Mindfulness is now widely accepted practice for improving physical and psychological well-being. Recently, one participant in mindfulness-based interventions who is trying to integrate mindfulness in every-day life experiences reported to me that she had experienced palpitation and headache during her mindfulness practice. This rare observation leads me to ask about the risks (negative consequences) of mindfulness practice!
Hi Ahmad,
When the body and mind enter stillness, what is already there - experiences held in mind memory and tissue-held memory in the body, may emerge. In my studies and practices in bodywork, energy work, mindfulness/meditation, yoga, etc., there has always been reference to these possibilities and recommendations to seek professional medical assistance, i.e. counseling services to work through what may bubble up. The consequences you are contemplating are really a person's baggage unpacking, and that movement is a path toward wholeness. At the same time, special attention is prudent because a flood is not so healthy rather a gentle peeling of the layers as the person is ready. In short, it's not so much the methods that pose risk (in my opinion) but the resistance to acknowledge what's there, the readiness/committment to "do the work", and the willingness to seek appropriate services which may include a variety of providers, strategies, and most importantly, timing. Your thoughts?
Best,
Victoria
Hi Ahmad
The risks that mindfulness, as a gentle way of engaging in the present moment without judgement, could present with, would possibly relate tobecoming aware of their body, contrary to previous disconnect with their physical symtoms while away from the present and being on auto-pilot living.
Regards
Thanks dear Daniella, but many suggest that becoming aware of your body is useful to try to restore one self to normal. Additionally, avoid being "automatic pilot" helps to concentrate more and work better in your life.
Regards
Absolutelly. Mindfulness is, in my view, the only way to increase meaningful living, as the "auto-pilot" living comes with the risk of "living with no memories", including our own body/mind responses.
Regards
Hi Ahmad,
When the body and mind enter stillness, what is already there - experiences held in mind memory and tissue-held memory in the body, may emerge. In my studies and practices in bodywork, energy work, mindfulness/meditation, yoga, etc., there has always been reference to these possibilities and recommendations to seek professional medical assistance, i.e. counseling services to work through what may bubble up. The consequences you are contemplating are really a person's baggage unpacking, and that movement is a path toward wholeness. At the same time, special attention is prudent because a flood is not so healthy rather a gentle peeling of the layers as the person is ready. In short, it's not so much the methods that pose risk (in my opinion) but the resistance to acknowledge what's there, the readiness/committment to "do the work", and the willingness to seek appropriate services which may include a variety of providers, strategies, and most importantly, timing. Your thoughts?
Best,
Victoria
Unfortunately while questions about side effects and adverse effects are required in psychopharmacological studies, they are almost never included in studies of non-pharmacological interventions such as CBT and mindfulness. This needs to change in order to assess properly what the disadvantages of non-psychopharmacological treatments might be, and how common they are. I have talked to a number of clinicians, all of whom were able to recall side effects and even adverse effects when using psychotherapy or meditation.
Thanks Dr Simon, I like mindfulness and practice it daily, I have no problem with it. But people are not the same, and they have the right to get objective data and know about both sides.
Thanks James, I have already studied it (the relationship between mindfulness and anxiety), but it was a negative correlation.
I appreciated the input from Daniella, Victoria, Simon, James, and Ahmad. I particularly liked Victoria's explanation of the possible side effects or adverse effects of mindfulness.
Mindfulness is similar to relaxation technique, but it takes a slightly different path to accomplish relaxation and awareness. Just as we prepare our clients for relaxation training, so it would be wise for us to alert our clients about the possibility of relaxation and occasional tension from mindfulness in some clients.
The major benefit of mindfulness is that it trains a subject to have more control over his/her attention. This, in turn, leads to progress in releasing attachments, especially ones that are vexing or painful, as in obsessing. More generally, mindfulness training facilitates releasing the dependent attachments that lie behind neurotic trends, the trends that inhibit growth and maturation. There are neurotic trends that can lead to headache and other stress symptoms during training but this would tend to be rooted in a negative or conflicted regard for the training itself.
After viewing all of your comments, I was compelled to do a bit of research. There are two primary benefits of practicing mindfulness: reduction of apprehension and reduction of stress (Davis & Hayes, 2012). According to Brendel (2015), empirical research has proven the benefits for reducing anxiety and mental stress; while a recent study suggests that practicing mindfulness may cut the risk of stroke and heart attack. Thought I would just throw this information into the discussion, as I believe it is pertinent to an individual's overall well-being.
