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Rejuvenate Your Life: Freeing Yourself From Chronic Unhappiness
What does it mean to rejuvenate? What does rejuvenation have to do with freedom? What about happiness?
How are you feeling? Now, and in general?
What is depression? How is it diagnosed?
Sad mood, Despair, Hopelessness, Guilt, Worthlessness, Anxiety
Loss of Energy, Appetite, Pleasure, Interest
Exhaustion and Changes in sleep- insomnia or can’t get out of bed
Diminishing ability to Focus, Concentrate, or use Memory
Suicidal Ideation
Unrelated Aches and Pains-80% unexplained
Types: Major Depressive Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, Post Partum Depression
What is anxiety? How is it diagnosed?
Cognitive- Worry, Ruminations, Obsessions, Inaccurate Conclusions
Behavioral- Avoidance, Rituals, Excessive Safety Behaviors
Physiological- Shakiness, Muscle Tension, Restlessness, Sweating, Cold Hands and Feet, Palpitations, Dry Mouth, Lightheadedness, Dizziness, Initial Insomnia, GI Upset, Frequent Urination
Types: GAD, Social Anxiety, Phobias, OCD, Panic Attack, PTSD
What are some of the biological causes for these conditions?
Genetics
Medical Problems -Depression-Cancer, Stroke, Parkinson’s
Anxiety-Loss of Tactile Stimulation before 4 mo, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Increased Cortisol 2nd/ 3rd Trimester, Reactive amygdala
Medications- Drug/Alcohol Abuse, Steroids, Hypertensive drugs (depression), Anticancer drugs, Decongestants & Asthma meds(anxiety)
Rule Out for Depression- Anemia, Chronic Fatigue, Diabetes, Thyroid Disease. Rule Out for Anxiety- Endocrine problems, Heart Disease, Meniere’s disease
What are some of the social factors that contribute to this distress?
Depression- Loss of Social/Family Systems- Death, Divorce, Loss of Work, Care for a Ill Family Member, Isolation
Anxiety- Loss of Support Emotionally or Materially
How do psychological factors contribute to anxiety and depression?
Early Abuse or Abandonment- Learned Helplessness, Negative Self talk, Habitually Unhealthy Expression of Emotions especially anger and neediness, Accommodation to False Self- unresolved thoughts not processed create dissonance
History of Depression- 1st –50% recurrence, 2nd 80-90% recurrence
Anxiety- Perceptual bias and Extreme Attachment to outcomes creates unconstructive suffering, “If only …” “things should be a certain way”
How do we get out of this unhappiness?
Sleep- Guardian of Brain, Slow wave sleep- decr. With Caffeine, Alcohol (Mininal impact Sonata, Ambien, Lunesta, Rozerem) OK to take melatonin.5mg good after 6pm, Benadryl 25-50 mg, Watch out for Apnea, Menopause,
Exercise- Long term effect Incr. Deep Sleep, Decr. Stress Reactivity, Incr. BDNF- Brain Derived Neurotropic Factor- Incr. Dendrites, Neuro. Repair, Protects from Cortisol
Exposure to sunlight-10,000Lx 30-40 min/day
Social Support- Calming, Destracting, Affirming, Problem Solving, Material and Mechanical Support
Diet- Complex Carbs, Protein, Regular meals, Caffeine (less than 250mg/day)
Vitamins, Herbs and other supplements see handout
Medication- Antidepressants, Inderal, Tranquilizers, BuSpar
50% respond to drugs, 70% depression recurs when meds stopped
Inpatient Treatments-ECT, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, Vagus Nerve Stimulation
Cognitive Therapy- Beliefs about Event affect Mood
Event--Interpretation—Reaction…..Most Useful Effect with SSRI’s Neurological connection between Mood and Negative Thought
Loss/Separation/Rejection/Defeat-----harsh negative thought----feelings----physical reaction----fatigue/insomnia/aches/pains----decre. Activity that nurtures self
Mindfulness Based Therapies- Decr. Risk of Relapse by 50% with 8 week program especially with Hx Recurrent Depression
Do you have any habitually negative thoughts about yourself? Do you actually believe them? Are they always true? What happens internally when you believe these thoughts? Who would you be or what would your life be like if you didn’t believe them?
