I cannot think of a better way to improve mindfulness e.g., learning to live each moment with presence, attentiveness, self-awareness, and heart-centered compassion for self and others – than through the regular practice of writing expressively from one’s heart and mind, in a journal. I am not merely referring to what used to be called, “diary writing,” but rather progressive, cutting-edge writing techniques for self-growth and creative expression.
Through evidence based research, our understanding of personal writing and mindfulness and their effects on mental and physical well-being have expanded dramatically. Prominent research by Dr. James Pennebaker at the University of Texas on therapeutic writing, and Dr. Richard Davidson’s on meditation and attention at the University of Wisconsin have broken ground for a huge wave of follow-up research about these, and related research topics.
So, how can a journal be used to improve mindfulness? Initial ideas or concepts that come to mind are the enhancement of clarity and creativity through writing. If we live our lives as though we’re in a “haze,” and are mentally fuzzy about our personal values, needs, and wants; if we are out of touch with our innate, inbred creative capacities – well, to me that’s not very mindful. Creative applications of journaling allow us to sift through the excess stimuli streaming at us from things like information and technology overload, excessive work and family responsibilities, as well as unrealistic social and cultural expectations, among other influences. Such chronic overload contributes to the collective, growing feelings and symptoms of distractedness, angst, anxiety, depression, and general mental fog or “brain lock.”
There are numerous journal techniques to help move through or beyond these problems (the extent of which cannot be elucidated upon in this article). However, a great example of one basic technique or practice to improve mindfulness through journaling is stream of consciousness writing combined with a simple mindful check-in.
Stream of consciousness writing has been used for a long time to improve well-being. In fact, the legendary psychologist Sigmund Freud had his clients either write or talk in a stream without censoring or filtering thoughts in order to bypass their “inner critic,” the self-critical voice that often hinders positive personal development. Writing in this way allows access to a hidden reservoir of wisdom, knowledge, and creativity beyond the conscious part of the mind, called the subconscious. More recently, author Julia Cameron popularized the practice with her “morning pages” journaling technique.
A mindful check-in is simply moving one’s attention inwardly, listening contemplatively to what’s going on inside including thoughts, feelings, bodily perceptions, and emotions – tuning in to to the movements of the spirit. At any moment during the day, one can open a journal, turn the attention inward for a few moments or a few minutes, and write in stream of consciousness fashion about what he or she is experiencing by asking the simple question: “What am I feeling right now?”
Journaling pioneer Lucia Cappacione claims that the mere use of this single practice can be life-changing. Practicing regularly can increase mindfulness, self-awareness, deepen one’s sense of mental and emotional clarity, and generally improve one’s sense of self, and self-efficacy.
Showing posts with label Writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Writing. Show all posts
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Thursday, January 6, 2011
The Mind and Health
Do optimism and positivity truly influence physiological health and well-being? Assuming they do, could we therefore actually change our mental state - our levels of optimism, hope, and positivity to create better physiological health and well-being? If so, to what degree and how would we do it?
Research findings seem to show pretty clearly that when people feel helpless and as though they cannot change their circumstances, they tend to suppress their own immune systems (Locke, 1997). A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine by Cohen et al.(1991) confirmed that stress and helplessness inhibit the body’s ability to fight illness and disease. Approximately 400 participants were given questionnaires designed to measure negative outlook, emotions, and helplessness; the results show that an average of 2 to 1 people with negative psychological assessment, when exposed to the common cold virus, came down with the cold symptoms. These findings have been replicated with consistency.
One of the first scientific studies to show the connection between psychology and immune function occurred, in a sense, inadvertently by Dr. Robert Ader at the University of Rochester in the 1970’s. Dr. Ader and colleagues were researching classical conditioning with lab rats. They fed the rats a mixture of sugar water simultaneously with a drug which suppressed immune function (the drug was called Cytoxan); Cytoxan also caused nausea and taste aversion. Next, the researchers unexpectedly found that when they fed the rats only the sugar water, the rats’ immune systems also became depressed, and some rats even died! The experiments were reproduced over and over with essentially the same results. This was perhaps the first time that science was able to show the mind’s power over immune and endocrine function (Locke, 1997).
The new field of positive psychology is about “positive change.” Positive psychology, in a sense, was developed as a response to a system that had been flawed - the conventional mental health system during the mid part of the 20th century. This has been referred to as the disease model of care - which according to Seligman only provided half the true story of wellness (and maybe less) by focusing solely on treating mental illness and not on mental health. Seligman spent most of his fledgling days in academia studying learned helplessness and hopelessness. That system he was immersed in had been mired in a mindset of stagnation, or, the idea that our level of happiness, our state of mental health was fixed and unchangeable. The main conceptualization had become that when people were diagnosed with mental illness, they were labeled as “broken” and according to the disease model of care it could only be through drugs (and/or complicated and involved psychological analysis) that change was possible (Lampropoulos, 2001), but not very much through self-care practices. However, a humanistic psychologist, researcher and practitioner, Carl Rogers, did much to change this viewpoint by offering what he called a client-centered model.