Brendel, D. (2015, February 11). There are risks to mindfulness at work. Retrieved from Harvard Business Review website:
https://hbr.org/2015/02/there-are-risks-to-mindfulness-at-work
Davis, D. M. & Hayes, J. A. (2012, July/August). What are the benefits of mindfulness. American Psychological Association, 43(7), 64.
http://www.apa.org/monitor/2012/07-08/ce-corner.aspx
Thank you dear Anthony, yes, It could be related to training itself, best regards...
The main purpose of mindfulness to to begin to pay attention to what you pay attention to. If you are paying attention to the fact that you have headaches and palpitations then you are noticing that you have headaches and palpitations and that should be looked into. You might not have had that awareness had you not practiced mindfulness.
So, is it possible that the participant had already palpitation and headache, but become more aware about them during her mindfulness practice?
Not all mindfulness practice is the same and not all practitioners practice the same way or are equally skilful. Buddhist meditation teachers often tell their students that if they try too hard to focus, they might experience headaches. The threshold for "too hard" is highly individual and difficult to quantify.
MBSR, although aimed at reducing stress, informs participants that practicing mindfulness for stress reduction can be stressful.
Nevertheless, it seems that there is a popular belief that mindfulness is a harmless practice that is beneficial for anyone, but I personally believe that it requires a highly skilled instructor who is able to assess each individual client to help them find a suitable practice. Mindful mindfulness instruction.
@LennyRavich: I enjoyed reading your definition of mindfulness! It reminds me of another way of putting it: It is like thinking about thinking!
Very well-stated; thank you for sharing!
Although mindfulness practice and meditation are different, there is some overlap. Meditation has been known for a long time to be contraindicated for people with schizophrenia or active psychoses, and possibly some personality disorders.
There may be similar concerns for mindfulness: http://media.rickhanson.net/home/files/SlidesIntegrativePsychiatrySept2011.pdf. The need for cautions, and a highly skilled therapist, as well as preventing adverse events with MBSR are reported here: http://aoc.mcgill.ca/wholepersoncare/files/wholepersoncare/P.Dobkin_2012.pdf
Ahmad,
some people may experience anxiety in some mindfulness pratcices such as mindulness of breathing when oriented to count their breaths. When doing so, they start to alter the natural frequency of breath and may become very anxious, almost in panic.
another point is that the practices may induce dissociative episodes in patients that ALREADY have dissociative episodes ( such as in conversion, PTSD or borderline personlity disorders).
The person leading the practice is very important, include to help orienting aspects related to posture. Posture, a very important point in religious meditation practices such as in Zen Buddism, when not correct, may increase pain and disconfort.
The correct mindfulness of breathing practice doesn't require the participant to alter the natural frequency of breath, participant should pay attention to the natural breathing sensations while non-judgmentally accept all simultaneous thoughts and emotions but without engaging with them. Surely, it is the responsibility of the instructor who is leading the practice to explain this to the participant.
Well,
counting as a way of increasing attention to breath is one of the techniques used sometimes to help people "ancor" on their breath.
In my experience it may have this "side effect" of causing anxiety in some people. I do not like using but I have seen that happen when the technique was used.
You definition of mindfulness of breath is correct. but even when the instructor explain it well and people were not supposed to alter their frequency, sometimes they do when they "put attention" on it.
Ahmad, I agree that any form of meditation (and there are many) should be explained correctly and thoroughly by a qualified instructor However, mindfulness is now a standard word for any silent technique, even for self-invented procedures that can cause harm through mental manipulation and effort.
I agree with several of the answers, that point out that regardless of the technique used during meditation, there are many dysfunctions already stored in the tissues and nervous system. This is our existing physical state, resulting from all our experiences over the years, and it can cause problems for us if we engage in a mental technique that is not natural and gentle.
Unfortunately, seeing a psychiatrist when problems happen during meditation is not likely to help much, because mental health professionals are not trained to understand the various forms of meditation or the mental and physical effects they may cause. Problems resulting from meditation are best dealt with by a skilled meditation teacher for the form of meditation involved. Sometimes a simple remedy is to ask the practitioner to stop their practice. But this may not be enough of an intervention if the side effects are severe.
