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Living Mindfully with Chronic Illness

Presented by Nikki Lively, MA, LCSW www.nikkilively.com

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Living Mindfully with Chronic Illness


What is mindfulness? Defining the concept Breaking down the how and the what Mindfulness myths Practicing mindfulness Benefits of mindfulness practice The wisdom of mindfulness meditation

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What is mindfulness?
A meditation practice
Vipassana = goal is to develop insight about the workings of the mind 2500 year old tradition from South and Southeast Asia

A way of living day to day


waking up from a life on automatic, and being sensitive to novelty in our everyday experiences
(Siegel, 2007)

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What is mindfulness?
Watching, with awareness, the workings of the mind Noticing judgment, without grasping or pushing away

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Myths about mindfulness


Meditation is just a relaxation technique. Meditation means going into a trance. Meditation is a mysterious practice that cannot be understood. Meditation is for saints and monks and regular people cannot do it. When you meditate, you sit around thinking lofty thoughts. When you meditate you must clear your mind of all thoughts.
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It is what it is.
The practice of observing your mind over time and learning to be more in tune with yourself, your experience, and the present moment has amazing potential to change your life. There is nothing mystical or magical about this process. Is this it?
Disappointment and disillusionment are common in the beginning.

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Highlights of mindfulness research


Enhances ability to cope with distress in everyday life (as well as distress in more extraordinary circumstances, for ex. being diagnosed with a serious illness) Improved overall mental health with decreases in depression and anxiety symptoms Improved ability to regulate emotions, improve patterns of thinking, and reduce negative mindsets Improved relationships with others mindfulness linked to better understanding and empathy for other people
(Grossman, et al, 2004; Siegel, 2007)

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How can mindfulness help?


In a technology driven culture, our lifestyles often involve multi-tasking, and doing rather than being We are accustomed to high levels of stimulation in our activities that leave us with little time for self-reflection and interpersonal connection Without this self-attunement, we are vulnerable to building lives and making choices that do not reflect our true values, and needs.

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How can mindfulness help?


Helps us recognize mental traps that strengthen and reinforce our distress Help us decrease resistance to what is that increase our suffering Increases our sense of safety and control Enhances our ability to see clearly and be effective do what needs to be done

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How do judgments helps us?


Organize Categorize Avoid danger

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How do judgments hurt us?


Concepts and labels can impinge on our ability to experience life directly Believing in the truth of our negative associations can lead to depression, anxiety, stress, chronic anger, etc.

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The Farmers Luck From Zen Shorts by Jon J Muth

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When you look into a pool of water, if the


water is still, you can see the moon reflected. If the water is agitated, the moon is fragmented and scattered. It is harder to see the true moon. Our minds are like that. When our minds are agitated, we cannot see the true world.
Jon J. Muth

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The mind is its own place, and in itself Can make a heavn of hell, a hell of heavn.
John Milton

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Prisoners of our own minds


I dont have time for this!

This isnt fair!


Why do these things always happen to me? I cant take this anymore!

Im such a loser.
With practice, mindfulness can help us see the difference between thoughts and facts Seeing this difference has the potential to change our emotional reactivity to a situation, and reveal the full range of options of what to do next or how best to cope
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Things are as bad and as good as they seem. Theres no need to add anything extra.

- Pema Chdrn

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Thinking experiment How did your thinking impact your experience?

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What are you thinking right now?

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The What of Mindfulness


Observe your experience
Teflon mind Notice thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations as they come and go Be alert like a palace guard

Focus your attention


We can control where we put our attention (for short periods of time) Use the focus as your anchor to the present
(Adapted from Linehan, M., 1993)

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The How of Mindfulness


Non-judgmentally
Accept each thought, feeling, and bodily sensation Adopt a non-evaluative stance towards your experience When you notice judgment, just notice

One mindfully
When practicing mindfulness, just practice mindfulness When you notice your mind doing something different, just notice and re-focus
(Adapted from Linehan, M., 1993)

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Mindful Breathing Just this one (inhale) Breath (exhale)

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Mindfulness in Everyday Life


Integrate mindfulness in small, time increments
Mindfulness practices of 5 10 minutes per day are beneficial

Connect the practice to the game


Walking meditation Postures Slow-motion Activity Stolen moments (Gunaratana, 2002)
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Mindfulness in Everyday Life