One of the most simple but significant ways that positive thought affects our health is through the absence of depression and hopelessness. When people are depressed and hopeless, they are pessimistic and therefore often do not take actions to improve their own well-being (Kliff, 2007). For example, one may not utilize wellness and coping skills such as eating right, exercising, and managing or coping with stress effectively. We have lots of scientific information to show that the absence of self-care behaviors impacts physical well-being.
Dean Ornish, for example, was perhaps the first to prove that coronary heart disease (CHD) can not only be slowed or prevented but actually reversed through integrative holistic practices. Ornish’s program combines diet and nutrition, exercise, and learned skills to reduce psychological distress such as hostility, anxiety, and depression, which have been correlated with increased risks for heart disease. It is difficult to determine exactly what percentage each (diet, exercise, psychosocial skills) play in reducing CHD, however, it is becoming increasingly clear that a holistic approach is optimal in order to prevent problems before they occur.
Sometimes the best way to know something is by what it is not, or through its absence. For example, knowing how health is affected in the absence of optimism and positive emotion perhaps tells us about its opposite corollary. Significant research comes from Pennebaker (King et al, 1998), whose first interest in expression, writing, and disclosure came when he was giving polygraph tests for the FBI, and he noticed the dramatic reductions in blood pressure and heart rates and reductions in bodily perspiration. In his research, Pennebaker found that undisclosed trauma of various kinds actually doubles the risk of illness (King et al., 1998).
Some of the important findings Pennebaker has obtained through years and years of research about disclosure are that: 1. Writing about one’s deepest feelings and thoughts connected with personal experiences is most significant. It is not necessarily daily diary keeping that seems to be the most important aspect, but rather it is, “integrating” one’s experiences on a deep level that seems to help the most. (However, Pennebaker isn't saying not to write regularly, because it still probably a good habit to develop) 2. Pennebaker's research seems to show that it is not necessary to share one’s experiences with others, which may be shocking to counselors and therapists. Again, Pennebaker is not putting forth that counseling is not important or helpful, rather I think he is saying that many of the same benefits can also be obtained through self-disclosure.
References
Cohen, S & Tyrrell, D. & Smith, A.P. (1991). Psychological stress and susceptibility to the common cold. The New England Journal of Medicine, 325(9), 606-611.
King, D.J. & Holden, J.M. (Summer, 1998). Disclosure of trauma and psychosomatic health An interview with James W. Pennebaker. Journal of Counseling & Development, 76(3).
Kliff, S. (2007). This is your brain on optimism: New research reveals the biological roots of positive thinking. How a rosy outlook can affect your health. Newsweek. October 24. Retrieved December 23, 2010 from http://www.newsweek.com/2007/10/23/this-is-your-brain-on-optimism.html
Lampropoulos, G. (Jan, 2001). Integrating Psychopathology, positive psychology, and
psychotherapy. American Psychologist, 56(1).
Locke, S. (1997). The healer within: The new medicine of mind and body. Plume Publishing.
Pischke, C.R. & Scherwitz, L. & Weidner, G. & Ornish, D. (September, 2008). Long-term effects of lifestyle changes on well-being and cardiac variables among coronary heart disease patients. Health Psychology, 27(5) 584-592.
Selgman, M.E.P. (2002). Authentic happiness: Using the new positive psychology to realize your potential for lasting fulfillment. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.
Research findings seem to show pretty clearly that when people feel helpless and as though they cannot change their circumstances, they tend to suppress their own immune systems (Locke, 1997). A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine by Cohen et al.(1991) confirmed that stress and helplessness inhibit the body’s ability to fight illness and disease. Approximately 400 participants were given questionnaires designed to measure negative outlook, emotions, and helplessness; the results show that an average of 2 to 1 people with negative psychological assessment, when exposed to the common cold virus, came down with the cold symptoms. These findings have been replicated with consistency.
One of the first scientific studies to show the connection between psychology and immune function occurred, in a sense, inadvertently by Dr. Robert Ader at the University of Rochester in the 1970’s. Dr. Ader and colleagues were researching classical conditioning with lab rats. They fed the rats a mixture of sugar water simultaneously with a drug which suppressed immune function (the drug was called Cytoxan); Cytoxan also caused nausea and taste aversion. Next, the researchers unexpectedly found that when they fed the rats only the sugar water, the rats’ immune systems also became depressed, and some rats even died! The experiments were reproduced over and over with essentially the same results. This was perhaps the first time that science was able to show the mind’s power over immune and endocrine function (Locke, 1997).
