Mind & Body Flashcards
What are mind-body therapies?
therapies that use the body to affect the mind
eg: CBT, support groups, meditation, prayer, arts, yoga, hypnosis etc
What is meant by the word ‘mind’?
NOT synonymous with brain
mental states; thoughts, emotions, beliefs, attitudes, images
conscious/unconscious
each state has an associated physiology
History of mind-body connection
practiced by Indigenous people
Enlightenment + Descartes
benefits = surgery, trauma care
20thC = meditation, mindfulness
Benefits of mind-body therapies
control over emotional/mental state may help health, reduce severity/frequency of symptoms, recover quicker
Mind-body therapies and prevention of disease
can prevent stress
prolonged stress = BP, heart problems, anxiety, fatigue, insomnia, digestive disorders, mental health, fertility, diabetes
effect on immune system
Managing symptoms with mind-body therapies
impact the experience of symptoms
+ sense of control, optimism, support
eg: mindful breathing during labour to help pain
Mind-body therapies and pharmaceutical treatment
help treatment by using body’s power to heal itself
reduce reliance of pharmaceuticals by reducing stress hormones
Stress experience
increased HR, faster/shallow breathing, tight muscles and bones (neck/jaw)
fight/flight mechanism - sympathetic NS releases stress hormones
What is stress?
physical reaction to perceived threat
caused by stressors/triggers
change of response = slow breathing, stress inoculation
Becoming aware of stressors and reactions
find cause + coping strategies = dec neg effects of stress
Eg: mindfulness
Identifying what is going on (stress)
- what is the source of stress?
2, what can I do about stressors in life? - How do I experience stress?
- How do I cope with stress?
Adjusting your attitude (stress)
approach situation as a challenge and NOT a threat = minimise risk of triggering stress response + damage to health
clearer thinking, better decision making/ motor control
6 tips to change your attitude (stress)
- situation is a challenge
- accept control/uncontrol
3 assert feelings - divide job into smaller parts
- schedule time
- learn therapeutic approaches
Stress and effect on health
death (Karoshi - Japan)
link between stress and illness
blame on self for being stressed/sick
Effects of stress (work)
decision making, memory lapses, procrastination, inefficiency, mood swings, physical symptoms on work days
Mindfulness - history
practiced by Indigenous people
Western - origin in Buddhism introduced by Jon Kabat-Zinn
Teasdale, Williams, Segal - Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy
What is mindfulness?
being aware of yourself, others, world around
paying attention: on purpose, present moment, non-judgementally
Wisdom dimension - mindfulness
‘case be the case’
accept things as they are and choose response to it
non-judgemental mindfulness = creative response + choices
Compassion dimension - mindfulness
rest simply with things as they are
kindness to self, others, world
Benefits of mindfulness training
= better health, WB, quality of life. self-esteem, emotional intelligence, self-awareness, empathetic
less likely to; experience distress (depression/anxiety), neg thoughts
Foundation of practice (mindfulness)
mindfulness = mindfulness practice
mental training
Conscious choice – coming out of automatic pilot
autopilot = fast/intuitive, unconscious, automatic, everyday decisions, biased
intentional = slow/logical, conscious, effortful, complex decisions, reliable
Automatic pilot
can miss: subtle cues, tone of voice, non-verbal cues
Automatic pilot connected to actions and behaviours
routine can have little bearing on the truth
neg automatic routines can undermine wellbeing - mindfulness can counteract it
The confusion between ‘mindful’ and ‘meditation’
mindfullness = awareness, present-centred, open, intentional, kind
mindfulness meditation = formal practices to develop mindfulness (breath)
meditation; faith, devotion, dwell on reality
Mindfulness of the breath
emotions change breath + breath changes emotions
emotional barometer - regulate emotions and read self
Building neural pathways
neuroplasticity = reshape brain, rewire in response to behaviour
repeated behaviour over time
Four skills coming out of mindfulness meditation
- seeing your attention isn’t where you want it to be
- unpicking attention from where you don’t want it to be
- placing attention where wanted
- keeping attention where you want it
Being gentle with wandering mind
gently/kindly drawing attention back
be patient
noticing what is actually going on
Value of experience (mindfulness)
4 interconnected aspects; thoughts, feelings, sensations, impulses
discern interacting weather system in our minds
