A true supply curve shows the relationship between price and quantity supplied. For the monopolist, the key issue to consider is that the monopolist does not make quantity decisions based on price, but rather based on marginal revenue.
This can be illustrated with the concept of price discrimination: The monopolist does not necessarily charge the same price for the same quantity in two separate markets for the same good, since the monopolist will first consider the elasticity of demand.
Consider the diagram below. Starting out with two different demand curves with corresponding marginal revenue curves (remember, MR has twice the slopes of the demand curve), just draw a marginal cost curve that crosses through the intersection of the two different marginal revenue curves. As you can see, since the two different MR curves represent different demand curves, the price will be different even when MC=MR gives the same quantity for each demand curve. In short, you do not have a one-for-one relationship between price and quantity, and this means that there is no stable supply curve here.
Question 2: In this context, in your own words carefully explain why economists say that a monopolistic firm does not have a true supply curve in the same sense that a perfectly competitive firm does.
Sit in Your Groups
While you wait – Share with your table group a goal you have for this semester.
INSTRUCTOR NOTE: Play music of your choice for about 5 minutes before class begins. We typically choose something upbeat and uplifting.
1
XXX
2
Questions
Mindfulness Activity
Participate
Happy Birthday to You
Happy Birthday to You
Happy Birthday dear STUDENT
Happy Birthday to You
4
Distress Tolerance and Willpower
Lesson 4
5
(DeCano & Cook, 2015)
Circled areas are related to the skills for today
6
Acceptance vs. Change
Acceptance
Validation
Change
Problem-Solving
Fulcrum or Balance of Life
We will learn Acceptance Skills
We will learn Change Skills
Again, a summary of the principle dialectic in DBT Skills: Acceptance and Change
7
Previous Lesson Summary
Goals are small attainable steps that help keep us moving towards our values. Values are the point at the end of a compass you can never reach, whereas goals are small achievable steps along the way. You can have values and related goals in many areas of your life.
When people live consistent with their values, their mental health is maximized, they report having a more satisfying life, and are more effective in their work and personal lives.
When we are faced with stressful situations, we can make impulsive choices that disconnect us from our values (that’s why clarifying them is so important!)
Highlight dialectics w/ love/hate parents
8
Previous Lesson Summary
Values also have transformational power to turn everyday routine, tedious, or annoying behaviors into meaningful and rewarding ones.
A dialectic is when two things that seem opposite are both true.
Using WOOP .
A true supply curve shows the relationship between price and quant.docx
1. A true supply curve shows the relationship between price and
quantity supplied. For the monopolist, the key issue to consider
is that the monopolist does not make quantity decisions based
on price, but rather based on marginal revenue.
This can be illustrated with the concept of price discrimination:
The monopolist does not necessarily charge the same price for
the same quantity in two separate markets for the same good,
since the monopolist will first consider the elasticity of demand.
Consider the diagram below. Starting out with two different
demand curves with corresponding marginal revenue curves
(remember, MR has twice the slopes of the demand curve), just
draw a marginal cost curve that crosses through the intersection
of the two different marginal revenue curves. As you can see,
since the two different MR curves represent different demand
curves, the price will be different even when MC=MR gives the
same quantity for each demand curve. In short, you do not have
a one-for-one relationship between price and quantity, and this
means that there is no stable supply curve here.
Question 2: In this context, in your own words carefully
explain why economists say that a monopolistic firm does not
have a true supply curve in the same sense that a perfectly
competitive firm does.
Sit in Your Groups
While you wait – Share with your table group a goal you have
for this semester.
INSTRUCTOR NOTE: Play music of your choice for about 5
minutes before class begins. We typically choose something
2. upbeat and uplifting.
1
XXX
2
Questions
Mindfulness Activity
Participate
Happy Birthday to You
Happy Birthday to You
Happy Birthday dear STUDENT
Happy Birthday to You
4
Distress Tolerance and Willpower
Lesson 4
3. 5
(DeCano & Cook, 2015)
Circled areas are related to the skills for today
6
Acceptance vs. Change
Acceptance
Validation
Change
Problem-Solving
Fulcrum or Balance of Life
We will learn Acceptance Skills
We will learn Change Skills
Again, a summary of the principle dialectic in DBT Skills:
Acceptance and Change
7
Previous Lesson Summary
Goals are small attainable steps that help keep us moving
towards our values. Values are the point at the end of a compass
you can never reach, whereas goals are small achievable steps
along the way. You can have values and related goals in many
areas of your life.
4. When people live consistent with their values, their mental
health is maximized, they report having a more satisfying life,
and are more effective in their work and personal lives.
When we are faced with stressful situations, we can make
impulsive choices that disconnect us from our values (that’s
why clarifying them is so important!)
Highlight dialectics w/ love/hate parents
8
Previous Lesson Summary
Values also have transformational power to turn everyday
routine, tedious, or annoying behaviors into meaningful and
rewarding ones.
A dialectic is when two things that seem opposite are both true.
Using WOOP helps you stick to your goals and beat moral
licensing.
Highlight dialectics w/ love/hate parents
9
Learning Objectives
After completing this lesson, you will be able to:
Explain the make up and function of habits
Describe distress tolerance, its importance, and when to use it
Know how to use different distress tolerance skills
Describe the benefits of willpower
Understand the different types of willpower and how to tap into
5. them
10
Lesson 4: Glossary TermsLesson 4 Distress Tolerance and
Willpower Emotion-provokingstimulate or give rise to
emotions, typically a strong or unwelcome one.
Distress ToleranceDistress intolerance is perceived negative
emotions as overwhelming and unbearable.
Amygdala HijackIt describes the process of losing rational,
logical thinking when becoming emotionally upset.
Crisis Survival SkillsThe goal of crisis survival skills is to help
you get through a short-tem crisis situation without making it
worse. Crisis survival skills help us to tolerate our distress so
we don’t act on our emotions.Emotional DysregulationIt refers
to the inability of a person to control or regulate their emotional
responses and behavior in response to certain situations.
WillpowerThe ability to control our attention, emotions and
impulses (desires) in pursuit of something that isn’t
immediately attainable.
Participation Week 4 Part 1
What is a bad habit you have?
12
What is a Habit?
6. Popcorn call out some habits you have
Ok, so we all have habits, but what actually is a habit? Last
week we talked about goals and we’ve talked about
mindfulness. The reality is we cannot be mindful and present all
the time; our brains don’t have enough capacity/energy for that.
And we need that present mindful awareness in order to meet
our goals. So habits, when used correctly, allow us to turn some
tasks into automatic functions so we don’t need to expend
mental energy on them. So how does that happen?
Example (benign) – getting in the car (cue) and putting on my
seat belt (habit) and I feel safe (reward)
Cue – something that happens that we automatically do
something after; these can be emotions, situations, physical
feelings, just about anything
Habit – the thing I do automatically when I experience a cue;
this is a behavior
Consequence – the response after that keeps me doing this
habit; if I like the consequence (reward), then I do the habit
again and again; this is immediately after
Second benign example – your phone notifies you that you have
a text or a snapchat (cue), you answer it (habit), you get
information and know what’s going on immediately
(consequence)
Another example (more real) – I don’t get a perfect score on an
assignment, and I tell myself “I suck,” and I feel bad about
myself so I do something to punish myself or make myself feel
better
7. So today’s lecture is all about different habit behaviors we can
use when faced wit ha cue if we want to make changes. First,
though, we have to talk more about cues.
13
Cue
(Prompting Event)
Habit
(Behavior/ Action Urge/ Emotional Response)
Reward (Consequence)
Emotions Range from Typical to Impairing
Sad/Bummed Out
Depressed/Suicidal
Angry/Upset
Violent/Property Destruction
Anxiety
Panic/Freaking Out
8. Happy
Grandiose Happiness
So let’s talk more about emotions as cues.