Finally, I would like to remind everyone that even when a practitioner calls their meditation by a particular name, such as mindfulness or Transcendental Meditation, that may just be a name they have chosen for something they have invented by reading "meditation tips" on the web, or discussing meditation with a friend. We don't know exactly what someone is practicing if we have not interviewed them in depth concerning their practice.
In my activities as a teacher of transcending I frequently see side effects such as headaches from incorrect practice. Exerting mental effort is the most frequent cause of this side effect during the practice of transcending. It is easily fixed through normal support by a teacher. Once fixed, transcending will once again work properly, bringing the peace and happiness that the individual wants.
Change the direction of discussion if I may, one of the risks of mindfulness might be, when the person truly opens his/her mind, in some extreme cases, the person could be vulnerable to undesirable interference by any ideas, imageries or memories.
the risk of Mindfulness like as the disadvantage of hypnosis , especially for the severe psychotic patients or vulnerable persons of crime
I first came across mindfulness in Tibet in the late 70s and have been practising and teaching mindfulness since.
What needs to be kept in the forefront of this discussion is what mindfulness is and what it is not. Mindfulness is the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something in the here and now...not 'empty mind' (meditation) nor stillness in fact quite the opposite. The mind cannot block out the outside world and therefore will accept thoughts and the difference is they are accepted without judgement (née proficient) allowing the client to 'let them go'.
It is a mental state that is achieved through the focussing awareness on the present moment, feelings, thoughts, and body sensations it reduces the stress caused by continually thinking 'it happened last time' (mind is in the past) or 'it is not going to work' (mind in the future)...whereas by accepting them in the here and now reduces the need to put oneself under pressure (stress)...some individuals believe it is a therapeutic technique and use it as such, when it is really a pre-therapy technique...it assists individuals to be in a state of mind that accepts their own thoughts without judgement and therefore is able to open emotional pathways for processing.
I have used Mindfulness (breathing and sensory) in my War Veterans Counselling Practice and many say that it is the most relaxed they have felt...those that do not reach mindfulness have been those who are fearful of letting go of the past and/or the future, and these individuals will need to be referred for counselling therapy.
I believe EMDR is simply tool to stop the individual focusing on the past, therefore the client can talk about the past whilst keeping their mind in the present, a sort of mis-direction of emotions allowing the client to stay calm when discussing less than calm events. Mindfulness is not a treatment it is a way of life and always seek professional advice before you go it alone from a book or website or a friend.
Dear Kevin, I agree about definition of mindfulness and that it should be practiced under professional supervision till the person becomes able to use it as a way of life,,,,,
But (based on your experience) after seeking professional advice and practicing it professionally, what are the possible risks (negative consequences) of mindfulness practice (if any)?
I have not come across any difficulties or risks in my practice with myself, clients or trainees. I think if someone is informed that this is a 'cure' for all stress that will in itself place them under stress, which will impact on the depth of mindfulness...there are some individuals who use stress as a support mechanism to keep other negative experiences at bay...so I suppose in this case if mindfulness did in fact relieve stress then the original trauma may well flood back causing negative reactions, or the headaches could be produced by the mind trying to prevent those thoughts flooding back...mindfulness is a natural state...thinking and feeling in the here and now...I am finding it hard to imagine any negative reactions or risks - if carried out properly. The idea of a mindfulness practitioner is to train the individual to carry out mindfulness as a natural part of their life and therefore the stress should not get to levels that require intervention...however during the practice period the individual will return to their 'normal' state and then to mindfulness and then it can be used to reduce stress so that the situation that is causing that stress can be dealt with without that stress impacting on dealing with that stress. This is anecdotal and simply my opinion based on my experiences...
Is mindfulness as Kevin describes it more than simply "living in and focusing on the present" to the exclusion of past and future thoughts? I find myself doing so at intervals. and my research into poetry shows that when a poem "works" for a reader, it is precisely this phenomenon of experiencing the "presentness" of one's reality that is occurring.
We have mindfulness practice integrated in the DBT service and also use it with some other clients suffering from high stress and anxiety levels aligned to their Borderline personality.
Within this setting it is important to support clients to go to the 'right level' of relaxation and feeling distortion with emotion and trust is part of the presentation. More controlled and small step exercises both on depth and length with an experienced practitioner has shown to be beneficial with the client group.
