of 4-month MT on salivary cortisol and performance on 2 computer-based cognitive tasks were tested on a military helicopter unit exposed to a prolonged period of high workload.

Methods: MT participants were compared to a wait list control group on levels of saliva cortisol and performance on a go–no go test and a test of stimulus-driven attentional capture. Participants also reported mental demands on the go–no go test, time of wakeup, sleep duration, quality of sleep, outcome expectancies, physical activity level, self-perceived mindfulness, and symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Results: The results from a mixed between–within analysis revealed that the MT participants compared to the control group had a larger pre to post increase in high- and low-cortisol slopes, and decrease in perceived mental demand imposed by the go–no go test.

Conclusion: MT alleviates some of the physiological stress response and the subjective mental demands of challenging tasks in a military helicopter unit during a period of high workload.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4867781/

ACT and CBT for Social Anxiety

August 4, 2016 psyjdc 2 Comments

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

“The power of a mindfulness practice, however, may come in the realization that one can live a meaningful life even with social anxiety. [A participant], says that he still feels nervous in social situations but now feels compassion — not judgment — for himself, and sees that “I can be more the person I want to be.” – Jason Drwal

Everyone experiences occasional anxiety and that is normal. But, frequent or very high levels of anxiety can be quite debilitating. These are termed anxiety disorders and they are the most common psychological problem. In the U.S., they affect over 40 million adults, 18% of the population, with women accounting for 60% of sufferers One out of every three absences from work are caused by high levels of anxiety and it is the most common reason for chronic school absenteeism. In addition, people with an anxiety disorder are three-to-five times more likely to go to the doctor and six times more likely to be hospitalized for psychiatric disorders than non-sufferers, making it a major burden on the healthcare system.

It is almost a common human phenomenon that being in a social situation can be stressful and anxiety producing. This is particularly true when asked to perform in a social context such as giving a speech. Most people can deal with the anxiety and can become quite comfortable. But many do not cope well with the anxiety or the level of anxiety is overwhelming, causing the individual to withdraw. Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is characterized by a persistent, intense, and chronic fear of being watched and judged by others and feeling embarrassed or humiliated by their actions. This fear may be so severe that it interferes with work, school, and other activities and may negatively affect the person’s ability to form relationships. SAD is the most common form of anxiety disorder occurring in about 7% of the U.S. population.

Anxiety disorders have generally been treated with drugs. It has been estimated that 11% of women in the U.S. are taking anti-anxiety medications. But, there are considerable side effects and these drugs are often abused. Although, psychological therapy can be effective it is costly and only available to a small numbers of sufferers. So, there is a need to develop alternative treatments. Recently, it has been found that mindfulness training can be effective for anxiety disorders including Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD). There is a need, however, to investigate the effectiveness of different therapeutic techniques for anxiety disorders.

In today’s Research News article “Cognitive Mediators of Treatment for Social Anxiety Disorder: Comparing Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy.” See:

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1286451728045417/?type=3&theater

or below or view the full text of the study at:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4842179/

Niles and colleagues compare the ability of two common and popular therapies for social anxiety disorder, one mindfulness based, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and one not, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Individuals with SAD were randomly assigned to receive ACT, CBT, or as a wait-list control. They were assessed for levels of social anxiety, anxiety during public speaking, experiential avoidance, depression, and quality of life before and after treatment and again 6 and 12 months later.

They found that both ACT and CBT were effective, significantly reducing the symptoms of social anxiety and that these reductions were still present 6 and 12 months later. They then compared the two treatments for the development of their effectiveness over the course of treatment. Both treatments significantly decreased both experiential avoidance and anxiety during public speaking, but ACT produced a more rapid decrease in both symptoms in the early stages of treatment whereas CBT produced a more rapid decrease in the later stages of treatment.

These are exciting findings. Both a therapy containing mindfulness training, ACT, and one that did not, CBT, were very effective for the treatment of Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), although having different profiles of improvement during the course of treatment. This suggests that there are two new viable treatments for this very prevalent disorder. Future research should investigate which treatment works best for different kinds of patients. Regardless, the results suggest that either ACT or CBT should be used to reduce social anxiety in highly anxious patients.

“instead of thinking, “I am so anxious. I will never get through this speech,” mindfulness would have you notice your anxiety with the thought, “Sometimes I have anxious feelings, but they are temporary. I know they will soon pass.” – Arlin Cuncic

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Google+ https://plus.google.com/106784388191201299496/posts

Study Summary

Niles, A. N., Burklund, L. J., Arch, J. J., Lieberman, M. D., Saxbe, D., & Craske, M. G. (2014). Cognitive Mediators of Treatment for Social Anxiety Disorder: Comparing Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy. Behavior Therapy, 45(5), 664–677. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2014.04.006

Abstract

Objective: To assess the relationship between session-by-session mediators and treatment outcomes in traditional cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for social anxiety disorder.

Method: Session-by-session changes in negative cognitions (a theorized mediator of CBT) and experiential avoidance (a theorized mediator of ACT) were assessed in 50 adult outpatients randomized to CBT (n = 25) or ACT (n= 25) for DSM-IV social anxiety disorder.