14
Does the Emotional Reaction Fit the Situation??????
Note to instructors: When you are in slide show model –
animations will allow you to tab through the pictures. Facilitate
a discussion with the students. For example, the first pair is an
aggressive dog and a child crying (ASK: does the reaction fit
the facts? YES). When you change the picture, you’ll see a
puppy but the child is still crying (ASK: does the reaction fit
the facts? NO).
15
Emotion-Provoking Buttons
Everyone goes from calm to not calm
There is always a button that gets pushed to cause us to go from
calm to not calm
9. Important to develop an understanding of one’s own emotion-
provoking buttons
16
Awareness of Emotion-Provoking Buttons
We must fully understand our values, thoughts about the past
and future, events, and social situations that provoke intense
negative emotions in us if we are going to appropriately manage
them
Button categories:
Certain people who rub us wrong
Being treated a certain way by others
Unexpected change in routine
Certain event or situation
Thoughts about past experiences
Turn and talk about some other minor buttons you know of
17
How do WE cope with or Manage INTENSE Negative
Emotions?
ANSWER: Generally……NOT WELL
10. Our habit/automatic response tends to be not in line with our
values
18
The Amygdala Hijack
Amygdala Hijack : a term coined to describe the process of
losing rational, logical thinking when becoming emotionally
upset
The amygdala takes over dominates thinking and behavior and
essentially interferes with prefrontal cortex functioning (e.g.,
self-regulation, weighing consequences, thinking clearly)
19
The Amygdala Hijack
Fight
Self-Critique
Flight
Freeze
Isolate
Perseverate
We’re not always in places where we actually would fight or
run away or freeze though. Sometimes these look different.
20
Emotional Dysregulation
11. Emotional dysregulation refers to the inability of a person to
control or regulate their emotional responses and behavior in
response to certain situations
A crisis is when you experience a serious problem but the
solution isn’t readily coming to mind. In a crisis, emotions are
high so the problem is distressing, and having high emotions
generally makes things worse.
21
How do you know when you are in a crisis?
EMOTION MIND!!
We talk about crisis level being a 65 on our emotional
thermometer. In coming weeks we’ll talk about how you know
where your 65 is. You can be at 65 for any emotion, positive or
negative. 65 or crisis level just means you’re in emotion mind
and would unlikely be able to make a wise minded
choice/decision
22
YOU ARE IN A CRISIS WHEN
the situation is:
Highly stressful
Short term (that is, it won’t last a long time) and
Creating intense pressure to resolve the crisis now
USE CRISIS SURVIVAL SKILLS when
You have intense pain that cannot be helped quickly
12. You want to act on your emotions but it will only make things
worse
Emotion mind threatens to overwhelm you and you need to stay
skillful
You are overwhelmed yet demands must be meet
Arousal is extreme but problems cannot be solved immediately
DON’T USE CRISIS SURVIVAL SKILLS for:
Everyday problems
Solving all your life problems
WHEN TO USE CRISIS SURVIVAL SKILLS
Crisis Survival Skills – Short-term
ACCEPTS
IMPROVE
TIPP
Pros and Cons
Distress Tolerance Skills
Accepting Reality Skills – Long-term
(we will learn these next week)
Accepting Reality & Radical Acceptance
Turning the Mind & Willingness
Mindfulness of Current Thoughts
Two Types:
The two types of Distress Tolerance Skills
24
13. What if it’s too late? Strategies to Manage Intense Negative
Emotions: Distress Tolerance Skills
Distraction – with ACCEPTS
IMPROVE
TIPP
Pros & Cons
Crisis Survival Skills
*** These are not problem-solving skills
– they are - don’t make it worse skills
The purpose of the Distress Tolerance skills are to help reduce
the intensity of the emotion enough to get you back into a place
where you can reconnect w/ wise mind to make a better choice
25
Crisis Survival Skills
Imagery
Meaning
Prayer
Relaxation
One thing in the moment
Vacation
Encouragement
Crisis survival skills – Distract with Wise mind ACEEPTS and
IMPROVE the moment
26
Temperature:
14. Dipping your head in very cold water (around 50 degrees) kicks
in the Dive Reflex – stimulating the parasympathetic nervous
system – meaning – your body thinks you have fallen through
the ice.
Key components:
1. Cold water (around 50 degrees)
2. Just below the eyes
3. Hold breath for 30 seconds
4. Bending over at the waist
***DO NOT TRY IF YOU HAVE HEART PROBLEMS
The T in TIPP
27
Intense Exercise:
Intensive exercise for at least 20 minutes. This could be
running, biking/spin, paddling, soccer, any high energy exerting
activity. When you stop, the body kicks in endorphins – your
body’s own chemical feel good drug
Key components:
1. High exerting energy (>20
minutes)
2. Stopping kicks-in endorphins
The I in TIPP
28
15. Progressive Muscle Relaxation:
Key components:
1. 15-20 minutes
2. Tensing and relaxing muscles stimulates
endorphins
Relaxation is incompatible with being emotionally aroused and
upset. We can’t be relaxed and angry/upset/anxious at the same
time. Progressive/Guided muscle relaxation has been shown to
reduce stress and anxiety.
The first P in TIPP
29
Paced Breathing:
Key components:
1. Do for at least a minute
2. No key formula/ratio
3. **If you feel like you are going
to pass out - STOP
Breathing out longer than breathing in. The idea is to reduce
the oxygen level in your body, so everything else shuts down
like it is going to sleep. For example, inhale for 4 seconds and
exhale for 6 seconds. Stimulating the body’s parasympathetic
nervous system
The second P in TIPP
30
Distress Tolerance: Pros & ConsPROSCONS
Acting on crisis urgesPros of acting on impulsive urges:
16. __________________________
__________________________
__________________________
__________________________Cons of acting on impulsive
urges:
__________________________
__________________________
__________________________
__________________________
__________________________
Resisting Crisis Urges Pros of resisting impulsive urges:
__________________________
__________________________
__________________________
__________________________
__________________________Cons of resisting on impulsive
urges:
__________________________
__________________________
__________________________
__________________________
__________________________
Pros and Cons – important to emphasize the four different
squares
31
Distress Tolerance: Pros & Cons
Consider short-term and long-term PROS and CONS
Before an overwhelming urge hits:
Write out your PROS and CONS and carry them with you
17. When an overwhelming urge hits:
Review your PROS and CONS.
Imagine the positive
consequences of resisting the urge.
Imagine (and remember PAST) negative consequences of giving
into the urges.
32
What if it’s not a Crisis?
When its not a crisis – then we use accepting reality skills
33
What is Willpower
The ability to control our attention, emotions and impulses
(desires) in pursuit of something that isn’t immediately
attainable
The ability to act in a way that furthers our goals, even when
doing something else seems immediately more appealing
The ability to keep our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in
check to achieve a goal that is not right in front of your face.
34
The Need for Willpower
Everyone struggles in some way with temptation, addiction,
18. distraction, procrastination or avoidance
We eat, drink, smoke, gamble, avoid work too much, max out
our credit cards, fall into dangerous or problematic situations,
give up on things too easily and become addicted to alcohol,
pot, pills and texting/emailing/tweeting.
At day’s end, most people have spent three to four hours
attempting to use willpower to squash the urge to do something
they shouldn’t, take a nap when there are other important things
to do, order another drink, play Candy Crush, check in again on
Facebook or Tweet, buy another pair of shoes, skip class, or
have an affair.
35
So where did my willpower go?
We don’t have endless amounts of willpower
Things that deplete our willpower
Stress
Tired
Hungry
Mindlessness
Too many willpower “projects”
But, like a muscle, we can build our willpower because of
neuroplasticity!
