This presentation provides an overview of mindfulness meditation as an alternative treatment approach. It defines mindfulness as purposeful, non-judgemental present moment awareness and traces its origins back thousands of years in various spiritual traditions. Research demonstrates mindfulness meditation positively impacts the brain and body, reducing anxiety and improving mood, attention, and immune function. Mindfulness-based therapies effectively treat conditions like stress, depression, trauma, and chronic pain. Regular practice cultivates attitudes like patience, acceptance and non-judging that facilitate well-being. In conclusion, mindfulness offers a holistic mind-body approach worth integrating into treatment plans.

1. This human being is a guest house. Every morning a new arrival.
Still, treat each guest honourably He may be clearing you out for some new delight.
A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an
unexpected visitor.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice. Meet them at the door laughing, and invite
them in.
Welcome and entertain them all! Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows, who violently sweep
your house empty of its furniture.
Be grateful for whoever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond.
The Guest House by Rumi

2. Meditation as Medication
Mastering the art of
Mindfulness
Daryush Parvinbenam M. Ed,
M.A., LPCCS,
R.S.V.P Conference
Sept 29, 2010

3. Title of this presentation
(Disclaimer)
This presentation does not suggest mindfulness
practices should immediately replace current medication.
A wholistic model of treatment as oppose to current
medical model should be considered.
Medication issues should be negotiated with the
prescribing physician prior to discontinuation or change
of medication.
At least initially, in many cases combination of
medication and alternative therapies seems to be the
best possible option toward recovery for many people.

4. Personal introduction to
mindfulness
Personal interest since adolescence.
Application of mindfulness practices to trauma treatment,
attachment disorder, and different forms of affect regulation
problems.
Impact of mindfulness practices on brain.
Neurobiological studies with Buddhist monks.
Therapeutic application of the mindfulness practices to
psychotherapy.
May be secret of survival for many ancient cultures.

5. Definition

6. Definition of Mindfulness
In simple terms, meditation is a mind-
cleansing or emptying process
At a deeper level, meditation is a focused
concentration in order to increase
awareness of one’s experience.

7. Definition of Mindfulness
It is a purposeful, non-
judgemental, present oriented
way of paying attention to a
chosen experience.

9. History and origin
Different forms of mindfulness practices is
integrated within spiritual practices of
different cultures (India, Egypt, China,
Persia, Arabia, etc) that go back
thousands of years ago.
It is impossible to attribute one culture or
spiritual tradition as the sole founder of
mindfulness practices.

10. Mindfulness in Modern Times

11. Mindfulness in Modern Times
Becoming more main stream, and acceptable as a
way of personal development, and growth.
Application to Business, health care, medicine,
mental health, pain management, and personal
wellbeing.
The “Third Wave” in the evolution of behavior and
cognitive therapy.

12. Practice
Let’ get to know palm of your
hand

13. Benefits

14. Common healing factors of the
mindfulness practices
These practices create connections on all
levels of human experience:
– Neurobiological integration (Biological)
– Intrapersonal (Self)
– Interpersonal (Others) within a socially
meaningful context
– Transcendent (Universe, Divine essence,
God, higher power, Etc)

15. Studies of long-term effect of
medication
Numerous fMRI studies with long term
meditators
Psychotherapy studies
Attachment studies
Trauma studies

18. Positive effects of long-term
meditation
Monk under fMRI.
– Significant difference in left prefrontal cortex
activation compared to right prefrontal cortex.
– Difference as high as 3 standard deviations
above the “norm”. There is a strong relation
between activity of increased activity of left
prefrontal cortex and positive affects such as
joy and compassion.

19. What happens to the brain during
mindfulness meditation

20. What does the scan suggests?
The scan suggests the body and the mind can not be
separated so easily. When you do something with your
mind, the function of your body/brain changes.
Functional brain scanning has demonstrated that mental
events do not just affect what you think and how you
feel. They affect the functioning of your body, in
particular, the functioning of brain. In other words doing
something different with mind, affects more than
thoughts. It literally changes the function and
metabolism of brain.
So it doesn’t seem so surprising that events that affect
our inner world have any impact on our physical body.

21. Neurotransmitters and meditation
Meditation has been linked with increase
production of:
– Serotonin that is related to modulation of
affect and behavior.
– Melatonin that is related to regulation of sleep,
and may have anti-carcinogen and immune
system enhancing effect.

22. Positive effects of long-term
meditation
These studies suggest Mindfulness
practices tend to:
– enhance natural Neuro-plasticity of the brain.
– change structure and function of the brain be
create neuro-pathways among different
regions of the brain.
– form new synaptic connections within different
regions of the brain.
– improve integrative function of the brain.

23. Mindfulness practices promote
neural integration among
different regions of the brain.

25. Meditation for the Masses (Kabat-Zinn)
Decrease in anxiety
Mood change
Pre-frontal cortex activation
Immune response

26. Application of Mindfulness based
therapies
Coping with Stress
Anxiety/O.C.D
Psychological Trauma
Depression (particularly relapse
prevention)
Eating disorders
Panic disorder
Chronic pain
Borderline and other Personality Disorders
Substance abuse
Anger management
Disorders of impulse control
Neural plasticity
Immune modulation
Anti-inflammatory
Enhancing immune function
Behavior/lifestyle change
Improvements in sleep
Rumination
General wellbeing
Ivanovski B, Malhi G.