Share with a partner. Then talk about how might you protect yourself from these thoughts?
How do you nurture yourself? How do you honor your heart? Who is the little kid inside you?
Share with a partner
How do you process emotions in your life?
How do you experience emotions in your body?
Information processing Problem in Depression and Anxiety
Priorities of thought and attention
Sort and Determine what to do
Recall previous Experiences
Fixation of thoughts that made you unhappy
Beliefs attached to sadness
Uncaring Unloved Cold Worthless Hopeless
Sadness Awkward Clumsy Stupid Failure
What are the triggers that recreate anxiety or depression in your life? What have you found helpful to diminish the triggering stimulus?
How does mindfulness influence psychological health?
Cultivate open-mindedness---Experience yourself in a dome and listen to the sounds pass over
Develop patience—Thoughts come and go, Feelings come and go---these pass like clouds in a sky, thoughts falling off a conveyor belt
Consider compassion for yourself—Teflon mind, Serene Half Smile, Loving the Little Kid inside
Offer gentle persistence—Puppy Training for the mind
What does the history of mindfulness suggest in our approach to emotional health?
2500 Buddha
1850 Thoreau/Contemplation/Walden Pond
1900 William James; Buddism studied by everyone
1940 Jung- Tibetan Book for the Dead
1960 Fromm- Buddism and Psychotherapy
1971 Ram Dass; “Be here now”
1979 Jon Kabat Zinn—MBSR/Center for Mindfulness
Pain disorders Stress Related Disorders
Eating Disorders Psoriasis
Cancer Patients Panic/Anxiety
1985 Techniques taught in Medical Centers
Meditation, Body Scan, Hatha Yoga
1993 Dialectical Behavioral Therapy –DBT
Mindfulness, Interpersonal Skills, Emotional Regulation, Distress Tolerance-----Decr. Suicide and Hospitalization
1999 Steve Hayes—Acceptance & Commitment Therapy—ACT
Striving to control makes things worse—Chinese Finger Trap
2000 Teasdale, Segal, & Williams –Decrease Relapse by 50%
Mindful stretching
Mindful Breath, Body, Sounds, Thoughts
3 Minute Breathing Space
Mindfulness Every Day
What is mindfulness? What is NOT mindfulness?
Mindfulness is a concept—“Sati” in Pali (spoken Sanskrit), awareness, attention, remembering
Psychological context- Awareness of Present Moment with Acceptance
Mindfulness is NOT
Being on Autopilot Being lost in fantasy/Past or Future
Rushing Thru Activities Spilling when not attending to it
Becoming emotionless Withdrawing from Life
Seeking Bliss Escaping Pain
Mindfulness can help us to
See things as they are rather than how we want them to be
Increase our attention to be present with choices
Increase our ability to act skillfully
Enrich our experience of the richness in the moment
What are some mindfulness techniques?
Awareness
Slow down- greater detail, antidote for hurried culture
Observe and Concentrate- Stabilizing Attention-choosing an object and follow it closely (example: breath, contents of mind, TM mantra, less suffering- “Puppy training” for the mind.
Present Experience
Inner Focus and Outer Focus-allows identification with the moment rather than the narrative.(example: walking meditation, nature meditation, mountain meditation)
Acceptance
Using the body and breath as a resource-body is a resource where you can inhabit the present moment especially with difficult emotions
Loving Kindness ---Meta
May I feel safe and protected
May I be happy and content
May I be healthy and strong
May I be peaceful and at ease
Three Minute Breathing Exercise- out of automatic, into present
Awareness- acknowledge thoughts, feelings, body “that is how it is right now”
Gathering- focus on breath, in and out
Expanding- spacious awareness beyond breath, body sense, whole body breathing
How can you use mindfulness techniques to help yourself?
Aware of Self with increased relaxation
Explore inner States softly
Body as resource, especially when mood negative
Thoughts and feelings are not facts
Behavioral change more creative, less automatic
Examples- pain, compulsive behavior, conflict in relationships, anxiety, panic, grief
What will you do to support yourself in reclaiming your right to be happy when you leave today? Who will you ask to support you?
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