19. Developing Willpower
Research suggests that willpower can be developed similar to
the way we develop our muscles. Just like a muscle:
To strengthen your willpower, you have to exercise
If you exercise it too much, it will become fatigued
Developing willpower is NOT about pushing yourself harder.
It’s about taking small, achievable steps toward the goal over
time.
Set realistic goals
Figure out how to reward yourself for each step
The research on willpower suggests that it can be developed
very much in the same way we develop our muscles. To build
muscle, you need to exercise. And, when you overwork the
muscle, it gets tired and needs to recover. The same can be said
for willpower. Many people think that developing willpower is
about pushing yourself harder and harder and this is a
misunderstanding of how developing willpower works. To
develop willpower, set small but meaningful goals and take
steps toward them every day. It’s important to set realistic
goals. For example, I am not going to be successful if I tell
myself I am going to exercise for an hour a day – I simply don’t
have time for that. However, I might be successful if I start
with a goal of 20 minutes of moving my body per day. Next,
you need to figure out how to reward yourself for taking each
step toward your goal. The reward is important because it will
help keep your motivation high. For example, I might tell
myself that if I reach my first goal of moving my body in some
way for at least 20 minutes per day, I will treat myself to a new
pair of shoes. You should pick a reward that is appropriate to
20. your goal – so for example, if my long term goal is to lose
weight, then it would not be appropriate to reward myself for
exercising with a hot fudge sundae. Giving yourself permission
to celebrate the small victories on the way to achieving your
long term goals is important for your emotional balance,
motivation, and developing your willpower.
37
Lesson Summary
Habits are the automatic behaviors we exhibit after a cue.
Our emotions are a part of who we are. They range from typical
to impairing
Emotional dysregulation – the inability to control or regulate
ones emotional responses and behavior in response to certain
situations
Amygdala Hijack – when our emotions overtake our decision-
making abilities (EMOTION MIND takes over)
Lesson Summary
For Emotional Dysregulation – use Distress Tolerance - Crisis
Survival Skills
These are not problem-solving skills – they are don’t make it
worse skills
TIPP
Distract with ACCEPTS
IMPROVE the moment
Pros & Cons
Willpower – the ability to control our attention, emotions and
21. impulses (desires) in pursuit of something that isn’t
immediately attainable. Or act in a way that furthers our goals,
even when doing something else seems immediately more
appealing
Three types:
I will
I won’t
I want
Participation Week 4 Part 2
What is an area of your life you’re going to apply willpower to
over the next week?
40
Mindfulness
Observe
Hold arms in the air for 2 minutes. Observe the sensations in
your arms, don’t go into describe. Identify the WHAT skills
they are using, and then name the HOW skills they are using,
and what that means in this case. When you notice your
thoughts wander, one-mindfully, nonjudgmentally, and
effectively bring your mind back to the present moment.
If you notice the urge to move your body, notice the urge, but
notice that you don’t have to do that.
22. 41
EMOTIONAL THERMOMETER
How intense is my emotion mind?
1-100
Below 65
1-65
Above 65
HIGH ABOVE 65
EMOTION
I strongly feel the emotion AND can still think about
solutionsEmotion Regulation SkillsI feel the emotion and the
emotion is overwhelming me
(I can’t think rationally)ACCEPTS
IMPROVE
Pro/ConI feel the overwhelming emotion + physical sensations
(I can’t think + my body is out of control)TIPP
Thermometer activity in groups – have students (individually)
identify their below, above, and high above for anger.
(i.e. below 65 = my professor gave me feedback i felt unfair;
above a 65 = my roommate took something of mine and broke it
after I had asked her not to borrow it; far above 65 = my partner
cheated on me with a friend
Whole class - Read scenarios and have students move along
23. thermometer “on floor” (using 100 scale from back wall to
chalk board) to where they would be for the following
situations:
My computer crashed and I lost the complete version of my
midterm essay
I lost my keys and am locked out of my house
My friend bailed on me last minute
42
EMOTION RESPONSE ROAD MAP
EMOTION
Emotion Intensity <65
EMOTION INTENSITY >65
SOLVABLE SITUATION
UNSOLVABLE SITUATION
Problem Solving
Radical Acceptance & Willingness
OPPOSITE ACTION
TIPP
EMOTIONS COOL DOWN <65
ACCEPTS
IMPROVE
Pros + Cons
CRISIS SURVIVAL SKILLS
Emotion + Intensity
Fit the Facts
Emotion + Intensity
DON’T
Fit the Facts
24. 43
Wise Mind Distracts with ACCEPTS
Distraction is deliberately turning your attention away from the
negative emotion-provoking situation
ACTIVITIESDo something; e.g. call a friend, watch a movie,
read a book. CONTRIBUTINGContribute to something or
someone; e.g. help someone with their homework, give
something to someoneCOMPARISONSCompare your situation
to something worse; e.g. think about a time you felt worse,
compare yourself to those less fortunateEMOTIONSCreate
different emotions; e.g. listen to an upbeat or soothing song,
watch something funny.PUSHING AWAYPush the painful
situation out of your mind temporarily; e.g. put the thought in a
box and put it on a shelf. THOUGHTSReplace your thoughts;
e.g. do a puzzle or a sudoku, read, do a math
problemSENSATIONSExperience other intense physical
sensations; e.g. hold ice, squeeze a stress ball.
-Comparisons: With comparisons, if it makes you feel worse to
compare yourself to less fortunate others, then you can compare
your situation to a take when you were really struggling, that
makes this situation look less bad.
Turn and talk about some examples of things you could use to
distract you
Brainstorm a bunch of options per letter with your group and
then apply to yourself. Which ones have you used, which ones
25. would be helpful, why? Which seem less helpful, why?
44
Activity
Keep in mind when and where you might experience a crisis.
Make your crisis survival kit for home, on campus, and to take
with you anywhere on your phone.
What skills from distress tolerance feel like they’d be the most
helpful to you?
What items do you have accessible at home, on campus, or on
your phone with you that allow you to engage in those skills
when you need them?
Have students think of situations they identified as being above
a 65 on the 0-100 scale – you are now going to identify the
strategies you will use from the skills we’ve discussed this
week that you could use.
More then ACCEPTS, find examples of each that you can use to
help you, put this in your tool box.
What is your survival kit for home, school, and on your phone.
The three questions apply to the 3 (home, school). HAVE
STUDENTS TAKE A FEW MINUTES TO WRITE THEM
DOWN, THEN DISCUSS IN THEIR GROUPS, THEN SHARE
OUT TO THE WHOLE CLASS BIG TAKE AWAYS.
45
Sit in Your Groups
While you wait – What are you doing to keep yourself feeling
26. well during midterms?
INSTRUCTOR NOTE: Play music of your choice for about 5
minutes before class begins. We typically choose something
upbeat and uplifting.
1
XXX
2
Questions
Stone flake on the lake. Imagine that you are by a clear blue
lake on a beautiful sunny day. Then imagine that you are a
small flake of stone, flat and light. Imagine that you have been
tossed out onto the lake and are now gently, slowly, floating
through the calm, clear blue water to the lake’s smooth, sandy
bottom.
Notice what you see, what you feel as you float down, perhaps
in slow circles, floating towards the bottom. As you reach the
bottom of the lake, settle your attention there within yourself.
Mindfulness Exercise: Observe
27. 4
Choosing Attention and Practicing Gratitude
Lesson 6
5
(DeCano & Cook, 2015)
Last week we learned about distress tolerance crisis survival
skills and willpower skills, which are APT resources.