27. Mindfulness creates space
around our pain, allowing us to
work with it without being
overwhelmed.

28. Myths about Meditation
I can only meditate in the right conditions.
Have to do it for a long period of time to have benefit.
Will touch the supernatural which will make my life all-
happy.
I must conquer myself for this process to work.
The guy next to me prevents my meditation.
Benefits only come after years of practice.
Meditation is a process that one practices for a couple of
months until mastered.
Meditation is about a special state separate from this
world.

29. Practice
Breath and affirmation

30. Breath and affirmation
Combination of breath and affirmation (Mantra)
1- Breath in and repeat a relaxing/comforting word (
example: relax, peace, ease, etc).
2- Hold your breath for one or two second. Stay aware
of what happens to your body or what comes up
during this one or two seconds.
3- Breath out, and repeat a word that is usually
associated with stress (example: tension, stress,
apprehension, fear, etc).

31. Doing time, Doing Vipassana.

32. Method and technique

33. Basics of meditation
Meditation is a practice of concentrated
focus upon a sound, object, visualization,
breath, movement, or attention itself in
order to increase awareness of the
present moment, and to reduce stress,
promote relaxation, and health and
growth.

34. Observation
In Observation:
We simply practice noticing what’s going on within
and around us, starting with our breathing.
Then gradually expanding our practice to consciously
noticing our emotions, our thoughts, our beliefs, our
choices, our behaviors, the consequences of our
choices and behaviors.

35. Observation
As we sit, or stand or walk, we simply
notice: “sitting” “standing”, “walking”.
As we just enjoy breathing mindfully,
we just notice: “breathing”.

36. Mindfulness and breath
Breathing is universal.
Breathing provides a ready focus for the
mind.
The breath is the doorway to the “here and
now”.

37. Mindfulness and breath
Using the breath we learn to ground ourselves in
the present moment.
Accepting what is happening in us and around
us, whatever it is, we learn to open to
experience, without judgement.
Teaches us ways to connect with our emotional
experience without becoming overwhelmed.

38. Mindfulness and Breath
Learning to watch our thought patterns
come and go, we see about how our mind
works.
Whenever your mind becomes scattered,
use your breath as the means to take hold
of your mind again.......Breath is a tool.
Breath itself is mindfulness.

39. Right Attitude

40. Some Attitudes of Mindfulness
Non-striving
Patience
Beginner’s mind
Trust
Letting go
Acceptance
Openness
Curiosity
Kabat-Zinn (1990)

41. Attitudes of Mindfulness
Non-striving
Getting to your goals will happen naturally
and more successfully if you allow this
process to unfold.
Patience
To be patient is completely open to each
moment. Accepting is in its fullness, as
things can only unfold in their own time.

42. Attitudes of Mindfulness
Beginner’s mind
Take a stance of not-knowing, to see if
your perceptions are affected by your own
beliefs and values.

43. What are you seeing?
What else is possible?
Right now in this life, what is the
figure and what is the ground?

44. Attitudes of Mindfulness
Trust
Trust your own insight and wisdom,
knowing that what are perceived as
mistakes may happen, but this is okay.

45. Attitudes of Mindfulness
Letting go
Sometimes our minds seem determined in
holding onto certain beliefs, thoughts.
However, instead of judging these we can
simply let them be and stop from trying to
repress, deny, or focus on them.

46. Attitudes of Mindfulness
Acceptance
Staying in the present. Spending time
regretting the past and focusing on the
future “what ifs?” will only lead to more
tension and little energy.

47. Attitudes of Mindfulness
Non-judging
Judgment can dominate our minds, causing
tension and chaos in our beings.
Effectively handling stress will require our
awareness of our automatic judgments, so to
see through our own prejudices and fears.
Assume the stance of an impartial witness.

48. References and suggested
Bibliography
Ivanovski B, Malhi G. The psychological and neurophysiological
concomitants of mindfulness forms of meditation. Acta Neuropsychiatrica
2007;19:76-91.
Kabat-Zinn, J. (1990). Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your
Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness. Delta.
Kabat-Zinn, J. (1994) Wherever you go, there you are: Mindfulness
meditation in everyday life. New York: Hyperion.
Kabat-Zinn, J. (2005). Coming to our senses: Healing ourselves and the
world through mindfulness.
Langer, E. J. (1993). A mindful education. Educational Psychologist, 28(1),
43-50.
Langer, E. J. (1997). The power of mindful learning Addison Wesley
Longman.
Langer, E. J. (2000). Mindful learning. Current Directions in Psychological
Science, 9(6), 220-223
Zylowka, et al. (2008). Mindfulness meditation training in adults and
adolescents with ADHD. Journal of Attention Disorders, 11, 737-746.