Use daily life as your laboratory
Integrate a mindful stance into your everyday activities Allow difficult situations/people to be your teachers

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Mindfulness in Everyday Life Groundlessness


Compassionate inquiry
Our tendency to seek solid ground is deeply rooted Solid ground can take the form of myths we hold about ourselves, about others, beliefs about the world and how things work or should work, etc. Cultivating curiosity about the ways we tend to cling to solid ground is the first step moving towards groundlessness
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The secret of Zen is just three words: not always so. Shunryu Suzuki Roshi

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Mindfulness in Everyday Life Groundlessness


Smile at fear practice openness to uncertainty and ambiguity Practice compassionate inquiry into moods, emotions, thoughts, reactions, etc. This curiosity moves us towards three fold purity: no big deal about the doer, no big deal about the action, no big deal about the result
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How will this benefit me in dealing with chronic illness?


Mindfulness has the potential to lead to:
More internal attunement = better security with oneself Improved self-regulation = more flexibility Decreased attachment to our automatic judgments = increased creativity in problem solving Increased tolerance of strong emotions (fear, overwhelm) and ambiguity
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Dealing with Cancer My Friend


Diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma after several weeks in the hospital After two rounds of chemotherapy, the cancer did not respond Practicing mindfulness and a mindful stance helped me:
Acknowledge my own fears and anxieties with compassion Be present for my friend to talk about her sadness and her fears of dying Practice gratitude for our time together past and present
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Mullah Nasruddin: The Story of the Lost Key

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Universal Loving Kindness meditation


May I be well, happy, and peaceful. May no harm come to me. May no problems come to me. May I always meet with success. May I also have patience, courage, understanding, and determination to meet and overcome inevitable difficulties, problems, and failures in life. Extend this wish to family, friends, neutral people, all people, enemies, and all living things as you are ready
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Teachings of Pema Chdrn


The Rope of Mindfulness:
Cultivating minds inherent capacity to stay put is called mindfulness training. Mindfulness is like the rope that keeps the wild elephant from destroying everything in sight. The rope of mindfulness bring us back to our immediate experience: to our breath, to our walking, to the book in our hands.

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Teachings of Pema Chdrn


Effort with a Light Touch:
This point is essential: mindfulness tethers the mind to the present. Initially this takes effort, but this effort is applied with a very light touch. Its like brushing your teeth: you brush, you get distracted, and you just naturally come back. No big deal. By gently returning to the present, our mind calms down, and everything seems workable.

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Teachings of Pema Chdrn


Halt the Chain Reaction or Mind the Echo:
Emotional reactivity starts as a tightening. Theres the familiar tug and before we know it, were pulled along. In just a few seconds, we go from being slightly miffed to completely out of control. Nevertheless, we have the inherent wisdom and ability to halt this chain reaction early on. To the degree that were attentive, we can nip the addictive urge while its still manageable. Just as were about to step into the trap, we can at least pause and take some deep breaths before proceeding.

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Teachings of Pema Chdrn


Who we are:
Meditation practice isnt about trying to throw ourselves away and become something better. Its about befriending who we are already. The ground of practice is you or me or whoever we are right now, just as we are. Thats the ground, thats what we study, thats what we come to know with tremendous curiosity and interest.

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Teachings of Pema Chdrn


Everything human beings feel:
While we are sitting in meditation, we are simply exploring humanity and all of creation in the form of ourselves. We can become the worlds greatest experts on anger, jealousy, and self-deprecation, as well as on joyfulness, clarity, and insight. Everything that human beings feel, we feel. We can become extremely wise and sensitive to all of humanity and the whole universe simply by knowing ourselves, just as we are.

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Resources
Mindfulness in Plain English by Bhante Henepola Gunaratana Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness by Jon Kabat-Zinn Going to Pieces without Falling Apart: A Buddhist Perspective on Wholeness by Mark Epstein The Miracle of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh The Places that Scare you: A Guide to Fearlessness in Difficult Times by Pema Chdrn Leaves Falling Gently: Living Fully with Serious and Life-Limiting Illness Through Mindfulness, Compassion and Connectedness by Susan Bauer-Wu, PhD, RN, FAAN

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Nikki Lively, MA, LCSW nikkihelps@gmail.com

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