Today we’re going to learn the other half of the distress
tolerance skills
This week we’re also going to talk about some strategies for
cultivating positive emotions
6
Summary of the Previous Lesson
Distress tolerance skills help us avoid decisions that will likely
make things worse, and are used to accept reality for what is
really is
When you cannot change the situation, the problem cannot be
28. solved, then use reality accepting skills
The skill of radical acceptance – helps us to see things as they
really are and reduces our suffering
The skill of turning the mind – is used to help us refocus on
what truly happened, moving away from willfulness to
willingness
Finally, the skill of mindfulness of current thought helps us
separate our thoughts from who we really are and that we can
simply have thoughts, notice them, and watch them go by – you
are not your thoughts (cognitive defusion)
----
7
Learning Objectives
After completing this lesson, you will be able to:
Explain what we pay attention to impacts how we feel and
behave
Describe our natural tendency to selectively focus more on
negative and bad aspects of life more than the positive and good
Explain how we have the power to intentionally choose to pay
attention to more positive aspects of situations
8
Learning Objectives
After completing this lesson, you will be able to:
Search and find positive characteristics in others and the silver
lining in even the most challenging situations
Practice specific gratitude exercises that have been shown by
research to produce a number of beneficial outcomes
29. 9
Lesson 6: Glossary TermsLesson 6 Choosing your Attention and
Practicing GratitudeThe Cocktail Party Effect (Selective
Attention)Selective attention is defined as “the ability to
maintain a cognitive set in the presence of background ‘noise’
or distraction” (Baron, 2004, p. 222).Negative Confirmation
BiasSeeing others or situations through a negative lens and
failing to pay attention to the positive (e.g., tunnel or
monocular vision).GratitudeSilver
LiningA sign of hope in an unfortunate or gloomy situation.; a
bright prospect. If you talk about a silver lining, you are talking
about something positive that comes out of a sad or unpleasant
situation.Self-fulfilling ProphecyThe process by which our
expectations of another person impact the other person’s
behavior in such a way s/he behaves in a way that confirms the
expectationsAwe in the present momentAwe, defined as “the
feeling of being in the presence of something vast and greater
than the self, that exceeds current knowledge structures”
(Keltner & Haidt, 2003).
Participation Wk 6 Part 1
Share an example of a time you focused on the negatives in a
situation that you later realized was positive.
For example – focusing on the one question you missed on a test
rather than on a good overall score.
30. 11
Nature of our thoughts
20,000 = the average number of thoughts people have per day.
The majority of people spend more time attending to the
negative.
Call out – how many thoughts do you think people have each
day?
Psychologists have tracked the average number of thoughts
people have a day and the results indicate that 20,000 is the
average number of thoughts people have each day. The majority
of thoughts people have are neutral, meaning they have no
positive or negative valence to them. However, when
considering the ratio of negative to positive thoughts, findings
indicate that people tend to have 5 negative thoughts for every
one positive thought.
The single most powerful way to reshape your brain and thus
your mind is to develop greater control of what you pay
attention to. This is a relatively simple idea to understand but a
rather challenging practice to apply in one’s life because it
requires both awareness and effort. Once we learn we have the
power to choose to pay more attention to the positive aspects of
our lives, the application of this practice becomes easier.
12
Sensation and Perception
31. Sensation: your window to the world through your senses
Perception: interpreting what comes into your window
Let’s break down more of how our attention, and thus our
thoughts, actually work.
Sensation refers to the process of sensing our environment
through touch, taste, sight, sound, and smell. This information
is sent to our brains in raw form where perception comes into
play. Perception is the way we interpret these sensations and
therefore make sense of our experiences. The goal of sensation
is detection, the goal of perception is to organize and give
meaning to what we are experiencing. Not all sensory input are
perceived and interpreted. Attention is what draws our focus on
certain portions of our experience versus others. It just so
happens that attention plays a critical role in how we feel and
behave and determines in large part whether we are resilient or
not.
13
What Is Attention?
Attention is that which takes possession of the mind.
Stated differently, attention is the focal point of our
consciousness. It is like a spotlight that illuminates things in
your mind.
14
Defined as that which takes possession of the mind. Stated
32. differently, attention is the focal point of our consciousness. It
is like a spotlight that illuminates things in your mind. Various
stimuli that strike the senses at any given moment, as well as
memories of the past, thoughts & feelings about current
circumstances, projections into the future can occupy the focus
of our attention.
Attention allows us to "tune out” other information, which
allows us to ignore other sensations and so we can actually
focus our energy on the information that seems most interesting
and important.
Humans have a limited capacity for attention which limits the
amount of information processed at any particular time. Thus, it
is important to understand what naturally captivates our
attention and how can we use our attention to feel and behave
better.
The Cocktail Party Effect
Selective attention: selectively concentrating on one thing while
ignoring other things
The cocktail party effect is the phenomenon of being able to
focus one's attention on a particular conversation or image
while filtering out all other stimuli, much the same way that a
person at a cocktail party can focus on a single conversation in
a noisy room with several other conversations going on
simultaneously. This effect is what allows most people to "tune
into" a single voice and "tune out" all others.
This effect is now referred to as selective attention. Selective
attention is robust concept in that it shows up across all ages.
Starting with infancy, newborns begin to turn their heads
33. toward a sound that is familiar to them, such as their parents’
voices, while ignoring other noises. This shows that infants
selectively attend to specific stimuli in their environment.
Adults also selectively attend.
Selective attention is what enables us to hone our attention to
what is most relevant or important, such as listening to a loved
one talk about an upsetting experience while your favorite show
or sports team is playing on TV. Although selective attention
has many beneficial properties, it depends on what we
selectively attend to . As we will learn, given natural tendencies
we have, we may actually selectively attend to negative events
while failing to pay attention to what is most important or
notice the positive things that are happening right in front of
our face.
15
Count the Number of Passes
Watch video, pause in the middle and have students call out
how many passes the team made
16
We are vulnerable to paying more attention to bad emotions,
bad interactions, negative aspects of others and upsetting
aspects of our experiences.
What is our natural tendency?
Pay More Attention to the
Negative than Positive
Have you ever wondered why the childhood stories people tell
34. over and over tend to focus on what went wrong. We talk more
about losing money, being abandoned by friends, receiving
criticism and getting into an argument than we do about winning
money, making friends, receiving praise, and having pleasant
conversations with others.
Dr. Roy Baumeister, who is a professor of social psychology,
has demonstrated with his research that we are vulnerable to
have our attention being devoted more to bad than good. We are
more likely to pay attention to bad emotions, bad interactions
with other people, bad feedback, and bad impressions than good
ones. Research over and over again shows that people are more
likely to pay attention to negative and bad situations than good.
It’s in human nature, and there are even signs of it in animals.
In an experiment in which participants gained or lost the same
amount of money, for instance, the distress participants
expressed over losing the money was greater than the joy that
accompanied the gain. People who are friends actually have
"stress contests" with one another, each trying to outdo the
other in lamenting about spouses, children, and work. The end
result is that people feel more riled up than soothed and develop
an even more negative outlook on their marriage, being a
parent, and their job.
Negative events disappear from our attention much slower than
positive events. Learning something bad about a new
acquaintance occupies our attention more than learning
something good, by and large. Evolutionarily, paying attention
to the negative has proven to be an adaptive characteristic.
