XX Julie Brody EDITED Thesis-1

THE MINDFUL TEEN:
A PREVENTIVE MEASURE FOR ADOLESCENT SUICIDE
by
Julie Brody
A thesis submitted
in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of Master of Arts
in Women’s Spirituality
Institute of Transpersonal Psychology
Palo Alto, California
June 6, 2012
I certify that I have read and approved the content and presentation of this thesis:
________________________________________________
__________________
D’vorah J. Grenn, Ph.D., Committee Chairperson Date
________________________________________________
__________________
Mandisa Wood, M.A., M.F.A., Committee Member Date

________________________________________________
__________________
Heather Lovig, M.A., Peer Review Date
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Copyright
©
Julie Brody
2012
All Rights Reserved
Formatted according to the Publication Manual of the
American Psychological Association, 6th Edition
iii

Abstract
The Mindful Teen:
A Preventive Measure for Adolescent Suicide
by
Julie Brody
One of the saddest and most mystifying deaths is death by suicide. Palo Alto, California,
experienced a cluster of violent teen suicides in 2009 when several youths walked in front of the
train that runs through town. The community was in shock and unable to grasp how this could
possibly happen. Many other communities around the world have shared in the tragic loss of
teens due to suicide. Resources and understanding remain scarce. In this paper, I present positive
reasons for teaching mindfulness meditation to young people in order to give them a different
perspective and a tool for dealing with anxiety, isolation, depression, and stress. I discuss some
of the reasons why people, particularly adolescents, commit suicide. By mindfulness as a
practice, I mean using the energy and power of awareness and attention as a mindset through
which to view the world. In this work, I investigated the likelihood and effectiveness of
instituting mindfulness practice into the school day for children and adolescents using a heuristic
methodology. In my opinion, transpersonal research methods are the most appropriate for this
extremely emotionally charged subject as the transpersonal research method expands the usual
dimensions for studying human experience by employing alternative modes of awareness and
intuition. I believe children need to learn to how to manage their emotions and learn life skills as
well as learn other important subjects during the school day. Mindfulness helps people to accept
whatever it is that they are experiencing—their joy and blessings, and also their disappointment,
their pain, and their misfortunes. The awareness and openness brought forth through mindfulness
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allows people to access their own intuitive healing. Teaching mindfulness includes concepts such
as wholeness and interconnectedness. My findings showed me that there is already much work
being done to institute mindfulness and meditation into the school day for children and that there
is great validity in this practice. Suicide is a difficult subject to approach and we need to take
action, try unique approaches, such as mindfulness practice, and give voice to the silence and
fear that surrounds the issue of teen suicide in communities and schools. I hope my thesis will
serve to transform the participants, the readers, and me so that the topic of inquiry will stay in the
consciousness of all.
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Table of Contents
Abstract ………………………….……………………………………………………….... iii
Chapter 1: Introduction ……………………………………..…………………….……….. 1
Teen Suicide ………………………………………..…….……………….……… 2
Mindfulness Practice …………………………...……...………………………..… 6
The Absent Divine Feminine as Mother ….…………...………………………….. 7
The Author’s Personal Interest in the Topic ……………………………..……….. 10
Overview of the Study and Procedure… ..………………………………. …….… 12
Chapter 2: Literature Review …………..………………………………………………….. 14
Psychology of Suicide …………...……………………………………………...... 15
Issues the Adolescent Faces in Society Today ………………………………….... 17
Mindfulness as a Tool for Teenage Suicide ……….…………………………….. 19
Chapter 3: Research Method ……………...………………………………………………. 25
Heuristic Method ………………………...……………………………………….. 57
Description of the Participants…………………………………………………….. 33
Description of Procedure …………………………...…………………………….. 35
Chapter 4: Psychology and Psychopathology of Suicide…………………………………… 37
Chapter 5: Teen Culture and Issues and the Community’s Response .....………………….. 45
Chapter 6: Mindfulness Intervention as a Preventative Measure……......………………….. 62
Chapter 7: Absence of the Divine Feminine …………………..……......………………….. 80
References ………………………………………………….………..……………………… 97
Appendix A: Coresearcher Invitation Letter 1 ……………………………………………... 101
Appendix B: Coresearcher Invitation Letter 2 .…………………………………………….. 102
Appendix C: Coresearcher Invitation Letter 3 …….………..………………..………..…… 103
Appendix D: Interview Questions ….….….….….….….….….….….….….....…………… 104
Appendix E: Coresearcher Invitation Letter for Teen ….….….….…………..….………… 105
Appendix F: Interview Questions (Female Student)….….….….…....………..………….... 106
Appendix G: Coresearcher Invitation Letter for Teen .………..…...…………..…………... 107
Appendix H: Interview Questions (Male Student) ….….….….……..…………………….. 108
Appendix I: Informed Consent Form …….….…………..….….….……..…..….….…….... 109
Appendix J: Informed Consent Form for Teen Participants …..……….….…...….……...... 111
Appendix K: Ethics Committee Form..…..…………..……….….….……..….….…...……. 113
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1
Chapter 1: Introduction to the Thesis
Daddy, Daddy, where can you be?
Oh Daddy, could you be hiding from me?
I look and look but it’s you I cannot find.
When I see you from the window, it’s like you’ve lost your mind.
You are screaming at mom, spittle spewing from your teeth
—you frighten me Daddy, I’m scared of what’s underneath.
You look so angry and yet so sad.
I know this also makes you feel so bad.
Daddy, Daddy, where can you be?
You’re lost to your Self and you are lost to me.
(Julie Brody, 2012)
As a young child, I was baffled by my dad’s erratic behavior. When I watched this scene
through a bedroom window, the movie-like quality of it was a slow-paced moving picture that I
did not forget. The sound was mostly absent from where I watched and all I could feel was the
pain. Dad appeared to move in slow motion. I later watched as he sat in the back yard alone,
immobilized, head in his hands. This image has never left me. I did not just see my dad sitting at
the picnic table, I witnessed the red flames of anger as they dissipated and the resulting deep
sadness, pain, and most of all, debilitating shame. Although I did not know anything at all about
the human brain or psychology at the time, it was evident to me that he was despondent. I felt a
sense of dread seeing him like this. I had never known anyone who had committed suicide, but
something told me to beware; this man might take his own life. I worried about my dad for many
years, always fearing that he might end his life.
Fortunately, my dad did not take his own life. By the time I reached high school, he was
diagnosed with bipolar disorder. During the years of my childhood, mental illness was
considered shameful and was rarely talked about. It was also shameful for an individual to see a
psychiatrist, to admit to a mental illness, or to receive any type of counseling or treatment. It was
almost unheard of for the family to seek help. Because of the desire to avoid shame, my dad

