By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Mindfulness can help people train themselves to get unstuck from a vicious cycle of negative thinking, often a cornerstone of trauma.” – Jennifer Wolkin Experiencing trauma is quite common. It has been estimated that 60% of men and 50% of women will experience a significant traumatic event during […]
By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “It is important to realize that a well-functioning democracy — a republic — depends not just on freedom from censorship, but also on a set of common experiences and on unsought, unanticipated, and even unwanted exposures to diverse topics, people, and ideas. A system of “gated communities” […]
By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “It had been traditionally assumed that personality traits are relatively stable entities, but more recent research demonstrates that personality, including disposition towards mindfulness, can change over time as a result of life experiences or through mindfulness practice.” – Yi‑Yuan Tang The genes dictate all of the […]
By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Tai Chi is a sophisticated form of whole body Neuromuscular/skeletal movement re-education. With good use, the body moves easily – with balance and coordination; both mental and physical. Initially developed as a martial art, it has now become more widely practiced as an exercise for health and […]
By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “They were able to have a sense of personal control over their migraines. It really makes us wonder if an intervention like meditation can change the way people interpret their pain.” – Rebecca Erwin Wells Headaches are the most common disorders of the nervous system. It has […]
By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Right Actions” is the fourth component of the Buddha’s Noble Eightfold Path, Right View, Right Intentions, Right Speech, Right Actions, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration.” It follows directly from “Right View”. When one sees everything just as it is and understands how everything is […]
By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Silent retreats are a kind of crucible that reveal the workings of the mind in a unique and illuminating way.” James Baraz This essay is the 6th of a continuing series of essays about the experience of silent meditation retreat. Click on the numbers to follow the […]
“ACT work is based more on the psychology of the normal. I think we have every reason to believe that most of the things that people struggle with are based on the failure to bring out normal psychological processes.” – Stephen Hayes Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a psychotherapy technique that is based […]
In the last posts we discussed beginning meditation practice building up to open monitoring meditation practice. Beginning Meditation – Getting Started 4 – Open Monitoring Meditation https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1057568944267031/?type=1&theater http://contemplative-studies.org/wp/index.php/2015/07/25/beginning-meditation-getting-started-4-open-monitoring-meditation/ Beginning Meditation – Getting Started 3 – Breath Following 2 http://contemplative-studies.org/wp/index.php/2015/07/24/beginning-meditation-getting-started-3-breath-following-2/ Beginning Meditation – Getting Started 2 – Breath Following 1 http://contemplative-studies.org/wp/index.php/2015/07/23/208/ Today we will begin […]
What we learn as young children continues to affect us throughout our lives. If we wish to build better adults the place to start is in early childhood education. Here we can mold and build behaviors and attitudes that will shape the individual’s behavior over a lifetime. Our focus to date in early education has […]