The Mindfulness Cliche

 

Over the past few years there has been a constant clamor regarding the wonders of a new version of Positive Psychology involving mindfulness. This leaves me to wonder if there is any substance to this or if it is yet another pop psychology mantra waiting to be pushed aside by the next trend. Is this unjustified panacea, merely yet another placebo claiming wondrous results, or a therapeutically significant concept? My intent here is to explore the origin, foundation, and potential value of mindfulness psychotherapy - and its relationship to hypnotherapy.

I first became acquainted with the concept when I attended a three-day workshop jointly conducted by two psychologists at an annual conference held each December in Hilton Head, South Carolina. the marriage counsellor The presenters were Mark S. Weisberg, PhD, an established authority in mind/body healing who practices in Minnesota, and Ronald D. Siegel, PsyD, who is affiliated with the Harvard Medical School. Since then I have become familiar with the work of Richard J. Davidson, PhD, a Harvard-educated scientist working at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Tenzin Nagi, PhD, at Emory University in Atlanta.

The common theme in their work is the belief that focused mindfulness can and will affect the physiological structure of the body and can have an effect on behavioural problems as well. This seems to be part of a mind/body continuum that has looked into role of stress on the body as well as the beneficial impact of compassion meditation on the body's production of stress-related cortisol and the presence of oxytocin in the cranial cavity Dr. Davidson correlates the latter with negative stress triggers - the more oxytocin, the more tolerant of negativity a person becomes.

One cannot say the word mindfulness without simultaneously thinking of Buddhism - a fact which gives it a quasi-religious flavor. Indeed, this should be no surprise, as Dr. Nagi is not only a Tibetan and a former monk, he also holds a Geshi Lamrimpa degree, which is equivalent to a doctorate in Buddhist studies. diversity training Also, I once encountered Dr. Siegel at a symposium that featured His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet. At that same meeting Dr. Davidson presented his recent research to His Holiness. So, the Buddhist connection and influence on mindfulness psychotherapy is a very well established fact.

Anyone who has minimally studied Buddhism will recognize that "right mindfulness" is number seven of the Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path. In fact, it is one of the three mental development components of the path - the other two being "right effort" and "right concentration." The Buddha's first post-Enlightenment sermon included the Four Noble Truths with the last one being the path to Enlightenment of which mindfulness belongs. As Buddhist practitioners view this Path as an answer to mental wholeness, it is actually very easy to secularize it as a psychotherapeutic intervention.

Most of the studies that have been published over the past few years talk of the remarkable results achieved when getting a subject to develop more focus on the present time and place, which is pretty much the best definition I can find for mindfulness. Yet, somehow I don't believe that the current enthusiasm regarding this topic fully appreciates its true meaning and implication. Indeed, the ability to focus the mind has more profound ramifications.

To understand this one must get past the quasi-religious implications and look into the hard science that can be found by examining its neurological basis. In a few of my courses I point out that the thickness of the neural networks in various brain structures are directly correlated to increased functional capacity. You can translate this to mean that the functions provided by that area are enhanced. For instance, if the area with thickened neural networks is related to spelling, mathematics, memory, etc, you can accomplish these tasks at a higher level. It was discovered post mortem that Time Magazine's Man of the Century, Albert Einstein, had thicker than normal parietal lobes.

Enhanced brain structures have also been found in long-term meditators, a group that may represent the epitome of mindfulness practitioners. It was discovered that they generally had thicker Reticular Activating Systems and right prefrontal cortices. The former, which is located in the brainstem, is believed to have a lot to do with human consciousness. (Therefore, it is a primary target for chemical anesthetics.) The latter provides higher brain functions such as inhibition and the assignment of meaning. It also provides the additional service of allowing selective thought. This is why increased competence in this area is so important to hypnotherapists and anyone interested in personal transformation.

There is another very important area of the brain that must also be considered. It is the anterior cingulate cortex, which resides deep inside the brain and in front of the limbic system. Consider it the switchboard for our thoughts. While some, like University of Pennsylvania's renown neuroscientist Andrew Newberg, MD, tout the wonderful value of an activated ACC, others such as Daniel Amen, MD, a psychiatrist who has scanned more than 40,000 brains, warn that when this structure becomes overactive it can cause a wide range of mental problems. I also equate this over activity with the long-term ill effects of excessive multi-tasking.

So, rather than focusing on the near-mystical quality of mindfulness, my suggestion is that anyone interested in human transformation - by which I mean mental and physical to include developing increased levels of competence - should center their attention on two essential facts. First, the increased use of any functional area of the brain creates higher levels of competence. This is not limited to just the areas that tend to become hyper-developed in the brains of mindfulness masters. My conclusions come not only from studies of meditators, but also from considering prodigious geniuses including those who have been identified as having the savant syndrome. Second, by calming the brain - specifically the ACC - more energy and focus can be applied to this competency-building process.

What does this have to do with hypnotherapy? My definition of hypnosis says that it is a process of reducing pattern resistance - that is, neurological resistance to change - and enhancing the efficiency of selective thought. family therapy This process tends to have the side-benefit of calming an overactive ACC. Therefore, the enhanced awareness that results from hypnosis can be attributed primarily to this. Secondarily, the selective thinking structure of the brain - the right prefrontal cortex - plays a role both in hypnosis and mindfulness.

While hypnosis tends to tinker around with the same parts of the brain involved in mindfulness efforts, it comes up short when it comes to truly benefiting a person in the long run. Of course, that is unless the subject practices self-hypnosis continually over a long-term period. If hypnosis is truly to have beneficial effect, it must be regularly practiced and it must seek to stimulate and enhance more than just the right prefrontal cortex and the Reticular Activating System. Note that advanced Buddhist meditators also participate in analytical meditation and higher level tantric practices, which involve intensely detailed visualizations of intricate mandalas and even the movement of drops of energy within their bodies. Indeed, achieving mindfulness is only the first step. A lack of direct and comprehensive visualization skills is where typical hypnotherapy falls short. This is a problem that I have sought to correct with Advanced Neuro-Noetic Hypnosis TM.

Mindfulness psychotherapy has pointed out many of the benefits of long-term efforts regarding the practice of sustained mental focus. Unfortunately, I fear that should this trend be viewed intrinsically as a panacea, the benefits from further consideration will not be realized. Undeniably, recent studies reveal the capability of a person to physically change the brain by directing the content of their thoughts. I see this as merely one positive step toward the much bigger realization regarding the tremendous power of transformation that is within each of us.