Mindful Recovery

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1 Mindful Recovery Holly Cook, LPC-MHSP Integrative Life Center

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Mindful Recovery. Holly Cook, LPC-MHSP Integrative Life Center. @ ILCnashville. Breathing in, I calm my body, Breathing out, I smile. Dwelling in the present moment, I know this is a wonderful moment. -- Thich Nhat Hanh. AA and Meditation. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Transcript of Mindful Recovery

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Mindful Recovery

Holly Cook, LPC-MHSPIntegrative Life Center

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Breathing in,I calm my body,

Breathing out,I smile.

Dwelling in the present moment,

I know this is a wonderful moment.

-- Thich Nhat Hanh 3

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AA and Meditation• Step 11: “Sought through prayer

and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.” – Big Book: p 86 – 87– Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions:

p 100,5

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What is Mindfulness?“Awareness that emerges through

paying attention in a particular way: on

purpose, in the present moment,

and nonjudgmentally”

(Kabat-Zinn, 1994).

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What is Recovery?• June 10, 1935 - AA was founded• Suffering (hitting bottom) Surrender (ego

deflation or admitting powerlessness) Spiritual Experience Daily Practice of Spiritual Principles Helping Others

• A return to a normal state of health, mind, or strength. (Webster’s Dictionary)

• A process of change through which individuals improve their health and wellness, live a self-directed life, and strive to reach their full potential.

(SAMHSA)

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Mindfulness and Recovery

Paying attention…

Greater awareness of triggers and responses, interrupting previously automatic behavior

(Bresslin, et al., 2002)

In the presentmoment…Accepting present experience rather than using substances to avoid it.

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Nonjudgmentally… Detach from attributions and “automatic” thoughts that often lead to relapse.

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Your Brain on Meditation

9Photo of brain comparison from: AndyNewberg.com

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Your Brain on Meditation

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Brain Wave States

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BETA – the state when we are fully awake, conscious, interacting with our environment, and going about our normal day to day activities. ALPHA – the state we are in when we close our eyes, turn inwards and relax. THETA – the state for optimal meditation.  We are in our subconscious mind, a dreamy state. The body is asleep but the mind is lucid and awake. DELTA – the state of deep restorative sleep.

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All you really need to do

is accept this moment fully.

You are then at ease in the here and now

and at ease with yourself.

-- Eckhart Tolle The Power of Now

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Formal Practices

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Body Scan

Mindful Movement

Sitting Meditation

“Lovingkindness” or “Metta”

Walking Meditation

Mountain Meditation

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Body Scan Meditation

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“Informal” Practices

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Create “SOBER” breathing

space

Mindfulness of daily activities

Riding this wave, rather than succumbing to the urge and being wiped out by it. Staying with

the urge as it grows in intensity, riding it to it’s peak, using the breath to stay steady as it rises and crests, knowing it will subside.

Trusting that without any action on your part, all the waves of desire, like waves on the ocean, arise and eventually fade.

Urge Surfing

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“SOBER” Breathing Space

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Stop

Observe

Breathe

Expand

Respond

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Inquiry

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Direct Experien

ce (pain)

Reaction(judgment,

story) sufferingReactionReaction

Mind’s Process

InquiryWhat was the initial direct experience?How did the mind and body react to that?

Is this process familiar? Is it related to craving, relapses, recovery, daily life experiences?

Not Personal:This is what minds do. No need for judgment.

Adapted from Segal et al., 2002

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Putting it all Together

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Mindful RecoveryThomas and Beverly Bien

• The Ten Doorways to Mindful Recovery– Doorway One: Return to the present moment– Doorway Two: Consider your life as a story

you are still writing– Doorway Three: Use journaling to deepen

awareness of your life story and open the door to spiritual awakening

– Doorway Four: Practice meditation to become more accepting of yourself and your life

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Mindful Recovery (cont)

– Doorway Five: Find ways to connect with the natural world

– Doorway Six: Cultivate healthy relationships to discourage addiction

– Doorway Seven: Explore dreams to expand your view of who you are beyond the limited point of view of your conscious, rational self

– Doorway Eight: Practice mindfulness at work– Doorway Nine: Learn to hold and embrace

difficult emotions to ensure successful recovery– Doorway Ten: Practice, practice, practice

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1. There is a difference between actual pain (emotional and physical) and the suffering that we create in our minds.

2. The suffering is not only optional, but there are many ways to remove it, as it is unnecessary, and a tremendous waste of time, energy and enjoyment of life.

Some basic observations which underlie most of the mindfulness approaches:

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3.3. The way out of this self-created cell of suffering is accepting absolutely everything about ourselves and our lives, by embracing with wakefulness and care our moment-to-moment experience. This does not mean putting up with a truly harmful circumstance with ourselves or others.

4. “It is remarkable how liberating it feels to be able to see that your thoughts are just thoughts and that they are not ‘you’ or ‘reality.’ . . . . the simple act of recognizing your thoughts as thoughts can free you from the distorted reality they often create and allow for more clear-sightedness and a greater sense of manageability in your life” --Kabat-Zinn.

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