...mindfulness is not living and focusing on the present (as that would be as stressful as focusing on the past or future). It is about living in the present in respect of thought processes. An example I use is this:
I lay in bed and think I really want to go swimming. However by the time I get to the bottom of the stairs thoughts such as "the changing rooms are cold and damp and there is no privacy" and "if I go swimming I may drown or catch some disease".
The first thought is about my past experiences of an outdoor swimming pool in the 60s where the changing rooms were 'elephant' rooms which were cold and damp and had no privacy...however the local indoor swimming pool that I go to has heated changing rooms and cubicles...
The second statement is about my fears of the future (fantasy) because I have never caught anything nor have I drowned...fantasy fear
If I were not to live in the here and now the thoughts from the past and the future may well impact on my behaviour i.e. I will not go swimming although I really want to...
In trauma and stress the issues can be caused by similar thinking...'if I go out at night I become scared of being mugged like when I was 14' (although this client was a mature person and trained in martial arts)...'if I go out at night those kids at the end of the road might beat me up' (although they never have beaten anyone up)...
If the past thoughts influence your decision to stay in, you could become self deprecating, if you go out your stress levels may increase when walking past the kids which may stop you going out in the future as you will could use this experience as a 'past' stopper i.e. last time I went out at night I was really scared...
By becoming proficient in mindfulness one can identify the thoughts that are truly yours and also the internalised thoughts of others...
When I write poetry which becomes meaningful to others, it is usually because I say what many people think, but they fear to say due to the fear of what might happen (future thoughts - people may laugh or think they are cowards), or their fear of the emotions of that experience coming back (past thoughts - fear of losing control) most of my poetry is about how my experiences of war impact on me in the here and now)...some poems become successful when it resonates with individuals who simply have not considered the view point of whatever I have written...
Love is not owned
Taught to Love
Shared Lives
Beautiful Girl
with the Emerald Eyes
My name is everyone
Independence my hew
My inner peace
choked by you
You say: Baby don't you leave me
Baby you are mine
I say: You do not own me
you dull my mind
You say you know me
that can’t be true
You say you Love me
When your love is for you
Why can’t you believe
When I say I don't need you…
Why can’t you believe
When I say I don't need you…
The majority who contacted me over this poem said that they 'fell' for the partner who 'couldn't live without them' and then the partner treated them with less respect than they deserved...and many concluded they now realise that they are not the 'possession' of their partner...
In the end mindfulness is what mindfulness is...
I guess mindfulness boils down to "do what you are doing while you are doing it" Or "be what you are while you are being it." Then the mind gets distracted and you bring it back to the here and now....distracted...back to the here and now ad infinitum.
Yes Lenny and it is about training the mind out of that circular process...not allowing emotions from the past to impact on the decisions of the present, and not allowing the perceived threats of the future to impact on the decisions of the present...'be what you are on the evidence of the here and now, and not on the fears of the future or the past'...
It is tempting to blame thinking for one's fear, anxiety, or other problems. But thinking is as much a symptom, a result, as is fear, anxiety, or other problems. They all result from weakness of the nervous system and a belief that we do, or are, our experiences.
The weakness or dysfunction of the nervous system due to stored stresses caused by overloads of experience are the objective reasons, and the beliefs that we are our experiences, instead of our awareness, are the subjective reasons.
Together, the objective and subjective reasons are the basis for all suffering in life.
Instead of painting the leaves of a suffering plant green, it is best to water the root and give it strength.
We now have a mental procedure, transcending, that actually works to do this. We do not need to continue to theorize about changing our thoughts, which is close to impossible, or even living in the present, which is also close to impossible. Eliminating stress is what is possible, and that is what we should do, for ourselves and our patients or clients.
Thanks David, I liked your discussion, but we should admit that sometimes stress can not be eliminated. Just think of a poor mother who has a child with chronic, complex and incurable disease such as autism and trying most of the time to treat her child uselessness.....
Dear Ahmad,
You are confusing stress and challenges. Many people make this mistake. Stress is an internal dysfunction of the nervous system that makes it difficult for us to deal with external challenges. Please read my short essay on stress at www.nsrusa.org/about-stress.php so that you understand the very special way in which I understand the word "stress".
All you have described are external challenges in life. These ARE NOT the same as our reaction to them. That reaction is called suffering, or misery. It is not natural, but so many people react that way, that most people, even mental health clinicians, believe it is natural.