The new field of positive psychology is about “positive change.” Positive psychology, in a sense, was developed as a response to a system that had been flawed - the conventional mental health system during the mid part of the 20th century. This has been referred to as the disease model of care - which according to Seligman only provided half the true story of wellness (and maybe less) by focusing solely on treating mental illness and not on mental health. Seligman spent most of his fledgling days in academia studying learned helplessness and hopelessness. That system he was immersed in had been mired in a mindset of stagnation, or, the idea that our level of happiness, our state of mental health was fixed and unchangeable. The main conceptualization had become that when people were diagnosed with mental illness, they were labeled as “broken” and according to the disease model of care it could only be through drugs (and/or complicated and involved psychological analysis) that change was possible (Lampropoulos, 2001), but not very much through self-care practices. However, a humanistic psychologist, researcher and practitioner, Carl Rogers, did much to change this viewpoint by offering what he called a client-centered model.
One of the most simple but significant ways that positive thought affects our health is through the absence of depression and hopelessness. When people are depressed and hopeless, they are pessimistic and therefore often do not take actions to improve their own well-being (Kliff, 2007). For example, one may not utilize wellness and coping skills such as eating right, exercising, and managing or coping with stress effectively. We have lots of scientific information to show that the absence of self-care behaviors impacts physical well-being.
Dean Ornish, for example, was perhaps the first to prove that coronary heart disease (CHD) can not only be slowed or prevented but actually reversed through integrative holistic practices. Ornish’s program combines diet and nutrition, exercise, and learned skills to reduce psychological distress such as hostility, anxiety, and depression, which have been correlated with increased risks for heart disease. It is difficult to determine exactly what percentage each (diet, exercise, psychosocial skills) play in reducing CHD, however, it is becoming increasingly clear that a holistic approach is optimal in order to prevent problems before they occur.
Sometimes the best way to know something is by what it is not, or through its absence. For example, knowing how health is affected in the absence of optimism and positive emotion perhaps tells us about its opposite corollary. Significant research comes from Pennebaker (King et al, 1998), whose first interest in expression, writing, and disclosure came when he was giving polygraph tests for the FBI, and he noticed the dramatic reductions in blood pressure and heart rates and reductions in bodily perspiration. In his research, Pennebaker found that undisclosed trauma of various kinds actually doubles the risk of illness (King et al., 1998).
Some of the important findings Pennebaker has obtained through years and years of research about disclosure are that: 1. Writing about one’s deepest feelings and thoughts connected with personal experiences is most significant. It is not necessarily daily diary keeping that seems to be the most important aspect, but rather it is, “integrating” one’s experiences on a deep level that seems to help the most. (However, Pennebaker isn't saying not to write regularly, because it still probably a good habit to develop) 2. Pennebaker's research seems to show that it is not necessary to share one’s experiences with others, which may be shocking to counselors and therapists. Again, Pennebaker is not putting forth that counseling is not important or helpful, rather I think he is saying that many of the same benefits can also be obtained through self-disclosure.
References
Cohen, S & Tyrrell, D. & Smith, A.P. (1991). Psychological stress and susceptibility to the common cold. The New England Journal of Medicine, 325(9), 606-611.
King, D.J. & Holden, J.M. (Summer, 1998). Disclosure of trauma and psychosomatic health An interview with James W. Pennebaker. Journal of Counseling & Development, 76(3).
Kliff, S. (2007). This is your brain on optimism: New research reveals the biological roots of positive thinking. How a rosy outlook can affect your health. Newsweek. October 24. Retrieved December 23, 2010 from http://www.newsweek.com/2007/10/23/this-is-your-brain-on-optimism.html
Lampropoulos, G. (Jan, 2001). Integrating Psychopathology, positive psychology, and
psychotherapy. American Psychologist, 56(1).
Locke, S. (1997). The healer within: The new medicine of mind and body. Plume Publishing.
Pischke, C.R. & Scherwitz, L. & Weidner, G. & Ornish, D. (September, 2008). Long-term effects of lifestyle changes on well-being and cardiac variables among coronary heart disease patients. Health Psychology, 27(5) 584-592.
