| As a long term yogic and vipassana meditator, and a | | | | these thoughts and beliefs that my mind continually |
| mindfulness-based psychotherapist who regularly | | | | comes up with?” |
| teaches meditation practices to my patients, I find the | | | | Years of meditation cultivates a natural non-reactivity |
| growth of mindfulness as a clinical intervention very | | | | to experience. But why wait years, when simple |
| timely. Last year, I attended two conferences focused | | | | instructions for distress tolerance, like those featured in |
| on the use of mindfulness as a clinical intervention: | | | | DBT can be dispensed to patients suffering from |
| “Meditation and Psychotherapy” at Harvard | | | | emotion dysregulation? Following in the footsteps of |
| Medical School and “Mindfulness and | | | | ACT is Acceptance-based psychotherapy which |
| Psychotherapy” at UCLA. | | | | focuses on delivering skills for realizing and accepting |
| Interestingly, the conference at Harvard featured a | | | | here and now experience with compassion; something |
| greater percentage of presenters who do not use | | | | vipassana meditation and metta practices are well |
| meditation as an intervention in their clinical work. For | | | | documented at cultivating in long-term practitioners. Yet |
| them, mindfulness is a teachable skill set, extrapolated | | | | again, why practice meditation at all when mindfulness |
| from a way of viewing life gained from sustained | | | | skills can be learned and behaviors changed? |
| Buddhist meditation practices. These presenters | | | | Additionally, it must be acknowledged that most |
| included: Steven Hayes, founder of ACT, Lizbeth | | | | psychotherapists will not want to learn and commit to |
| Roemer, U Mass GAD researcher and clinician, Tal | | | | a daily mindfulness meditation practice, or be trained to |
| Ben-Shahar, Harvard Lecturer on Positive Psychology, | | | | teach mindfulness meditation. Therefore, it may be |
| and Jayme Shorin, LICSW, sensorimotor trainer. The | | | | more desirable and practical in clinical settings to deliver |
| fact that the organizers of the Harvard conference | | | | a CBT-like mindfulness skill set rather than teach |
| felt it necessary to devote over half of the | | | | meditation |
| presentation time to methodologies that do not include | | | | In light of all these benefits, what do we lose in clinical |
| meditation was, for me, significant. | | | | practice when we allow instruction of vipassana |
| Though this might be expected at a “Mindfulness | | | | mindfulness meditation to fall into disfavor or become |
| and Psychotherapy” conference, in fact the UCLA | | | | outmoded? The following list is my best guess at an |
| conference featured more presenters discussing the | | | | answer to this question: |
| use of meditation and compassion practices as a | | | | 1.The long and short term stress-reducing physical |
| clinical intervention. These presenters included: Thich | | | | effects of meditation |
| Nhat Hahn, Vietnamese Buddhist monk and meditation | | | | 2.The plethora of profoundly, positive neural changes |
| teacher, Jack Kornfield, Tara Brach, Harriett Kimble | | | | evidenced in the brains of long term vipassana/Tibetan |
| Wrye, and Trudy Goodman, all psychologists and | | | | Buddhist meditators |
| meditation teachers, and Dr. Daniel Siegel & Harvard | | | | 3.The deep emotional healing that comes from metta |
| neuroscientist Sara Lazar presenting the neurobiology | | | | forgiveness/compassion meditation practices |
| of meditation. | | | | 4.The benefits of setting aside time in our busy lives |
| Due to the continuing trend in mental health toward | | | | for silence, meditation and contemplation |
| brief, CBT methods and away from depth-oriented, | | | | 5.The cultivation of peacefulness |
| psychodynamic therapies, one can easily see how a | | | | 6.The deepening of connection with and respect for |
| reduction of “mindfulness” to an easily | | | | our planet and all living things upon it, which naturally |
| deliverable skill set would be a natural outcome of the | | | | arise from sustained meditation practice |
| environment in which it is delivered. But is the doing | | | | 7.The shared joy of a community of meditators; |
| away with meditation practice psychotherapeutically | | | | whether traditional sanghas or 8-week |
| wrong or ineffective? Not necessarily. | | | | mindfulness-based groups like Mindfulness-Based |
| Even in the East, Karma Yoga is an example of a | | | | Stress Reduction (MBSR), Mindfulness-Based |
| path to liberation which eschews formal meditation | | | | Cognitive Therapy for Depression Relapse Prevention |
| practice in favor of a commitment to the work one | | | | (MBCT), or Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention for |
| does in the world as spiritual practice. Also, with | | | | addiction recovery (MBRP). |
| neuroscience showing significant brain changes from | | | | I have seen patients experience radical change from |
| long-term mindfulness meditation, one can easily see | | | | incorporating mindfulness meditation and mindfulness |
| how a researcher like Steven Hayes could create | | | | skills into their daily lives and I am excited to offer |
| mental exercises that simulate, through active | | | | MBRP, a mindfulness-based intervention for addiction |
| questioning of the validity of language, the realization of | | | | relapse prevention in San Jose, CA in March 2008. |
| the contextual nature of the self., i.e., “Am I really | | | | Please contact me for more information. |