Those clinicians are wrong, and their misunderstanding results in needless human suffering. I hate to write it that way, even as an outsider and one who respects the medical profession, but it is the plain truth. Business as usual for mental health workers can actually fail to be helpful to the patient. It is vital for any therapist to distinguish between what are the root causes and what are the problems that result from those root causes.
No one wants to see a loved one have problems. But the reaction of suffering by a caregiver is unnecessary and it is cruel to let people feel this way!
Caregivers are in special need of freedom from stress, which is actually possible. Many of my clients have evolved beyond the weakness that causes suffering, and are enjoying a life in which sorrows are fewer and shorter, and in which peace and happiness grows, first in the background and then throughout all experiences.
Most people are easily overwhelmed by external challenges. But that is not proof that this is normal, only that it is frequent in our stressed society and world.
Some of my clients are caregivers of various kinds, who are now able to provide for their loved ones without suffering from burnout and other stress disorders.
In an airplane, the instructions for oxygen masks are to use the mask yourself before giving it to your child. It is vital that caregivers treat themselves to health before they begin to care for those who are dependent on them for health.
Thank you so much for bringing up this example, which provides a great insight into how freedom from stress through transcending can work in practice.
Thanks dear David for your explanation,
you preferred to define stress as a body response.
Some define it as a stimulus (challenge).
Others define it as an interaction between both stimulus and the response.
This is the Lazarus & Folkman perspective...
Stress is defined as "a particular relationship between the person and the environment that is appraised by the person as taxing or exceeding his or her resources and endangering his or her well-being" (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984, p. 19).
because I believe in Lazarus & Folkman perspective, I applied it for autism symptoms which are usually exceeding mother`s resources to deal with them, and her reaction will be what you called a response.
Whether It is a challenge, stress, stimulus, response, or interactions,,,,, they are suggested models, but the general ideas are there....
In my view, when the stress is chronic and the individual can hardly manage, mindfulness is the best option.
Regards,
as a current non-professional (beginning student), it has been my experience as a buddhist that if mindfulness is actually approached, or even experienced, there could be a great deal of temporary stress as the animal mind seeks to cope with what insight mindfulness brings to awareness. As we have seen with some mental illness, piercing of an illusion can bring defensive emotions into play. Just one old guy's observations
Is the 'animal mind' the ego Steven? I think we may be talking about different things as I have never gained awareness from mindfulness...it has certainly put me in a place where I am more likely to become aware. I have worked with an ex service buddy who found that through practising Buddhism helped him in managing his combat related PTSD...he still experiences the symptoms but he is more relaxed due to his meditation practice and therefore deals with those symptoms more effectively. When we have practiced mindfulness he reports that he has never felt more at peace with himself, more mentally relaxed (which from a reductionist perspective could be more dangerous)...he uses mindfulness practice before his meditation and sometimes after his meditation...he sees them both as different but complimentary...and it works for him...as being a Practicing Buddhist is a way of life, mindfulness should also be seen as a way of life... these are personal views
i haven't defined the animal mind, the term just seems to describe (for me) our physical (non-buddha) mind. fortunately for me, my practice of mindfulness allowed me to process my experiences in and around Vietnam, not to mention the violence i experienced in south central Los Angeles during the 60's, in a new and different way. Mindfulness, for me, works in differently in different venues. When in a busy marketplace, it allows me to fully experience all of the energy and "aliveness" of the environment, just by sitting and absorbing fully all that is going on around me. An incredible experience!
On the other hand, when sitting and meditating, and trying to re-experience my past "tramuas", while truly focusing on mindfully on them, i am able to realize that they ARE in the past, and working to understand that past and future are illusion, i have been able to change what those experiences mean to "me", and their power over me is diminished to the point where "PTSD" no longer labels me or has the influence over my "animal mind" that it had when i was younger. PTSD was not a named phenomenon during my younger years. We had to find ways to cope. Some of my earlier ways were counter-productive. It is my belief, (as a 63 year-old man, not a professional yet), that we cannot cure those "mind viruses" like PTSD by trying to avoid thinking about the experiences, but, conversely, mindfully exploring them, and understanding their lack of any true relevance to the NOW, other than the relevance we give them. I don't say any of this from any basis of an educated professional; merely from the perspective of a mindfully examined life. I hope to bring the professionally educated "cred" to this philosophy in the next few years.
Victoria Blue stated earlier in this thread: "When the body and mind enter stillness, what is already there - experiences held in mind memory and tissue-held memory in the body, may emerge."