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suffered and the family suffered. It was not until recently, when the local community
experienced a series of teen suicides that I began re-experiencing the haunting memories of my
dad; the gut reaction I felt when I heard about these children was comparable to the fear I felt as
a child.
I had some personal revelations when I embarked on my research. When I first found
myself drawn to write my thesis on the tragic events of teen suicide, I felt deep stirrings of
sadness and fears of being unable to face the topic myself. I was looking for some sort of
comfort from others when I spoke about the subject. As time moved forward, I found that I could
become energized and much more positive; instead of being intimidated and feeling as if I did
not have the strength or right to take on this topic, I began to feel that just by paying attention to
it, I was helping to bring awareness to the suffering of our youth. I now believe that each small
positive action has a ripple effect into the community.
In the recent bestseller, The Practical Neuroscience of Buddha’s Brain, by Rick Hanson and
Richard Mendius (2009), the authors begin by saying, “What flows through your mind sculpts
your brain. Thus, you can use your mind to change your brain for the better—which will benefit
your whole being, and every other person whose life you touch” (Hanson & Medius, 2009, p. 6).
Teen Suicide
In Palo Alto, California four teens committed suicide by stepping in front of a train. In
May, 2009, one boy from high-performing Gunn High School killed himself by putting himself
on the tracks as Cal Train, the high speed Silicon Valley Commuter Train barreled down the
tracks. Three other 17-year-old students from Gunn also committed suicide on the same location
within a 6-month time period. When I heard about these events, I was shocked and deeply
saddened. I simply could not imagine what might drive these young people to this kind of