Throughout our evolutionary history, species that were better
attuned to negative things would have been more likely to
survive threats and, consequently, would have an increased
probability of passing along their genes. A person who ignores
the possibility of a positive outcome may later experience
significant regret at having missed an opportunity for pleasure
or fun, but nothing directly terrible is likely to result. In
35. contrast, a person who ignores danger (the possibility of a bad
outcome) even once may end up maimed or dead. Survival
requires urgent attention to possible bad outcomes, but it is less
urgent with regard to good ones. Hence, it was once adaptive
for us to be psychologically designed to respond to bad more
strongly than good. The trouble now is that most of our daily
life encounters and events do not involve life or death
situations. Thus, we must gain an upper hand on our natural
tendency to pay attention to the negative because it ultimately
impacts how we feel and the behaviors we engage in. The
mindfulness skills discussed in the previous lesson can help
accomplish this, as it is a matter of paying attention on purpose
in a specific kind of way that enables us to focus more on the
positive aspects of our lives, others who we interact with and
the surrounding environment.
17
Negative Confirmation Bias
Negative Confirmation Bias: only seeing others or situations
through a negative lens and failing to pay attention to the
positive (e.g., tunnel or monocular vision)
Some of us get in such a negative rut that all we pay attention to
is the negative. What happens over time is that we actually
develop a confirmation bias.
Confirmation bias refers to a type of selective thinking whereby
we tend to notice and look for those things that confirm our
beliefs, while ignoring, not looking for or undervaluing the
relevance of what contradicts one's beliefs. The best way to
think about the negative confirmation bias is that it’s like a lens
through which you see the world. Basically, everything you see
36. or pay attention serves as a confirmation about how bad, sucky
or negative everything is including self, others, and the world
actually are. For example, if you believe that during a full
moon there is an increase in admissions to the emergency room
where you work, you will take notice of admissions during a
full moon, but be inattentive to the moon when admissions
occur during other nights of the month. A tendency to do this
over time unjustifiably strengthens your belief in the
relationship between the full moon and accidents and other
lunar effects.
This tendency to give more attention and weight to data that
support our beliefs than we do to contrary data is especially
pernicious when our beliefs are negatively slanted toward self
and others, given that we can potentially act in harm or
unproductive ways toward self or others. The important point is
to recognize that we have a tendency to develop a negative
confirmation bias and this negative lens through which we pay
attention to our experiences can result in feeling poorly
mentally and physically and result in behaviors that are self-
defeating.
18
We Are Not Victims of Our Attention!
We may not be able to control what initially captures our
attention, BUT we have the ability to notice what we are paying
attention to and purposefully choose to attend to something
more positive
So, what we’ve learned thus far is that we have a tendency to
pay attention more to negative and bad aspects of life than
positive aspects. The focus on the negative can diminish our
sense of well-being and trigger a range of problematic behaviors
that cause more problems than solve them.
37. Here’s the good news: in any given moment, we have the ability
to choose what we pay attention to. This means if we find
ourselves focusing on a negative, stressful situation, we can
intentionally re-focus our attention to something more positive.
Focusing our attention on the negatives is likely to start a cycle
of negativity, whereas, focusing on the positives will allow you
to establish a state of positivity. Choosing to pay attention to
the positive and practicing gratitude on a consistent basis
represents easy and effective ways to practice channeling your
attention on those aspects of your daily life that tap into the
positive emotions of fulfillment, enjoyment and happiness. The
end result of intentionally focusing on the positive aspect of
ourselves, others, and our surroundings is that we feel and
behave better.
Remember! Neuroplasticity! We can change where our brain
focuses automatically over time!
19
The Benefits of Choosing to Pay Attention to the Positive
People report having a more satisfying life
People are more likely to build relationships than burn them
People are able to cope better with life stress and bounce back
from adversity
People have better immune systems that resist illnesses
People recover better from illness or injury
Here is a list of the benefits of positive attention that have been
uncovered via scientific research. People who purposefully
choose to pay attention to the positive aspects:
report having a more satisfying life
are more likely to build relationships than burn them
are able to cope better with life stress and bounce back from
adversity
38. have better immune systems that resist illnesses
recover better from illness or injury
I don’t know about you but these are the types of benefits that
most people are looking for in their lives. If we can develop the
motivation and belief to purposefully train ourselves to pay
more attention to the positive aspects of our lives, scientific
research indicates that we too can experiences these benefits.
20
Toxic Positivity
Attention Training to
Focus More on the Positive
Turning the Mind
Searching for the Silver Lining
Choosing to See the Positive in Others
Developing Positive Go-To Staples
Gratitude Practices
What we pay attention to actually wires connections between
neurons in our brain. For example, people who tend to stay
focused and stuck on the negative aspects of life, such as losing
one’s keys, some annoying characteristic of a co-worker, or a
parking ticket, actually have different brain functioning than
people who are more optimistic. Yet, with practice, researchers
39. like Dr. Martin Seligman have found that we can learn to focus
more attention on the positive possibilities in situations and
others. Consciously changing what you pay attention to can
rewire your brain from a negative orientation to a positive one.
As neuroscientist Rick Hanson states, “Attention can actually
re-shapes the functioning of the brain.”
Here are three ways one can engage in attention training to
spend more time purposefully paying attention to positive
aspects of one’s life. These are searching for the silver lining,
choosing to see the positives in others, and developing positive
go-to staples. Applying these three general practices can help
most people feel better mentally and physically, develop
stronger relationships, and recover quicker from a setback.
22
Searching for a Silver Lining
Stressful and challenging days are inevitable!
Intentionally searching for the silver lining can improve our
well-being and overall performance both mentally, physically,
and behaviorally
The idiom every cloud has a silver lining is quite a profound
statement and applies to the notion of purposefully choosing to
pay attention to the positive. What does this phrase even mean.
When we look more closely at the edges of every cloud we can
see the sun shining there like a silver lining. When applied to
people, it means that even during stressful, challenging, and
difficult situations, there is something positive that can be
found and attended to. People have the ability to seek meaning
and positivity in the most difficult situations, but it requires
effort and a commitment. Searching for the silver lining during
40. stressful and is a key aspect of purposefully choosing to pay
attention to the positive and can result in being more resilient in
the face of adversity.
How do you find the silver lining in the maddening, seemingly
nothing but frustrating moments?
- What can I learn from this?
What about this can make me stronger in the long run?
Is there something about the situation that is interesting?
- What about life am I grateful for that this situation does not
negate?
23
Searching for the Silver Lining
How do you find the silver lining during difficult and
challenging circumstances?
What can I learn from this?
What about this can make me stronger in the long run?
Is there something about the situation that is interesting?
What about life am I grateful for that this situation does not
negate?
The idiom every cloud has a silver lining is quite a profound
statement and applies to the notion of purposefully choosing to
pay attention to the positive. What does this phrase even mean?
When we look more closely at the edges of every cloud we can
see the sun shining there like a silver lining. When applied to
people, it means that even during stressful, challenging, and
difficult situations, there is something positive that can be
found and attended to. People have the ability to seek meaning
and positivity in the most difficult situations, but it requires
effort and a commitment. Searching for the silver lining during
41. stressful and is a key aspect of purposefully choosing to pay
attention to the positive and can result in being more resilient in
the face of adversity.
How do you find the silver lining in the maddening, seemingly
nothing but frustrating moments?
- What can I learn from this?
What about this can make me stronger in the long run?
Is there something about the situation that is interesting?
- What about life am I grateful for that this situation does not
negate?
24
When we focus on the negative characteristics, behaviors, and
of others, it fundamentally influences how we perceive that
person and ultimately how we act towards them.
Self-fulfilling prophecy – the process by which our expectations
of another person impact the other person’s behavior in such a
way s/he behaves in a way that confirms the expectations
Choosing to See the Positive in Others
It comes so easy to pay attention to things we don’t like or
42. irritate and annoy us about other people. “I hate how she
dresses, I can’t believe she talks while eating, his voice bugs
me, or I don’t like people . Let’s face it, we have a tendency to
pay more attention to what people don’t do well or when they
mess up rather than what they do well or when they perform
really well. When focus on the negative aspects of other
people’s personalities, behaviors, and appearances, than it
fundamentally influences and skews our perceptions of them
and ultimately, how we behave towards them. Part of having
effective interpersonal skills and building rather than burning
relationships is to purposefully choose to see the positive in
others
Researchers, like John Gottman at the University of
Washington, has found that marriages in crisis can be saved by
simply teaching couples how to pay purposeful attention to what
they like and find positive about their spouse.