Results: Multilevel modeling analyses revealed significant nonlinear decreases in the proposed mediators in both treatments, with ACT showing steeper decline than CBT at the beginning of treatment and CBT showing steeper decline than ACT at the end of treatment. Curvature (or the nonlinear effect) of experiential avoidance during treatment significantly mediated posttreatment social anxiety symptoms and anhedonic depression in ACT, but not in CBT, with steeper decline of the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire at the beginning of treatment predicting fewer symptoms in ACT only. Curvature of negative cognitions during both treatments predicted outcome, with steeper decline of negative cognitions at the beginning of treatment predicting lower posttreatment social anxiety and depressive symptoms.

Conclusions: Rate of change in negative cognitions at the beginning of treatment is an important predictor of change across both ACT and CBT, whereas rate of change in experiential avoidance at the beginning of treatment is a mechanism specific to ACT.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4842179/

Improve Fitness in Visually Impaired Children with Yoga

August 3, 2016 psyjdc Leave a comment

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

“As those of us with good vision can imagine, the loss of something that helps the function of our body and mind can cause a lot of stress, depression, anxiety and sleep deprivation. Well, guess what has been proven to help those who can see with the similar symptoms? Yep, yoga.” – Julie Phillips-Turner

Visual impairment is quite common among children and adolescents. “According to the 2014 American Community Survey, there are approximately 543,893 children with vision difficulty in the U.S. According to the 2014 ACS, there are 261,413 girls and 282,480 boys under the age of 18 that have vision difficulty in the U.S.” – American Foundation for the Blind. Due to the impaired vision and its impact on movements and physical activities, the visually impaired children generally have lower fitness levels, including deficits in muscular strength and balance.

Yoga practice has been found to improve muscular strength and balance in adults with visual impairment. In today’s Research News article “Yoga Practice Increases Minimum Muscular Fitness in Children with Visual Impairment.” See:

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1285660018124588/?type=3&theater

or below or view the full text of the study at:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4699502/

Mohnaty and colleagues examine the effectiveness of yoga practice to improve muscular strength in 9-16-year old children. They randomly assigned students at a school for the blind to either a yoga practice group or a wait-list control group. The yoga practice consisted of breathing exercises, loosening practices, postures, relaxation and meditation and was practiced for 60 minutes, 5 days per week for 16 weeks. The wait-list control group participated in a vocational training program instead of yoga practice.

The students were assessed before during and after the 16-week practice period with the Kraus-Weber test of muscular fitness which includes assessments of abdominal with psoas muscles, upper abdominal without psoas muscles, lower abdominal with psoas muscle, upper back muscles, lower back muscles and back and hamstrings. the Kraus-Weber test is a pass or fail test and if the student failed on any of its six components then they were considered as failing the whole test. They found that by the end of the 16-week practice period that the yoga group had significantly fewer failures of the Kraus-Weber test than the control group. Before practice only 12.2% of the children in the yoga group passed the test. But, by the end of the practice period 97.6% of the children passed while only 64.1% of the control group passed.

The study provides clear evidence that practicing yoga can improve muscular fitness in visually impaired children. This is important as the lack of fitness has health consequences for the children and can lead to increased levels of falls and injuries. In addition, yoga practice is known to be safe and to have a wide variety of physical and psychological benefits.

So, improve fitness in visually impaired children with yoga.

“It’s hard at first, and then they get it. We use the edge of the mat for alignment during the practice. We also do the same sequence of poses each week, which does a lot of work on the floor, and some standing poses, including tree pose. The key is to go slowly and use ujaii breath to help center their weight, and stabilize while keeping their attention inward.” Pam Jeter

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Google+ https://plus.google.com/106784388191201299496/posts

Study Summary

Mohanty, S., Venkata Ramana Murty, P., Pradhan, B., & Hankey, A. (2015). Yoga Practice Increases Minimum Muscular Fitness in Children with Visual Impairment. Journal of Caring Sciences, 4(4), 253–263. http://doi.org/10.15171/jcs.2015.026

Abstract

Introduction: Muscle strength, a component for balance, gait and functional mobility is vital for children with visual impairment. Yoga has frequently been demonstrated to improve physical and mental fitness in children. This study aimed to assess the effect of 16 weeks yoga training on muscular ﬁtness in children with visual impairment.

Methods: This was a wait-listed two-armed-matched case–control study. Eighty (41 yoga, 39 control) visual impairment students of both genders aged 9-16 years matched on age, gender and degree of blindness were assessed at pre, mid (after 8 weeks) and post (after 16 weeks) yoga intervention using the Kraus-Weber test.

Results: The percentage of students passed in yoga group were 12.2%, 43.9% and 68.3% whereas percentages in the control group were 23.1%, 30.8% and 30.8% in pre, mid, and post tests respectively. McNemar test showed significant differences between pre and mid, mid and post in the yoga group while those parameters were not significantly different in the control group. Yoga therapy seemed to have considerable benefits for the children’s muscular ﬁtness.