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despair and I could not sleep at night thinking about the pain that their families and friends were
experiencing.
My children go to Menlo-Atherton High School (M-A) in Atherton, California. Menlo-
Atherton is a unique high school. It is a diverse public high school with 2,000 students from very
different backgrounds located within an affluent community, Atherton, California and bordering
a very low income community, East Palo Alto, California. There was an earlier suicide at M-A in
2007. I recall how shocking and scary this occasion was. I was at the Senior Breakfast, a
celebration for the graduating senior class when several girls came in crying. As I walked them
to the Guidance Office, they told me that a friend had committed suicide. I was reeling in
disbelief but trying to handle the grief that the girls were feeling. It is very difficult for schools to
know how to handle the aftermath of a suicide. There have been cases in other communities
where the attention from the death of one youth has seemed to be a catalyst for another
adolescent to commit suicide. Soon, the community was pulling together to try to address the
grief and sadness that the parents and families were feeling. However, information was scarce as
the police stated that publicity needed to be limited for fear of a growing “suicide cluster.”
One study found that between 1% and 5% of all teen suicides in the U.S. occur in
clusters, taking the lives of 100 to 200 teenagers a year. Suicide contagion, another term which is
seen in the literature has involved prison inmates, marines, religious sects and Native Americans,
but in the U.S. teens and young adults make up most of the clusters, according to Suicide and
Mental Health Association International (http://www.iasp.info). Clusters have included friends or
acquaintances from a single school or church and teens who have never had any direct contact
with one another, according to the organization. Some share an “environmental stressor,” the
association said. The Centers for Disease Control reported that four teenagers in a New Jersey

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suburb committed suicide on March 11, 1987, by locking themselves in a garage with a car
engine running. Six days later, a 17-year-old boy and a woman, 20, attempted suicide in the same
garage by the same means, the Centers reported. The garage door was later removed.
“Anecdotal evidence suggests that suicides early in a cluster may influence the persons
who commit suicide later in the cluster,” the centers reported. “There is also research
evidence that exposure to a suicide that was not part of a cluster may lead certain persons
to take their own lives.” (Dolan, 2009, para. 10)
Over the last few years, as my own four children navigated the murky waters of middle
school and high school, I began to gain a new perspective on the life of the average teenager in
the community. Their day begins early, well before 8:00 a.m.; they are in classes all day long,
bustling through the halls and negotiating social, physical, and intellectual changes. The
afternoon might be filled with sports, music practice, or work. Each night there is at least 2 to 3
hours of homework. Family time starts to take a back seat to the onslaught of activity. No matter
how hard a parent or child might try, there is barely enough time to take a breath. Performance
anxiety increases for standardized tests as the scores are an indicator of academic achievement
for the first year in college. Competition increases as students prepare for these tests. Community
service work is expected, not always for personal enrichment, but to pad the college application.
There is a constant level of tension around achievement. I remember when my first child left for
college thinking, “I want her childhood back!”
As a parent, I feel that children could be better supported to explore and share their inner
feelings and turmoil. Our current education system is more focused on academic issues than on
learning strategies for living a healthy and satisfying life. The need exists to address this lack,
and to make changes in the educational curriculum. This change would include taking time
within their elementary, middle school, and high school education to help children understand
their feelings and to make sense of the world around them. Our culture teaches us to look outside

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of ourselves for our value and worth. Learning to trust inner wisdom and to believe in inherent
worth needs to be addressed as early as possible.
The preteen and teen years are especially susceptible for comparison to others and
feelings of inadequacy or self-consciousness. Rituals that address the pivotal transition from
childhood to young adult are not used very often in our busy culture. The adolescent is often left
to try to understand many of the changes they are experiencing in isolation. When children
choose to die, and no one is able to talk about it, something is very wrong. Indeed, adults and
children are afraid to address these very painful and shocking events, and as a result, shame and
isolation result from their hidden emotions.
As I gathered research for my thesis, I interviewed Cheri Huber, Zen Buddhist teacher,
writer and speaker, Roni Gillenson, and program director for Adolescent Counseling Services,
and Gina Biegel, whose focus is teaching MBSR (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction) to teens.
I interviewed two high school students from Menlo-Atherton High School who took a
Mindfulness class with Dr. Amy Saltzman of Still Quiet Place. I, along with other parents, were
instrumental in bringing Amy in to teach the mindfulness class while I was a parent at the school.
I give a more descriptive account of the people that I interviewed in Chapter 3, Description of the
Participants.
This thesis explores mindfulness as a tool to be learned in the school day to help students
deal with the pressures placed on them by the outside world. Skills can be taught in a simple and
straightforward way if we engage in a new way of viewing the mind and the emotions.
Mindfulness is described as “paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present
moment, and nonjudgmentally” (Kabat-Zinn, 1994, p. 4).

