Lecture 6: Mindfulness & Other Contemplative Therapies Flashcards
Yoga
= taking care of body and mind, reducing attachment to separate self (& -image)
Mindfulness
= non-judgmentally observe and accept
What two things are contemplative psychologies based on?
- Bad news; ordinary state of mind is less controlled, developed and functional then we recognize, results in suffering
- Good news; we can train/develop our minds, results in mental capacities, well-being and maturity
What are 5 central assumptions of contemplative psychologies
- Our usual state of mind is significantly uncontrolled, underdeveloped and dysfunctional (bad news)
- The full extent of this “normal” dysfunction goes unrecognized for two reason; we all share this dysfunction and it is self-masking (= it distorts awareness and conceals itself)
- This mental dysfunction creates much of our psychological suffering
- Contemplative practices can be used to train/develop the mind (good news)
- These claims can be tested for oneself
Acceptance
= willingness to allow feelings and thoughts, accepting inner experience in this very moment and then moving on —> not avoid, control, judge, pull away
What are the assumptions of classic CBT vs contemplative
CBT;
- symptoms are a problem
- change thoughts, feelings and behavior change accordingly
- goal; reduce symptoms
- focus on content of thoughts
Contemplative;
- suffering is part of normal life
- controlling thoughts and feeling increases suffering —> instead of focusing on changing thoughts, it focuses on accepting them
- goal: work toward life goals
- focus on process of thinking
What is the goal of ACT
To increase psychological flexibility to effectively deal with suffering and to lead a meaningful life
What are the 6 components of the model of ACT
- Acceptance vs experiential avoidance = opening up to difficult feelings
- Defusion vs fusion = relating differently to unhelpful thoughts, seeing them as what they are; just words
- Present moment awareness vs lack of contact with the present = bringing your attention to the here and now both inner and outer world
-
Self as context vs self as content = using the part of yourself that can observe your thoughts, feelings and sensations
—> these are mindfulness skills - Values vs lack of contact with values = knowing what is important to you, how you want to spend your time
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Committed action vs inaction, impulsivity or avoidance = taking action guided by your values, despite difficult thoughts or feelings
—> these are commitment skills
What are 7 kinds of practices to cultivate corresponding qualities
- Ethics; unethical behavior stems from and strengthens destructive qualities of mind; ethical behavior does the opposite
- Emotional transformation; reducing problematic emotions and cultivate positive emotions
- Redirecting motivation along healthier paths
- Training attention; essential for psychological well-being and maturation
- Refining awareness by making perception (internal and external) more sensitive and accurate
- Wisdom; deep, nuanced insight and understanding of oneself and the issues of life + practical skills of responding effectively/benevolently
- Altruism and service as a means to and an expression of psychological well-being and maturity
What are the stages of practice (process of psychotherapy)
Stage 1 - recognizing how little control we have over attentional/cognitive processes
Stage 2 - recognizing habitual patterns
Stage 3 - investigation psychological processes (eg. thoughts, motivation, perception)
Stage 4 - emergence of variety of exceptional abilities
Stage 5 - transpersonal experiences —> produces identification with others and compassionate concern
Stage 6 - stabilization —> peak experiences become plateau and transient capacities become permanent
What are the 4 mechanisms of psychotherapy
- Calming the mind; meditation does this by creating a relaxation response
- Enhanced awareness; internal observation and watchfulness of the moment
- Disidentification = process by which awareness precisely observes and therefore ceases to unconsciously identify with mental content such as thoughts/feelings —> instead of identifying with a thought, he recognize it as merely a thought
- Rebalancing mental element; divide between healthy and unhealthy mental content categories
What are the 7 factors of enlightenment
- mindfulness
- effort
- investigation (= active exploration of experience)
- rapture (= ecstasy that results from clear, concentrated awareness)
—> these are the energizing factors - concentration
- calm
- equanimity
—> these are the calm factors
What are 7 important parts of contemplative treatment
- Ethical behavior, say only what’s true and what is helpful
- Transforming emotions: use wise attention to cultivate beneficial emotions
- Transforming motivation: explore the experience of crowing
- Develop concentration and calm: do one thing at a time
- Cultivate awareness
- Develop wisdom: reflect on our mortality
- Generosity and service: transform pain into compassion
What 4 exceptional abilities that arise because of contemplative practices does growing research offer support for
- Attention and concentration
- Emotional maturity
- Equanimity (= capacity for maintaining calm and mental equilibrium in the face of provocative stimuli)
- Moral maturity
T/F: the usual waking state is considered optimal in contemplative psychologies
false, more effective and functional states are available to us
in what 2 kinds can we divide cultures
1 - monophasic = derive their view of reality almost entirely from the usual waking state of consciousness
2 - polyphasic = derive their view of reality from multiple states such as dreams, meditations and yogas
what are higher motives called in contemplative therapies and what happens when they get frustrated
= metamotives (eg. self-actualisation, self-transcendence and self-less service)
metamotive frustrations can grow into metapathologies (eg. meaninglessness, alienation, cynicism)
what happens when we believe that lower-order goals (eg. money, power, prestige) are the only way to happiness
we become addicted to them and whenever we don’t have them we suffer, and when we do have them we want more –> hedonic treadmill
Indian contemplatives emphasize the fundamental role of 3 mental factors in causing psychopathology - name and explain them and explain how they are related
1 - delusion (cognitive factor) = fundamental misunderstanding or misperception of reality. It often involves holding onto incorrect beliefs or perceptions that distort an individual’s understanding of themselves, others, and the world
2 - craving (motivation factor) = need to possess desirable stimuli; corresponds to our Western concept of addiction and is regarded as a major cause of psychopathology and suffering; basis for pain-producing lifestyles (“only if … then I could be happy”)
3 - aversion (motivation factor) = compulsive need to avoid undesirable stimuli
what are 3 shifts that should lead to the contemplative ideal of health
1 - relinquishment of unhealthy mental qualities such as delusion, craving, and aversion
2 - development of specific healthy mental qualities and capacities
3 - maturation to postconventional, transpersonal levels
what are 3 kinds of difficulties in contemplative therapies and what can be done to overcome them
1 - emotional lability = intense, short-lived emotions accompanied by psychosomatic symptoms (eg. muscle spasm)
2 - existential and spiritual challenges = questions about life’s meaning, purpose, inevitable suffering, death, etc
3 - meditative difficulties = emergence of re-expressed/incompletely processed memories/conflicts –> when processed: karmic relief
- in many cases they resolve spontaneously
- reframing and reattribution: reinterpreting experiences as potential opportunities for learning and growth)
- medication is almost never necessary