This is an important point. If we were to expand Mindfulness to include structured meditation, there is a little bit more research on the risks of mindfulness (flawed, but suggestive research). There are indeed risks to either the quantity or type of mindfulness being used. Most often, these risks seem to relate exactly to the wonderful insight provided by Victoria Blue. There is research to support the concern that those with underlying psychotic or anxiety disorders, or PTSD may experience significant increase in symptoms if their time spent in meditation is excessive. The definition of excessive is inconsistent in the literature, but a recent lit review we did to prep for a research study revealed that restricting meditation to 1 hour or less per day total was a very safe parameter for most participants and most mental health diagnoses.
More is not always better!
And, this (mindfulness and meditation) is an area where negative symptoms are under-reported. Those who do well with mindfulness, stay with it and sing it's praises. Those whose problems may have been exacerbated by it, just fade away and are not heard from again.
Self report only of of those who have found it valuable is not necesarily the best way to judge the ill effects of any tool, treatment or practice--mindfulness, medication, surgery, or car repair.
David Gaffney, In Natural Stress Relief or NSR (which is a transcending technique rather than mindfulness), we restrict the time of meditation to 15 minutes twice a day. This may seem short, but we believe we see the same level of beneficial results in NSR clients as we saw with those practicing TM, as I saw when I taught TM, and as was shown in measured anxiety in our published studies.
Several times when I supported clients who were experiencing unpleasant side effects of meditation, reducing their meditation time to zero for a few days, then increasing it very gradually back to the standard level seemed to get them back to pleasant and enjoyable meditation again. We believe we understand the theory behind this procedure.
Are you familiar with the current meditation research being sponsored by the U.S. VA? If so, I would be interested in communicating with you. I can be reached directly and privately using the Contact Us form at www.nsrusa.org .
After reading some of these answers about mindfulness therapy, it seems that my understanding of what mindfulness is is flawed, which is likely, since I am a buddhist, but still only a student of psychology. I have always understood that mindfulness is an attempt to fully and intently immerse yourself into an event, object, or moment, and through that immersion, come to an understanding of the true nature of that event, object, or moment, with the ultimate goal of this understanding being to realize that the true nature is illusion, in a very real and understandable way). so, to carry that into therapy, then if the true nature of any stressor is understood to be illusion, the object, event, or thought should, at some point, cease being a stressor. Can someone clarify for me? This process has removed most of the stressors from my life. can it be applied to therapy?
Steven, I'm not an expert in mindfulness. My background is as a teacher of transcending. But it seems to me that if you immersed yourself fully in an event, object, or momentary experience, all you would have would be your attachment to that event, object, or momentary experience. How could that change your current attachment to objects such as thoughts, feelings, body, and world.
Your true nature is not a mystery. It is what lasts, what is not momentary. It is your feeling of self. Synonyms include pure consciousness or awareness.
Your true nature is not localized, does not exist limited in time, and does not analyze or have problems.
If you want to find what is real, don't pay so much attention to what you know are illusions.
Pay attention to your own nature as awareness.
As to therapy, most therapists follow their intuition, not some mechanical method, since people aren't mechanisms.
For me, the best therapy is to start with a personal practice that gradually and naturally eliminates stress. I would start with transcending.
Then, therapy would involve experiments that reveal whatever is important to the client to learn. I have one client who learned earlier today the difference between feelings and the intellectual analysis of them. I have another who learned last month that accepting the fear of having a panic attack made all panic attacks stop.
It's not rocket science, it's starting from something that works, such as transcending, the fourth state of consciousness and physiology, and adding your own intuition. It is one precipitation of Awareness helping another discover their own nature.
Steven, I'm not an expert in mindfulness. My background is as a teacher of transcending. But it seems to me that if you immersed yourself fully in an event, object, or momentary experience, all you would have would be your attachment to that event, object, or momentary experience. How could that change your current attachment to objects such as thoughts, feelings, body, and world?
Your true nature is not a mystery. It is what lasts, what is not momentary. It is your feeling of self. Synonyms include pure consciousness or awareness.
Your true nature is not localized, does not exist limited in time, and does not analyze or have problems.
If you want to find what is real, don't pay so much attention to what you know are illusions.
Pay attention to your own nature as awareness.
As to therapy, most therapists follow their intuition, not some mechanical method, since people aren't mechanisms.