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Mindfulness Practice
Mindfulness practice has been demonstrated to help reduce stress, to help gain an
increased awareness and acknowledgment of thoughts as “just thoughts” (Kabat-Zinn, 2009,
p. 295), and one can begin to overcome the fear and anxiety that often exacerbate problems. In
his book, Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress,
Pain, and Illness, Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn (2009) referred to his way of healing not as a way of
coping, but as a way of being and of “embracing the full catastrophe” (p. 6). When people can
begin to learn that they may have thoughts that are random, ineffective, and even dangerous, and
that these thoughts can be examined in the present moment, they are more likely to take a step
back, distance themselves from the harmful thoughts, and are more capable of ending a cycle
that may continue on to negative behaviors. I believe this approach could potentially save lives in
my community.
If mindfulness were embraced along with academic education, children and teens could
develop an internal compass with which to negotiate the difficult climate of adolescence.
Children deserve the time it would take during the school day to learn about inner strength and
capacity for wholeness, not just academics. The soul as well as the mind needs to be nurtured
and educated. Mindfulness as a tool for suicidal thoughts and behavior will be discussed more in
depth in Chapter 6.
The Absent Divine Feminine as Mother
As I started my Master’s Program in Women’s Spirituality at the Institute of
Transpersonal Psychology (soon to become Sofia University), I began reading about ancient
goddess cultures. I learned about the egalitarian nature of those early times and the nurturing
qualities of female-centered civilizations. In these societies, people took care of each other; food

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and shelter were shared with those who needed it. As a culture, this was the survival mode of the
time. The emphasis was on the mother’s ability to protect and nurture life and to regenerate.
Heide Goettner-Abendroth (2009) wrote in the introduction of Societies of Peace, “In
matriarchies women’s power is counterbalanced by men’s power, so that neither gender
dominates the other. The governing principle of these societies is balance, rather than
dominance” (p. 1). In matriarchal societies, females have central roles in leadership and control
of property. These societies are based more on gender equality. “The resulting social structure is
non-violent, and enables a peaceful life for all” (Goettner-Abendroth, 2009, p. 1).
For me, the Divine Feminine is the principle of birth, transformation and rebirth, the
nurturing and sustaining influence which is often missing in today’s society. I believe this can be
witnessed by the lack of harmony in economic, political, social, and cultural aspects. The
nurturing aspect of the Divine Mother can help heal the earth and when balanced with the male
energy, heal the individual. Mindfulness seeks to join the anima (female principle) with the
animus (male principle) within the human psyche. By looking within, and understanding
consciousness to be a balanced energy of both inner parents, mother and father, the individual
can work toward wholeness. For example, Gandhi credited his wife, Kasturba, with teaching him
the transformative power of nonviolence. Together, they changed the world, liberating men and
women alike. I discuss the concept of a more balanced society that values the Divine Feminine
later in this paper.
In addressing the adolescent suicides, I spent numerous hours analyzing and becoming
familiar with the cultural messages that are pervasive in the Atherton, California area and in our
society in general. The Atherton and Palo Alto communities are located near Silicon Valley,
where the world’s largest technology corporations are. Much of this area is affluent but East Palo

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Alto is directly “across the tracks” and has experienced profound crime and poverty along with a
high homicidal rate. Things are improving in East Palo Alto, but the communities are on very
different economic levels. In our fast-paced, achievement-oriented, aggressive, and competitive
Western culture, we forget to address the internal world: the place where the healing of wounds
may begin to take place.
Over the last few years, I have been struck by the repeated suicides in my local area, as
noted earlier; last summer, the issue became prominent in my personal life. One of my son’s best
friends, on his way to his first day as a senior in high school, left home and texted that he was
going to commit suicide by jumping off a bridge. Suddenly, I was involved directly, as I was a
close friend of the family. This boy had grown up in my home since kindergarten, a lovely,
thoughtful, intelligent boy, from a loving, attentive family. He left home on two occasions,
calling home and saying that he was considering ending his life. He was found and hospitalized.
He was then in the care of a psychiatrist and given medication, and just as his parents were
making the decision to have him taken to a care facility, out of state, he left for school one
morning and disappeared. I spent the next few days with his mother and father calling, searching,
and trying to figure out how to go about finding a missing child. I suddenly found myself right in
the middle of a possible teen suicide. The pain that his parents were enduring was crushing. I can
only imagine what this boy must have been feeling as he left home. I called every online service
that I could find for missing children. He was found, unharmed, in Seattle by the police and
personally hired private agents. The private agency picked him up and he was immediately taken
to a treatment facility for psychiatric care in Utah. His family could have easily lost him,
especially if they had not had the resources to hire a private intelligence agency to find him.
An infant is completely dependent on its mother, father, or other caregiver when it first