Conclusion: The study suggests that yoga have considerable benefits for improvement of fitness level in children with visual impairment and may be recommended as and effective, alternative, inexpensive low risk training activity option for them.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4699502/

Reduce Job Burnout with Mindfulness

August 2, 2016February 6, 2017 psyjdc Leave a comment

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

“Mindfulness’s deliberate presence allows for improvement in care of peers and patients even when not directly caring for them in a medical manner. And it is this deliberate presence that can provide individuals with tools to be mentally and emotionally centered in a professional field that demands continuously increasing forms of self-sacrifice.” – Ayoosh Pareek

Stress is epidemic in the western workplace with almost two thirds of workers reporting high levels of stress at work. In high stress occupations burnout is all too prevalent. This is the fatigue, cynicism, emotional exhaustion, and professional inefficacy that comes with work-related stress. Healthcare and teaching are high stress occupations. It is estimated that over 45% of healthcare workers experience burnout with emergency medicine at the top of the list, over half experiencing burnout. Currently, over a third of healthcare workers report that they are looking for a new job. Nearly half plan to look for a new job over the next two years and 80% expressed interest in a new position if they came across the right opportunity. Teachers also experience burnout at high rates. Roughly a half a million teachers out of a workforce of three million, leave the profession each year and the rate is almost double in poor schools compared to affluent schools. Indeed, nearly half of new teachers leave in their first five years.

Burnout frequently results from emotional exhaustion. This exhaustion not only affects the healthcare providers and teachers personally, but also the patients and students, as it produces a loss of enthusiasm, empathy, and compassion. Regardless of the reasons for burnout or its immediate presenting consequences, it is a threat to the healthcare providers and their patients and to schools and their students. In fact, it is a threat to the entire healthcare and educational systems as it contributes to the shortage of doctors, nurses, and teachers. Hence, preventing burnout has to be a priority. Mindfulness has been demonstrated to be helpful in treating and preventing burnout.

In today’s Research News article “Systematic Review of Mindfulness Practice for Reducing Job Burnout.” See:

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1284829924874264/?type=3&theater

or below or view the full text of the study at:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4776732/

Luken and Sammons reviewed the published research literature on the effectiveness of mindfulness training in treating professional burnout. They found that all of the published studies used between-groups designs with waitlist control groups. The studies also employed either modified forms of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program or other mindfulness training programs. They found that the majority of the published research literature provided clear evidence of efficacy. Mindfulness training was found to significantly reduce burnout in both healthcare professionals and teachers.

The hallmark of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and mindfulness training in general is the reduction in stress; not actual stress but the individual’s physical and psychological responses to stress. Stress is still felt but the individual reacts less and responds more adaptively to it. This is very helpful in dealing with the high levels of stress that teachers and healthcare workers experience on a daily basis. It is this stress that drains the individual and eventually produces exhaustion. Hence, stress reduction is a major contributor to the observed reduction in burnout.

Mindfulness training also makes the individual more aware of their own immediate physical and emotional state. Since this occurs in real time, it provides the individual the opportunity to recognize what is happening and respond to it effectively before it contributes to an overall state of burnout. Indeed, mindfulness training has been shown to significantly improve emotion regulation. This produces clear experiencing of the emotion in combination with the ability to respond to the emotion adaptively and effectively. So, teachers and healthcare worker can recognize their state, realize its origins, not let it affect their performance, and respond to it appropriately, perhaps by the recognition that rest is needed. This too contributes to mindfulness training’s ability to reduce burnout.

So, reduce job burnout with mindfulness.

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

“While the practice of mindfulness is never a “cure-all”, research suggests that it is a powerful foundation upon which teachers can start to build their social-emotional skills—and, in turn, improve their teaching. So while we may never be able to stop that student from making an offensive remark, we can control our reaction—which, in the end, may make the student think twice about doing it again.” – Vicki Zakrzewski

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Google+ https://plus.google.com/106784388191201299496/posts

Study Summary

Luken, M., & Sammons, A. (2016). Systematic Review of Mindfulness Practice for Reducing Job Burnout. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 70(2), 7002250020p1–7002250020p10. http://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2016.016956

Abstract

OBJECTIVE. A systematic search and critical appraisal of interdisciplinary literature was conducted to evaluate the evidence for practicing mindfulness to treat job burnout and to explore implications for occupational therapy practitioners.

METHOD. Eight articles met inclusion criteria. Each study was assessed for quality using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database scale. We used the U.S. Agency for Health Care Policy and Research guidelines to determine strength of evidence.

RESULTS. Of the studies reviewed, participants included health care professionals and teachers; no studies included occupational therapy practitioners. Six of the 8 studies demonstrated statistically significant decreases in job burnout after mindfulness training. Seven of the studies were of fair to good quality.

CONCLUSION. There is strong evidence for the use of mindfulness practice to reduce job burnout among health care professionals and teachers. Research is needed to fill the gap on whether mindfulness is effective for treating burnout in occupational therapy practitioners.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4776732/