For me, the best therapy is to start with a personal practice that gradually and naturally eliminates stress. I would start with transcending.
Then, therapy would involve experiments that reveal whatever is important to the client to learn. I have one client who learned earlier today the difference between feelings and the intellectual analysis of them. I have another who learned last month that accepting the fear of having a panic attack made all panic attacks stop.
It's not rocket science, it's starting from something that works, such as transcending, the fourth state of consciousness and physiology, and adding your own intuition. It is one precipitation of Awareness helping another discover their own nature.
Thank you David. One aspect of the illusory nature of stressors that i have realized through mindful thinking is: I read a study many years ago about bungee jumping. It was in a magazine, that I had picked up to read. I don't remember if the magazine was professional, or if the study was valid or not. it apparently found that a percentage of bungee-jumpers who were monitored had reduction in heart rate when bungee jumping, and lowered blood pressure prior to the experience; while others had the opposite, with accelerated heart rates during the jump, and increased blood pressure prior to the experience. I don't remember the conclusion of the study's author. however to me, I remember the realization that i came to, was that the bungee jumping was not a stressor. the reaction of the jumper to the experience was the stressor. that one thought brought me to a mindful exploration of the perceived "stressors" in my own life, led to having a profound effect on my life then, and going forward. the reading of that article, the way that i interpreted it, and the realization that i came to as a result, is the mindfulness i am speaking of.
Steven I think that is the case in all experiences. When I climbed my first mountain I was so stressed at letting the team down I very nearly let the team down. Once I had become accomplished at climbing (believing in my own abilities and trusting those of the team) I then had to be aware of becoming blasé as that could get people killed as much as becoming debilitated through stress. I feel desensitisation suggests that the stress is maybe objectively formed but it is affirmed and strengthened subjectively, as a form of defence/survival strategy.
I have also parachuted and it took more than 20 jumps before I stopped feeling sick to the stomach...then once my mind saw it as the same as getting on a bus, I felt invincible and then I had to tell myself that I am not invincible, just well trained.
However if stress is caused by an unnatural event (i.e. Combat) it will be a combination of subjectively reinforced stress along with objective triggers and public misunderstanding, that can make the situation more complex. Also some feel comfortable with the self developed stressors, some use them as a defence against something subjectively more scary, so treatment has to be from a qualified professional...
I do not 'use' mindfulness to get any other result except for the client to become mindful, and I find that clients who are more mindful are more likely to engage at a deeper level with me in my person centred approach to therapy. I do think that if we were to combine Buddhism with Mindfulness we would get close to what you describe is your understanding of Mindfulness...mindfulness is a way of life therefore if one is mindful of the present then the past and future thoughts are less likely to interfere with the present...and therefore one would be able to carry out the tasks you want to without past experiences or thoughts of what might happen stopping you...that is my understanding of mindfulness...it is called mindful practice as it should be practiced until it becomes within your nature...until you are thinking mindfully without conscious awareness of thinking mindfully...it is a way of being...I think...
Zoltan, I do not know if mindfulness ought to be contraindicated in certain mental health diagnoses, or why this might be so. Nor do I think that an initial research paper is a reliable way to learn the truth about this. Repeated clinical experience is a better guide about what works or does not work for patients.
But I do know from my experience and research in working with NSR meditators, who practice transcending, not mindfulness, that all the benefits that can come to any individual as a result of practicing NSR and eliminating stored stresses come to everyone regardless of background, even to those having mental disorders and illnesses.
Those clinicians who pay attention only to mindfulness, due to its current popularity, do their patients a disservice by excluding interventions that produce positive and reliable effects in the lives of patients and healthy people as well.
Very few mental health professionals are currently recommending NSR, only through lack of knowing of it, but there is no good reason for this limitation to continue. NSR is available to anyone for an affordable price wherever they may live, and can and should be recommended to patients both to reduce health care costs and to benefit the patients. All clinicians are welcome to evaluate this program themselves by evaluating the progress of the patients they refer to it.
Disclaimer: NSR is a self-taught mental technique, supported by research, and whose course is distributed by nonprofit organizations in several countries. We volunteers take no salaries for our work supporting NSR clients worldwide. I have supported NSR clients for ten years, and the total current number of NSR clients is at least 5000.