9
enters the world. As childhood progresses, there are many developmental stages that occur, and
the child needs to be supported throughout each passing stage. Teenagers are often
misunderstood, and adolescence can be met with bewilderment and hostility. We do not often
acknowledge this stage of life for the child. Children are suddenly experiencing many changes
and are often mystified by their own bodies and emotional reactions. Parents are fearful that their
teenager will make unhealthy choices. The changes occurring in teenagers, both physical and
emotional, are often misunderstood by both the teens themselves, and their parents. They are
often unprepared to face the physical and psychological changes that are rapidly occurring.
The Author’s Personal Interest in the Topic
Out of compassion I destroy the darkness of their ignorance.
From within them I light the lamp of wisdom
and dispel all darkness from their lives.
Bhagavad Gita (1985/2007, p. 201)
As a child growing up in Chicago, I loved to lay on my bed at night and listen to the train
run through town. Its lonely whistle and clickety-clack was a soothing sound. I would sometimes
dream of jumping on the train as children did in the movies to run away from home. One night,
now as a mother living in California, I noticed that I listened to the sounds of the train in our
town and it made me nostalgic to hear the same sound I remembered from my childhood. One
night, I bolted up in bed, realizing that the sound now made me think of the children that had
ended their lives on our train track. My heart hammered in my chest and I felt sick to my
stomach. I knew that I needed to pay attention to this signal.
Personal Experience in the Community
I have been an active volunteer in the public schools in this community since my children
were in elementary school. I have been the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) President in both
the middle school and the local high school. I was interested in finding out how children can be

10
better served and how a difference can be made in their stress levels, their sense of self, and their
overall well-being. I have been a longtime volunteer for a program called Challenge Day.
Challenge Day is an outside organization that comes to a high school for one day and works with
the freshman class. Their mission statement is “for every child to live in a world where they feel
safe, loved, and celebrated” (“Challenge Day,” 2012, para. 3). This program is fairly expensive
and is funded by the school’s PTA. The school considers this expenditure a luxury, but I believe
it is one of the most important days that a student may experience during her or his high school
years.
Last year, a film, The Race to Nowhere (Abeles, 2010), was circulated in the local
community. This film addresses the pressures faced by American school children and their
teachers in a system and culture obsessed with the illusion of achievement, competition, and the
pressure to perform. The end of the film was dedicated to a young girl who had committed
suicide. Her mother did not see the warning signs, as she was doing well in school and seemed to
be “fine.” This film was enlightening about the pressures adolescent children face, but it did not
address ways the problems might be handled.
Having worked for many years as a Registered Nurse, I have been interested in all forms
of healing. I have worked as a direct care volunteer for Mission Hospice of San Mateo,
California, and have been interested in elder care. I now want to center my energy in learning
how to better serve the adolescent population and how parents and teachers can address some of
the issues that might lead to suicide.
I have known many families who have struggled with their teenager’s depression. Its
prevalence is unnerving. Parents often do not know who to turn to or how to reach their child.
Children feel lost and bewildered, are often over scheduled, and do not feel they have the time to