No matter how challenging a person behaves, you can identify
attributes that you like about them, which enables you to see
them in a more positive light. Think about the numerous people
who are involved in your lives Think of someone who you have
a difficult time getting along with—this could be a family
member and friend. Now search hard to find something you
appreciate, like or find positive about that person. This activity
alone has been shown to help repair relationship between
people. It enables us to get better at paying attention to the
positive aspects of others rather than simply fixating on the
negative or annoying aspects of others.
25
Choosing to See the Positive in Others
Part of having effective interpersonal skills and building rather
than burning relationships is to purposefully choose to see the
positive in others, assume best intent, and work hard to have
positive expectations towards them
43. This relates in an important way to when we learned about
mindfulness. Remember how describing non-judgmentally
means using only your 5 senses. And so much of when we see
people in a negative light is because we’re interpreting them
and their actions not looking at the facts of exactly what was
said. We will learn more skills for this in a few weeks as well
26
Positive Go-To Staples
Positive aspects of your life that you can pay attention to in any
moment in order to purposefully alter your attention from
something negative or stressful to something more positive and
uplifting – thus distracting ourselves when negative/stressful
situations have occurred or emotion mind is screaming at us.
A favorite memory
A beloved family member or friend
An accomplishment of significance
An anticipated event or trip
When we are in the heat of the moment, it can be difficult to re-
focus our attention on something more positive and uplifting.
This is why it is important to identify a positive go-to staple. A
positive go-to staple is an object of your attention that you have
spent time thinking about before you actually notice your
attention is stuck on something negative that is provoking a
sense of stress or discomfort. A positive go-to-staple is
something that you have to spend time thinking about on the
44. frontend to identify so you can purposefully choose to think
about when you notice. In this way, it is considered a go-to. The
staple aspect of this term reflects that it is a relatively constant
aspect of your life. What we know is that it takes active practice
to change the default negative thinking setting. This activity
helps to pre identify some positive go to things that can STOP
the negative thinking pattern in the moment and encourage a
better positive thinking trajectory.
.
POSITIVE GO-TO STAPLES are positive, uplifting, enjoyable
aspects of your life that you can choose to focus on in any
moment—that is, it is a “go to”. A positive go-to-staple could
be:
A family member (for example, a child, parent, spouse, partner)
A beautiful or serene place you have visited (for example, beach
or mountains)
A fun or uplifting experience (for example, volunteering at a
food shelter, mentoring a youth, etc.)
An accomplishment (for example, getting a promotion, running
a race, receiving an award)
The anticipation for a fun event (for example, vacation, concert,
sporting event)
Turn and talk and share some things you might go to for this
27
Gratitude as Special Type of Positive Attention
Gratitude is the felt sense of wonder, thankfulness, and
appreciation for the small and big things that come along with
life.
We experience gratitude when intentionally focus our attention
on particular aspects of our lives that we are thankful for and
have a deep appreciation of
45. I am certain that you have a had a moment in your life where
you have had a profound sense of being grateful for something.
Perhaps you were grateful for a loved one, the mentorship you
received, your health, a unique experiences, or an unexpected
gift.
Gratitude is defined as a felt sense of wonder, thankfulness, and
appreciation for the small and big things that come along with
life. In this way, it is an emotional experience. Gratitude is the
acknowledgement of the goodness in one’s life and the
recognition that the source of this goodness lies outside of the
self. The object of gratitude is other-directed. You could
practice gratitude by noticing how fortunate your circumstances
are (and how much worse they could be), by calling an old
mentor and thanking her for guiding you through one of life’s
crossroads, by relishing moments with your child, or by
recalling and savoring good experiences in your past.
Gratitude is a special type of attention. It is attention that is
devoted to identifying things we are thankful for or have a
appreciation of. Gratitude plays a very prominent role in the
development of resilience, happiness, and overall well-being.
The tools and techniques of modern science have been brought
to bear on understanding the nature of gratitude and why it is
important for human flourishing more generally. From
childhood to old age, accumulating evidence documents the
wide array of psychological, physical, and relational benefits
associated with gratitude. Gratitude is important not only
because it helps people feel good, but also because it inspires
them to do good. Gratitude heals, energizes, and transforms
lives in a myriad of ways consistent with the notion that virtue
is both its own reward and produces other rewards.
46. 28
Benefits of Gratitude
People who intentionally practice gratitude have been shown to:
more satisfied with life
happier
more optimistic
better at handling challenges
have fewer illnesses
get more sleep
exercise more
able to think more clearly
In the very first set of gratitude studies, one group of
participants was asked to write down five things for which they
were thankful – namely, to count their blessings – and to do so
once a week for ten weeks in a row, while the control group
were asked to think about either five daily hassles or five major
events that had occurred to them. The findings were
outstanding. Relative to the control groups, those participants
who purposefully practiced gratitude reported more optimism
and satisfaction with their lives. Even their health received a
boost; they reported fewer physical symptoms, such as
headache, coughing, or nausea, and more time spent exercising.
Other studies have shown the positive effects of gratitude on
employees, students, parents, and patients with chronic
illnesses. These studies have shown that on the days that
individuals strive to express their gratitude, they experience
more positive emotions (that is, feelings like interest,
excitement, joy, and pride) and are more likely to report helping
someone, to feel connected with others, have healthier immune
47. systems and even catch more hours of quality sleep.
The practice of gratitude also protects a person from the
destructive impulses of envy, resentment, greed, and bitterness.
Researchers have also found that people who practice gratitude
cope better with everyday stress, may show increased resilience
in the face of trauma-related experiences,, and recover more
quickly from an illness.
The important fact is that as much of a platitude as expressing
gratitude is sometimes, it is also incredibly effective, as the
scientific evidence shows persuasively. The anecdotal evidence
is also hard to disregard; I know many (now happy) individuals
who report that becoming grateful changed their lives.It is
something we can do with our attention that produces …
Sit in Your Groups
While you wait – Practice those handshakes. We’re going to
demo today!
INSTRUCTOR NOTE: Play music of your choice for about 5
minutes before class begins. We typically choose something
upbeat and uplifting.
1
XXX
2
48. Questions
Mindfulness Activity
Observe & Describe
Breathing in WISE
Breathing out MIND
Today, we are going to do a mindfulness activity that has us
practicing getting into wise mind. It is going to be an observe
and describe exercise. Ask the students what type of skills are
“observe and describe?” Answer: they are “what” skills which
can only be done one at a time.
So, when I tell you to start the exercise: we are going observe
our breath. In doing so, we are going to say the word “wise” in
our minds (not out loud) on the inhale and “mind” on the
exhale. Just your normal regular breathing pattern. Breathing
in “wise” on the inhale and “mind” on the exhale. If you notice
you are distract or are no longer focusing on the exercise –
notice it and return to the exercise.
Ok, Step 1: get in your mindfulness position (computer laptops
closed, phones put away, books closed)
49. Step 2: take a nice deep breath
Step 3: begin the exercise of breathing in WISE and
breathing out MIND
Do this exercise for 2:00 minutes – then debrief it by asking
students to describe what they observed – praising descriptions
that are based on facts, and highlighting others that are based on
judgment.
4
Reality Acceptance
Lesson 5
(DeCano & Cook, 2015)
---
Will talk about things you can actively do to seek out
connection and support
6
Summary of Previous Lesson
Habits are the automatic behaviors we exhibit after a cue.
