Mindfulness Meditation and Buddhism

[frellyou]

I've been hearing about mindfulness meditation as a treatment for depression for awhile (I even bought a book 'The Miracle of Mindfulness'), but hadn't done much about it until a couple of nights ago when I went to my first meditation group. It was excellent, there was a Buddhist nun as a guest speaker, and she said lots of things that really made me thing, despite my typically non-spiritual outlook (ok, I'll admit it, I almost died of embarrassment for everyone when she started singing during meditation :imbar, I'm a horrible, unenlightened person, I know.)

I'm definately planning on going back. I was just wondering if anyone else here meditates and/or is Buddhist?

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

I try to be meditate but haven't been able to break the 8 minute mark on a regular basis, but that's a start.

I've also read and studied Bhuddism a bit, and while I don't buy it all, much of it makes sense fits me very well more than other other spiritual program. I like the ideas of lovingkindness and trying to stay focused completely totally in the present moment. It does indeed relax me and get me out of my head and make me more aware of my inner self and breath.

I wish I was a bit more disciplined that I am with the practice. I'm lucky if I sit once or twice a week these days.

I'm a fan of Jon Kabat-zinn: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Kabat-Zinn

Although I have one of his books gathering dust on my bookshelf, I have listened to some of his CDs and love the ideas expressed in "Wherever You Go, There You Are".

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[willy2]

I love meditation and relaxation breathing exercises in general. I also do the cbt exercise called the TEA form to keep from getting stuck in my head and causing more stress. I am all for stress reduction :)

[aussiemags]

I love meditation and relaxation breathing exercises in general. I also do the cbt exercise called the TEA form to keep from getting stuck in my head and causing more stress. I am all for stress reduction :)

Hey Willy2,

What is the TEA form? Would it be any help to my 17 yr old daughter who is going through such a rough time. She has always been an anxious child, now she is in her teens she is struggling. I tried searching on the web for info about the TEA form but all I found was people saying how great it was but not describing it.

[willy2]

Hey Willy2,

What is the TEA form? Would it be any help to my 17 yr old daughter who is going through such a rough time. She has always been an anxious child, now she is in her teens she is struggling. I tried searching on the web for info about the TEA form but all I found was people saying how great it was but not describing it.

Sorry for being so late in replying. The TEA form is a simple thought countering exercise where you list the thoughts that cause anxiousness and stress and then identify the common thinking errors in your thoughts and refute them and replace the original thought with more objective and less upsetting thoughts. I learned them in my CBT group and in the book we used by Sam Obitz which diagrams them in it as well. I have read other CBT books since that call them by other names like the CBT thought countering exercise or the triple column technique but they all work the same.

We all learn bad thinking/processing habits when we are young and don't even realize they are there and need to be corrected and that's what the TEA form helps you do... Reprogram your brain to process things in less upsetting ways. It sounds too basic to work but it does if you do them and you can change your life in a matter of a few months.

I think they would work great for your teenage daughter but the hard part would be getting her to do them everyday:twocents:

Best of luck:)

[aussiemags]

The TEA form is a simple thought countering exercise where you list the thoughts that cause anxiousness and stress and then identify the common thinking errors in your thoughts and refute them and replace the original thought with more objective and less upsetting thoughts..........I think they would work great for your teenage daughter but the hard part would be getting her to do them everyday:twocents:

Best of luck:)

Thanks for the reply. And you're right - getting her to do them would be the hard part. But thanks for the information. At least I have a bit more of an idea what is involved.

[woknblues]

I have always tried to meditate. I just couldn't do it.

I took part in a one day workshop put on by a local vegetarian restaurant. There was a Buddhist monk that guided a group of us through the process. I think many people confuse meditation with quiet time. There is a big difference. When I went through the 30 minute mediation process that we built up to, it was a pretty amazing feeling and experience. I haven't had the time or patience to do it on my own again. It takes a long time and practice for MOST people to get it, according to the monk.

[wonhaeng]

I've practiced Zen and Theravadan Buddhism for a little over 20 years now. The CBT/TEA/MBSR exercises are a form of Vipassana meditation taught in many Theravadan traditions. A lot of western researchers are introducing the techniques into their practice and coining their own names to the methods to disassociate it from traditional Buddhist meditation.

[willy2]

Thanks for the reply. And you're right - getting her to do them would be the hard part. But thanks for the information. At least I have a bit more of an idea what is involved.

You're welcome. You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink as they say. I hope your daughter is feeling better.

[willy2]

I've practiced Zen and Theravadan Buddhism for a little over 20 years now. The CBT/TEA/MBSR exercises are a form of Vipassana meditation taught in many Theravadan traditions. A lot of western researchers are introducing the techniques into their practice and coining their own names to the methods to disassociate it from traditional Buddhist meditation.

This is really interesting and not surprising. My first reaction to CBT and TEA forms etc was that they appeared to be Taoist in nature. I wish western medicine would embrace eastern forms more often:up:

[biochemnurse2b]

Just FYI: I'm not a nurse (would like to become one some day, though, for now taking pre-reqs and very glad to have found this forum).

I have had experience with several different kinds of meditation, there are so many. Also find myself attracted to the Buddhist way of viewing things even though there are different Buddhist ways.

Every meditation provides some benefit. There is research on the benefits of TM (Transcendental Meditation) on lowering BP for example. Meditating before bed time can be helpful to people who suffer from insomnia. It is relaxing. But since every meditation does something different, it would make sense to be careful about choosing the meditation technique and be cautious.

I have only read about the mindfullness meditation and it sounds safe enough. It makes sense that staying in the present moment would alleviate anxiety about the future and regrets, or pain from the past. Also read a very good book by Bill Moyers "Healing and the Mind" that has a chapter on the guy Tweety mentioned (Jon Kabat-Zin) who has used it with success, looks like.

Good luck

[willy2]

Love the 2b at the end of your moniker :)