Selgman, M.E.P. (2002). Authentic happiness: Using the new positive psychology to realize your potential for lasting fulfillment. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Creating and Re-framing Your Life Story
To cultivate positive mental well-being, in my view, we can choose to look at our lives from a perspective of the clinical model, e.g., the disease model of health care, in which the focus has inevitably been on "fixing problems" particularly through the use of medications, or we can look at our lives from a positive, holistic, and person-centered standoint. And certainly the more informed we are, and aware of essential developmental issues, conflicts, and stages, for example, the psychosocial stages laid out by Erik Erikson (which have become foundational in modern psychological thought), the better we are able to manage stress, transition, and change in our lives.
However, in my view embracing the notion of life-story and of learning to reframe our lives from a positive, holistic,and person-centered perspective is critical to well-being. Reframing is making a choice to see situations in productive, positive, and life-affirming ways, as opposed to seeing them in destructive, life-alienating ways. The reason reframing is so important is because our perspective on our lives makes a huge difference in the quality of our lives; our thoughts create our well-being. McAdams puts forth that the way we view each of the important challenges faced from our pasts, interestingly, also makes a big difference on our overall well-being today, and how we deal with our present life and future challenges.
This "re-framing of mind" is fundamentally how we perceive who we are as individuals: it is our sense of self, including self-esteem and self-efficacy. In other words, we each have a choice of how we want to view our past and what led to the creation of the present "I" or self. Until we are able to make some sense of the past, and learn to reframe it in a useful and positive way, we will inevitably have difficulty accepting ourselves as individuals, and have difficulty moving forward. Most of us have hurts from the past; some, of course, worse than others. For many it is difficult to forgive, to move on, to re-initiate the process of living. However, I think it is important to keep in mind that the only person we hurt by not being able to reframe the past is ourselves. The power of story helps us learn to do that. We can learn to view our lives within the bigger context of story by imagining and creating stories of challenge, and ultimately, triumph.
It has been said that, "our biography becomes our biology." And, Dr. James Pennebaker has performed research to show the benefit to our health of disclosing one's most difficult, deepest, intimate life experiences through the mere act of writing such thoughts and feelings in a journal for minutes a day. In one of his studies of college students, only six months of such disclosure through the use of journal writing, students showed significantly fewer visits to the university health center. (McAdams, 2006, p.31). McAdam says the reason is because inhibiting and holding onto such feelings requires physiological work, though it is subtle, and we may not be aware of it. The reality is suppression of feelings becomes exhausting to us. When we disclose either verbally or in a journal, we are letting go of the armor needed to hold onto or suppress painful, dark feelings. It also allows us to begin gaining insight into these events and begin seeing them in more solution oriented ways, if we choose so.
References
McAdams, D. P. (2006). The Redemptive Self: Stories Americans Live By. New York , NY: Oxford University Press.
However, in my view embracing the notion of life-story and of learning to reframe our lives from a positive, holistic,and person-centered perspective is critical to well-being. Reframing is making a choice to see situations in productive, positive, and life-affirming ways, as opposed to seeing them in destructive, life-alienating ways. The reason reframing is so important is because our perspective on our lives makes a huge difference in the quality of our lives; our thoughts create our well-being. McAdams puts forth that the way we view each of the important challenges faced from our pasts, interestingly, also makes a big difference on our overall well-being today, and how we deal with our present life and future challenges.
This "re-framing of mind" is fundamentally how we perceive who we are as individuals: it is our sense of self, including self-esteem and self-efficacy. In other words, we each have a choice of how we want to view our past and what led to the creation of the present "I" or self. Until we are able to make some sense of the past, and learn to reframe it in a useful and positive way, we will inevitably have difficulty accepting ourselves as individuals, and have difficulty moving forward. Most of us have hurts from the past; some, of course, worse than others. For many it is difficult to forgive, to move on, to re-initiate the process of living. However, I think it is important to keep in mind that the only person we hurt by not being able to reframe the past is ourselves. The power of story helps us learn to do that. We can learn to view our lives within the bigger context of story by imagining and creating stories of challenge, and ultimately, triumph.
It has been said that, "our biography becomes our biology." And, Dr. James Pennebaker has performed research to show the benefit to our health of disclosing one's most difficult, deepest, intimate life experiences through the mere act of writing such thoughts and feelings in a journal for minutes a day. In one of his studies of college students, only six months of such disclosure through the use of journal writing, students showed significantly fewer visits to the university health center. (McAdams, 2006, p.31). McAdam says the reason is because inhibiting and holding onto such feelings requires physiological work, though it is subtle, and we may not be aware of it. The reality is suppression of feelings becomes exhausting to us. When we disclose either verbally or in a journal, we are letting go of the armor needed to hold onto or suppress painful, dark feelings. It also allows us to begin gaining insight into these events and begin seeing them in more solution oriented ways, if we choose so.
References
McAdams, D. P. (2006). The Redemptive Self: Stories Americans Live By. New York , NY: Oxford University Press.
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