Our emotions are a part of who we are. They range from typical
to impairing
Emotional dysregulation – the inability to control or regulate
ones emotional responses and behavior in response to certain
situations
50. Amygdala Hijack – when our emotions overtake our decision-
making abilities (EMOTION MIND takes over)
Summary of Previous Lesson
For Emotional Dysregulation – use Distress Tolerance - Crisis
Survival Skills
These are not problem-solving skills – they are don’t make it
worse skills
TIPP
Distract with ACCEPTS
IMPROVE the moment
Pros & Cons
Willpower – the ability to control our attention, emotions and
impulses (desires) in pursuit of something that isn’t
immediately attainable. Or act in a way that furthers our goals,
even when doing something else seems immediately more
appealing
Learning Objectives
After completing this lesson, you will be able to:
Understand the importance of accepting reality even during
difficult times
Use the skills of turning the mind and willingness
Distinguish between the two types of distress tolerance skills
9
Lesson #5: Glossary TermsDistress Tolerance: Reality
52. Reality Acceptance
Change Skills
Change
Problem-Solving
Where does it fit?
Most of the skills we learn also fall into one of two categories:
acceptance skills .or change skills. These skills come from
Dialectic Behavior Therapy or DBT (Linehan, 1993; 2015).
13
Overview of Reality Acceptance SkillsRadical
AcceptanceTurning the Mind
WillingnessMindfulness of Current Thoughts
Why bother
Rejecting reality does not change reality
Changing reality requires first accepting reality
Rejecting reality turns pain into suffering
Refusing to accept reality can keep you stuck in unhappiness,
anger, shame, bitterness or other painful emotions.
Provide any local or personal examples to help students under
the difference between rejecting vs accepting reality
In Pittsburgh is cold in January – So wishing it was 70 degrees
in the middle of January and expecting it to be that way – only
increases the suffering that it is cold. Accepting reality doesn’t
54. 18
Turning the Mind – Accepting Reality Skill
STEPS to Turning the Mind.
Notice when you are not accepting (anger, bitterness, “why
me”).
Make an inner commitment to accept.
You may have to turn your mind over and over and again.
Turning the mind is all about accepting the reality you’re in
rather than focusing on wishing it wasn’t the reality. Sometimes
in life there are situations we don’t like and we don’t have the
power to change them right now. We can choose to focus our
energy on being unhappy about the situation or we can accept
that this is where we’re at and thereby free up that negative
energy for other purposes.
19
Why Bother Using Turning the Mind
Pain is inevitable
Suffering is optional – pouring gas on the emotional fire
Reason for this slide is to help students understand that pain is
going to happen in their lives. Its important to highlight to
them that suffering exacerbates and prolongs the pain. So the
55. idea is to use our mindfulness skills to be aware to put the gas
can down and not make the situation worse. Thus, accepting
reality skills help us experience the pain as it is, without
making it worse.
20
Turning the Mind
Accepting reality means Turning the Mind to acceptance:
Willfulness = Acceptance
a. fuels emotion dysregulation
Willingness = Acceptance
a. acceptance = approval
b. it limits emotional fuel
This doesn’t mean we’re ignoring or agreeing with what is
happening/how we’re feeling. Rather we’re ACCEPTING that it
is real in this moment and we can’t change it!
21
Turning the Mind – Accepting Reality Skill
Willfulness is refusing to tolerate a situation or giving up
Willfulness is trying to change a situation that cannot changed,
or refusing to change something that must be changed
Willfulness is “the terrible twos” – “no…no…no…”.
Willfulness is the opposite of “DOING WHAT WORKS.”
WILLFULNESS:
22
56. Turning the Mind – Accepting Reality Skill
Willingness is allowing the world to be what it is and
participating in it fully.
Willingness is doing just what is
needed – no more, no less. It is being
effective.
Willingness is listening carefully to
your Wise Mind and deciding what to
do.
When willfulness doesn’t budge, ask: “What is the threat?”
Replace Willfulness with willingness
The difference between Willfulness vs Willingness
23
Factors that interfere with acceptance
Beliefs get in the way: You believe that if you accept your
painful situation, you will become weak and just give up,
approve of reality or accept a life of pain
Emotions get in way: Intense anger at the person or group that
caused the painful event; unbearable sadness, guilt about your
own behavior; shame regarding something about you; rage about
the injustice of the world
Jealousy
Jerk
Dumbass
Idiot
Reality Acceptance Skill –
58. 2. Adopt a curious mind
Ask: where do my thoughts come from?
Notice that every thought comes and also goes out of your mind.
Observe but do not evaluate your thoughts. Let go of judgement.
Different component steps of Mindfulness of Current Thought.
Curious Mind
28
Step by step Mindfulness of Current Thought (cont)
3. Remember: You are not your Thoughts
Do not necessarily act on your thoughts.
Remember times when you had different thoughts.
Remember how you think when you are not feeling such intense
emotions.
Different component steps of Mindfulness of Current Thought.
Remember – you are not your thoughts
29
Step by step Mindfulness of Current Thought (cont)
4. Don’t block or suppress thoughts.
Step back, and allow your thoughts to come and go.
59. Repeat your thoughts out loud or sing them.
Try loving your thoughts.
Different component steps of Mindfulness of Current Thought.
Don’t block or suppress your thoughts.
30
Summary of this Lesson
Distress tolerance skills help us avoid decisions that will likely
make things worse, and are used to accept reality for what is
really is
When you cannot change the situation, the problem cannot be
solved, then use reality accepting skills
The skill of radical acceptance – helps us to see things as they
really are and reduces our suffering
The skill of turning the mind – is used to help us refocus on
what truly happened, moving away from willfulness to
willingness
Finally, the skill of mindfulness of current thought helps us
separate our thoughts from who we really are and that we can
simply have thoughts, notice them, and watch them go by – you
are not your thoughts
To summarize, there are 5 main take-away messages from this
lesson.
Distress tolerance skills – don’t make things worse skills
Accepting reality skills are for the long-term, when the problem
cannot be solved. We use these skills to avoid making things
worse and to reduce our suffering.
Radical acceptance – helps reduce suffering
Turning the Mind – moving away from willfulness (would of,
could of, and should of) toward willingness
60. Mindfulness of current thought – net letting our thoughts define
who we are and our behavior/emotions. This process is called
cognitive defusion and the skill of mindfulness of current
thought helps us reach cogntive defusion
31
Participation Week 5 Part 2
How are you going to enact more willingness in your life over
the next week?
32
Mindfulness Activity
Observe and Describe
Counting your breath up to 10
Similar to our beginning class mindfulness exercise – we are
going to do an observe and describe exercise. This time, we are
going to count 1 on the inhale and 2 on the exhale, then 3 on the
inhale and 4 on the exhale until we get to 10. Once you reach
10, then start over again at 1. Are there any questions before
we begin?
Ok, Step 1: get in your mindfulness position (computer laptops
closed, phones put away, books closed)
Step 2: take a nice deep breath
Step 3: begin the exercise of counting you breath.
Do this exercise for 2:00 minutes – then debrief it by asking
students to describe what they observed – praising descriptions
that are based on facts, and highlighting others that are based on
61. judgment.
33
Activity for Lesson #5
Identify a topic you are really passionate about
Political party affiliation
Sports team
Climate change
Now take the opposite side (rival) and make a case for the
opposite side of what you believe.
Walk around the room coaching students who are making the
argument opposite of their belief. In walking around, try to
keep the students in Wise Mind.
Make sure each student in the pair gets to do the activity, so
have partners switch roles after about 10 minutes
34
Group Discussions
How did this practice go for you?
What did you find hard?