Update: I as well as several of you posted here that there was some evidence that meditation was contraindicated for certain mental health conditions. A recent systematic review paper found no adverse events in 8 RCT's of 434 patients with psychosis."Mindfulness- and Acceptance-based Interventions for Psychosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis" (http://www.gahmj.com/doi/abs/10.7453/gahmj.2015.083).
There is a widespread belief that all forms of meditation are essentially the same. However, concentration, contemplation, and transcending are different in mechanism and in effects, so different techniques require separate research, whether beneficial or adverse effects are of interest.
Mindfulness and Vipassana are modern wrappings around several very old relaxation techniques, including breathing awareness, heartbeat awareness, and scanning the body for sensations. It is very hard to imagine any rationale under which such mild techniques can be harmful to anyone. Without such a rationale, and without anecdotal evidence of harm, I cannot take such a concern seriously.
That having been said, morbid mental states such as suicidal ideation, delusions, or violence can begin or escalate due to almost any trigger experience. The ability of a particular form of meditation to trigger someone's suicide, mania, split with reality, depression, or other morbid state can never be ruled out, no matter how mild or natural the technique.
In my ten years of experience as a meditation teacher using a very different technique called transcending, I have never seen any evidence of harm to my 2000 clients, even those with mental illnesses. Moreover, I have seen evidence of help, of improvement to life, of increased peace, happiness, harmony, productivity, and satisfaction, in every client, including those with mental illnesses.
As far as I know and unless the HPA (hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis) is compromised by chronic stress or trauma, when the bodymind enters a more relaxed state (when the baseline is not constantly hitting stress levels), it can use more of its energy towards allowing restoration/recovery/healing to occur (rather than impeding/blocking/resisting it).
This probably accounts for so many different techniques being currently used to satisfactory results (people who find what works for them are of course really enthusiastic about the particular practice they have and recommend it to others... how not !).
So it might be Vipassana, Zazen, Metta, TM, Mindfulness, Self-Enquiry, Kirtan, Chanting, Mantras, Qigong, Yoga or Brainwave entrainment (to name just a few) and the exercises based on concentration, mindfulness, visualisation or contemplation... yet the important thing is to find what works for each of us, and to have a basic idea of what is to be expected - an unbiased and open attitude should really help although people are typically drawn to such practices either by mere cultural induction or while in need of the benefits they promise.
This is why I think it would not harm to know that, no matter what the hype might say, oftentimes, before ripping the many benefits of keeping a-practice-that-works-for-you and especially in those cases where severe stress or trauma is in the way, a period in which discomfort can truly escalate will be most probably due - this is when one must diligently "work through what may bubble up" as Victoria explained so well - and it´s not easy (it could put many off and exacerbate the symptoms of people going through painful challenges and hardship). So I agree again with Victoria, prudence and professional help when needed would be very effective.
My experience here is that whatever arises is often most efficiently "integrated" when allowed to be processed in a somatic way (rather than intellectually such as in talk therapy or coaching). There is so much in us that happens without our conscious intervention, including healing (this "movement towards wholeness") so harnessing that fact by getting the body fairly involved is usually quite good.
Also, I believe contemporary western culture does not do very well in informing about this. There´s too many pretty people dressed in whitish colours and smiling with eyes closed to let people know that learning to be with what is, staying in touch with our pain and discomfort and finding about our deeper nature (beyond the trance of our cultural indoctrination and personalities), is not always a blissful path.
Another tricky one is to define "negative consequences" as that label will largely depend on who is assessing the "symptoms" and under what context. I personally believe that it is not always possible to know what´s positive and negative as given enough time, those categories tend to dissipate, even to the point of reversing altogether. Plus, the polarity good/bad is completely informed by our belief system, mindset and state of health - if I had palpitations and a headache while trying something new I would not necessarily consider it´s a bad sign for example, unless every time I did such thing the symptoms came back and stayed so persistently so as to compromise my ability to function "normally" (as defined by me of course). However, if my mum had them (who had a minor heart issue last year and is approaching her 70´s), then I´d probably advice her to stop altogether.
So I guess that the point I seem to be discovering as I write is that there are potentially as many risks as experiences the person engaged in a practice has decided to identify as "negative" and for people with compromised states of mental or physical health, a careful and respectful "less is more" approach would probably be the one, since we all carry unhealed trauma from the past and it seems mandatory to work it through in order to enjoy new vistas and higher levels of functioning.
Thanks for such a juicy question
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