Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Meditation Works

People often ask, "Why is meditation helpful?"  There is mounting scientific evidence that shows how meditation effects brain function and psychological well being. What I think is most helpful about meditation is the influence and impact it can have on the way you relate to your mind. For clients who struggle with anxiety and depression this tool can be enormously helpful.

Those who learn to meditate regularly, even if it is for only 10 minutes a day,  find that the process of reflecting on thoughts, feelings, and sensations with a mindful approach not only quiets the mind while doing the meditation, but perhaps more importantly, it also can change the way one relates to the mind in day to day life.  Not only does the quieting of the mind persist beyond the time of the experience,  but for many who practice meditation with some regularity, there is a shift that occurs in how one views one's own internal world. An example here can illustrate what I am describing.

Often the focus of a particular meditative practice is on the breath.  What most of us find when we sit in silence for a few moments trying to bring our attention to the breath is that thoughts 'interfere" or "intrude" on the process.  Sometimes when I meditate I find that a single thought enters my mind and returning to the breath can be quite simple.  Other times when I meditate a narrative can develop that is quite involved.  Sometimes my mind will get lost or caught up in attempts at solving a problem, other times I might discover that I am thinking about what needs to be put on the grocery list.   Whatever it is, during these moments my mind is not being particularly mindful as evidenced by the fact that it isn't focusing on the breath.

When doing mindful meditations one is encouraged to notice the thought or thoughts, and then simply return to the breath.  By learning this process one also recognizes that so many of our thoughts, feelings, and perceptions are simply manifestations of the mind.  Unfortunately many of us relate to these internal experiences as if they are reality and for some this can lead to negative emotional responses that can ultimately lead to significant issues with mood.

For instance, the thoughts of the anxious parent who creates "what if" scenarios feels a sense of worry and dread as they go through their daily life.  They may worry that their child is going to be bullied at school, or they may worry that their child will never have any friends.  These thoughts create anxiety.  The mindful meditator can learn to recognize that in and of themselves, the thoughts are simply thoughts.  Their value is nothing more or less than that.  This approach to thoughts, feelings, and perceptions can result in a dramatic reduction in anxiety and for someone who suffers from that malady it can be enormously helpful.

Many people find that it is difficult to create a time and space daily for meditation.  If that is the case and you are not inclined to do a daily practice, mindfulness approaches can still be helpful.  The example I like to use is the next time you are feeling stressed because you are late for something, shift the focus of your mind to your breath.  Notice where the breath is as you inhale and exhale.  You can also focus on other sensations in the body.   If you are in line at the store and you need to be somewhere else focus your mind on the body.  Consider the sensation of your feet touching the floor, or examine the the texture of the objects in your hands. When you discipline yourself to focus the mind on these things you will notice a momentary relief and you may very well find that there is a reduction in the stress that you are feeling.





Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Do you worry about your drinking habits?

I often work with people who express concerns about the amount of alcohol they consume.  There is mounting evidence that alcohol addiction and dependence is growing amongst the middle aged population and there is a high probability that the increasing use of alcohol in our society is contributing to a variety of medical conditions that are becoming more and more life limiting.  For many people alcohol intake is "managed," but with repercussions.  For those who "drink too much" yet who are quite "functional," there is a toll to be paid.  For these drinkers, the all too often hangover, can impact the quality of family relations, one's sense of wellbeing, and the quality of their work.  Self esteem is often eroded by the struggle associated with failed attempts at abstinence and the ability to live fully "in the moment" is severely impaired by frequent reliance on alcohol.  Needless to say, moderate to heavier drinkers are much more likely to suffer from sleep disorders, depression and anxiety.  I can't tell you how many people I see who have gone on antidepressants or anti anxiety medications to relieve the symptoms of depression and anxiety that are actually caused by too much drinking!

While Alcoholics Anonymous and other treatment approaches have been successful in helping many people, there have been some unfortunate unintended consequences that have resulted from these support programs and treatment approaches.  For instance, one of the concepts behind AA  is that "Alcoholism" is a disease.  On the one hand this has been useful in reducing some of the shame associated with the addiction, but on the other hand, it has made it more difficult for many people to deal with their drinking problems because it would suggest that to stop drinking one has to see oneself as having a disease....a disease that will be with you for the rest of your life.  And for you to overcome the effects of the disease you have to learn to fight your addiction one day at a time for the rest of your life.  It is a rather bleak concept.  For some this has been very helpful, (even life saving), but for others, not so much.

In recent years there has been a growing chorus of people who challenge the "disease concept" as the cause of addiction, and instead focus on the substance as the cause of the addiction.  One has to wonder if this isn't a more balanced and a healthier way to conceptualize this addiction.  People who are challenging the disease concept will often note how interesting it is that we don't talk about people suffering from "Heroinism" or people suffering from "Cocainism" so why do we think that people who become addicted to alcohol have a disease that makes it happen when we don't say that about other substance issues?

What I have found is that it is often much easier for people to address their drinking problems constructively if they can focus on the substance as "the problem."  There are several books and websites on this topic that I have found particularly useful that you might want to explore if you are worried about your drinking and want to do something about it.   HelloSundayMorning www.hellosundaymorning.com is a self help site for people who are trying to moderate or abstain from drinking.  It began and comes from Australia but it has people participating from all over the world.  There is a lot of support available on the site and there are many resources as well.  High Sobriety is a book by Jill Stark that you might find interesting as an introductory read.  Feel free to reach out to me if you think I can provide you with any more resources or help.