Where in your life would this be helpful?
Discuss at table groups about the activity. Then have each group
share out key points to the whole class.
35
62. Handshake Demos
Homework Post 5: Reality Acceptance
Skill Practice Reflection: Reflect on a time this week where you
practiced using reality acceptance outside of class this past
week. Include a response to the following prompts for a total of
about 1 page double spaced.
· Describe how you practiced using reality acceptance this
week. Were you able to effectively use the skill? How did it
change how you felt about the situation? Did it change the
outcome at all?
· Complete a WOOP you have to use more reality acceptance
skills using the following four prompts. Remember to include
all four parts of the WOOP, putting particular focus on naming
an internal obstacle and an if/then statement for your plan.
· WISH: What is something you wish to change in your future in
terms of your ability to use reality acceptance skills? This
change can be longer term, but make sure to then also identify
something for within the next 4 weeks.
· OUTCOME: What would a specific outcome be if you were to
live out the above wish?
· OBSTACLE: What is an obstacle that has kept/will keep you
from using reality acceptance? Name at least one internal
barrier and one external barrier.
· PLAN: What are your plans for overcoming these obstacles
and barriers to use the reality acceptance skills? Make sure to
include an if/then statement (i.e. If you face "obstacle x", then
you will do ...) and then expand on how you will ensure you
stick with that plan. Include specific steps!
63. Class Activity Reflection: Reflect on the practice you did in
class of having to make the opposite arguments for a topic
you’re really passionate about. Your response for this section
should be about 1 page double spaced and should answer the
following questions.
· What thoughts or reactions did you notice initially having to
this activity? What did you do to counteraction those thoughts
and reactions so you could do the activity effectively?
· During the activity, did you notice urges to revert to making
the argument you would typically make? If so, what did you do
to be able to continue going with the practice effectively when
you had those urges?
· Where in your life would it be helpful to apply this same
practice?
·
Gratitude Practice: Write a half a page about an experience in
your life you're proud of or grateful for.
Lecture + Reading Reflection: Reflect on the previous lecture
and the assigned readings for next week and the associated
videos. Respond to the following prompts in a half page.
· What is one thing that resonated with you class on Wednesday,
particularly from the lecture material? What do you still have
questions about (if anything)?
· Identify one way you can see the content in the readings
helping you going forward.
GRADING STANDARDS
Your post is worth a possible 10 points. To receive the full 10
points for this post, you must respond to all four sections of
reflection and address all prompts fully, totaling around 3-4
double-spaced pages. Be honest; part of the goal of these posts
is to have an opportunity to receive feedback and support from
the TAs, who have experience with using these skills and
64. coaching on the use of them. Your grade is NOT based on how
“well” you used the skills, but rather on how much we can see
you reflected on the skills/content and have thought about how
it applies to your life. Incomplete or late responses will be
docked points.
Homework Post
5
:
Reality Accept
a
nce
Skill Practice Reflection:
Reflect on a time this week where you practiced using
reality acceptance
outside of class this past week. Include a response to the
following prompts for a total of about 1 page
double spaced.
·
Describe how you practiced using
reality acceptance
this week. Were you able to
effectively use
the skill? How did it change how you felt about the situation?
Did it change the outcome at all?
·
Complete a WOOP you have to use more
reality acceptance skills
65. using the following four
prompts. Remember to include all four parts of t
he WOOP, putting particular focus on naming
an internal obstacle and an if/then statement for your plan.
·
WISH: What is something you wish to change in your future in
terms of your
abil
ity to use reality
acceptance skills
? This change can be longer term, but
make sure to then also identify
something for within the next 4 weeks.
·
OUTCOME: What would a specific outcome be if you were to
live out the above wish?
·
OBSTACLE: What is an obstacle that has kept/will keep you
from using
reality acceptance
? Name
at least one internal barrier and one external barrier.
·
PLAN: What are your plans for overcoming these obstacles and
barriers to use the
reality
66. acceptan
ce
skills? Make sure to include an if/then statement (i.e. If you
face "
obstacle x", then
you will do ...) and then expand on how you will ensure you
stick with that plan. Include specific
steps!
Class Activity
Reflection:
Reflect on
the practice you did
in class of having to
make the opposite
arguments
for a topic you
’
re really passionate about
.
Your response for this section should be about 1
page double spaced
and should answer the following questions
.
·
What thoughts or reactio
ns did you
67. notice initially having to this
activity
? What did you do to
counteraction those thoughts and reactions so you could do the
activity
effectively?
·
During the activity,
d
id you notice urges to revert to making the
argument
you would typically
make? If so,
what did you do to be able to continue going with the practice
effectively
when you
had
those urges
?
·
Where in your life would
it be h
elpful to apply this same practice?
·
Gratitude Practice:
Write a half a page about
68. an e
xperience in your life
you're proud of or grateful for.
Lecture + Reading Reflection:
Reflect on the p
revious lecture and the assigned readings for next week
and the associated videos. Respond to the following prompts in
a half page.
·
What is one thing that resonated with you class on Wednesday,
particularly from the lecture
material? What do you still hav
e questions about (if anything)?
·
Identify one way you can see the content in the readings helping
you going forward.
GRADING STANDARDS
Your post is worth a possible 10 points. To receive the full 10
points for this post, you must respond to
all four secti
ons of reflection and address all prompts fully, totaling around
3
-
4 double
-
69. spaced pages. Be
honest; part of the goal of these posts is to have an opportunity
to receive feedback and support from
the TAs, who have experience with using these skills and coa
ching on the use of them. Your grade is NOT
based on how “well” you used the skills, but rather on how
much we can see you reflected on the
Homework Post 5: Reality Acceptance
Skill Practice Reflection: Reflect on a time this week where you
practiced using reality acceptance
outside of class this past week. Include a response to the
following prompts for a total of about 1 page
double spaced.
week. Were you able to effectively use
the skill? How did it change how you felt about the situation?
Did it change the outcome at all?
tance
skills using the following four
prompts. Remember to include all four parts of the WOOP,
putting particular focus on naming
an internal obstacle and an if/then statement for your plan.
in terms of your ability to use reality
acceptance skills? This change can be longer term, but make
sure to then also identify
something for within the next 4 weeks.
live out the above wish?
STACLE: What is an obstacle that has kept/will keep you
from using reality acceptance? Name
at least one internal barrier and one external barrier.
and barriers to use the reality
acceptance skills? Make sure to include an if/then statement
70. (i.e. If you face "obstacle x", then
you will do ...) and then expand on how you will ensure you
stick with that plan. Include specific
steps!
Class Activity Reflection: Reflect on the practice you did in
class of having to make the opposite
arguments for a topic you’re really passionate about. Your
response for this section should be about 1
page double spaced and should answer the following questions.
lly having to
this activity? What did you do to
counteraction those thoughts and reactions so you could do the
activity effectively?
the argument you would typically
make? If so, what did you do to be able to continue going with
the practice effectively when you
had those urges?
practice?
Gratitude Practice: Write a half a page about an experience in
your life you're proud of or grateful for.
Lecture + Reading Reflection: Reflect on the previous lecture
and the assigned readings for next week
and the associated videos. Respond to the following prompts in
a half page.
Wednesday, particularly from the lecture
material? What do you still have questions about (if anything)?
helping you going forward.
71. GRADING STANDARDS
Your post is worth a possible 10 points. To receive the full 10
points for this post, you must respond to
all four sections of reflection and address all prompts fully,
totaling around 3-4 double-spaced pages. Be
honest; part of the goal of these posts is to have an opportunity
to receive feedback and support from
the TAs, who have experience with using these skills and
coaching on the use of them. Your grade is NOT
based on how “well” you used the skills, but rather on how
much we can see you reflected on the