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get help.
Overview of the Study and Procedure
I explored mindfulness as a part of the school day to help lessen the anxiety and tension
that adolescents face. For my thesis, I looked more deeply into the community’s experience with
teen suicide. I investigated the human experience of suicide in this paper by such methods as
reviewing books and articles on the subject. I conducted interviews with adults who have done
work with mindfulness or have experience in psychology with adolescents, and with teens who
have had an introduction to mindfulness. I looked at recent suicide statistics and prevalence, how
the suicides have been handled, what the current options are for support, and some of the
programs in the Palo Alto area that are available for teens.
I investigated mindfulness and dialectical behavior therapy (MDBT) in dealing with the
school-age population. MDBT combines cognitive-based therapy and mindful awareness
practice from a Buddhist meditative practice. MDBT has been shown to be helpful for emotional
self-regulation and particularly helpful in patients who exhibit self-harming behavior or suicidal
tendencies.
As noted previously, I helped to facilitate the mindfulness class at Menlo-Atherton High
School, taught by Dr. Amy Saltzman of Still Quiet Place in Menlo Park. The students were
identified as “at risk.” These children may have difficult economic issues, family dysfunction,
and/or are below the academic level for their age group. Some of the kids in the class had spent
time in jail or had a parent in jail. This was the first time that they had been taught mindfulness
skills. I interviewed two students, one male and one female, for this paper to determine their
feelings about their lives and taking the 8-week mindfulness course.

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Chapter 2: Literature Review
There are three main parts to this literature review. First, I discuss the psychology of
suicide and look at some of the literature discussing the difficult work of analyzing, suicidal
behavior. I include a more in-depth section on the psychology and psychopathology of suicide in
Chapter 4.
Second, I look at current cultural modes and attitudes and also community and national
organizations that tackle adolescent issues today. I look at resources that discuss our current
society’s approach to these problems. I touch briefly on the effects of the media, bullying, the
internet, homosexuality, eating disorders, gender issues, religion, and achievement oriented
cultural standards. I discuss films currently being shown to parents and high school students, and
organizations and schools that are working to benefit struggling youth.
Third, I give particular attention to the literature discussing mindfulness as an
intervention which could serve as a preventative measure for suicide. I have defined mindfulness
and how it can be used in school systems and for the individual. I have examined sources on
mindfulness practice and Dialectical Behavior Therapy as a means of treatment, as well as
looked at some of the ways the local community is currently addressing this difficult teen suicide
issue. I have cited some of the programs that have recently been offered in the community
addressing the difficult issues that adolescents face. My focus is to explain the different views on
what might be occurring for individuals that causes them to consider suicide, and how
mindfulness might be an effective tool for the child and adolescent in the school system.
Included later in this thesis are resources that provide information for the discussion of suicide
prevention and the effect on students and parents in the aftermath of a suicide.
This review includes primary and secondary scholarly sources on the topic of

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mindfulness, as well as a few popular books and newspaper articles. I discuss the general
philosophy, different areas in our country where mindfulness is currently being used, significant
literature that shows results from mindfulness classes, and how it can be effectively used for
children and teenagers.
Psychology of Suicide
The English poet and author, William Cowper (as cited in Jamison, 1999) wrote,
“Encompassed with a thousand dangers, weary, faint, trembling with a thousand terrors, in a
fleshy tomb, am buried above ground” (p. 10). This painful passage was written by Cowper after
one of his suicide attempts. Kay Redfield Jamison (1999), in her book, Night Falls Fast, looked
at the many aspects of suicide, along with the author’s own private struggles with suicide over
the years. She discussed the history and psychology of suicide, and addressed treatment and
prevention. According to Jamison, suicide in the teen population has tripled over the last 45
years. She noted that
it is possible, with what we now know, to provide comfort and remedy to stop at least
some of the butchery. Most suicides, although by no means all, can be prevented. The
breach between what we know and do is lethal. (Jamison, 1999, p. 5)
Jamison (1999) also researched psychopathology and suicide, neuropathology, the
treatment and prevention of suicide, and the effects of society in this book. She also recounted
her own personal history with bipolar illness and thoughts of suicide. She wrote,
I have also known suicide in a more private, awful way, and I trace the loss of
fundamental innocence to the day that I first considered suicide as the only solution
possible to an unendurable level of mental pain. Until that time I had taken for granted,
and loved more than I knew, a temperamental lightness of mood and a fabulous
expectation of life. I knew death only in the most abstract of senses; I never imagined it
would be something to arrange or seek. (Jamison, 1999, p. 5)
Jamison obviously had firsthand experience in talking about suicidal feelings. It is
impossible to guess what others have felt, but being able to relate in a personal way made

14
Jamison’s research all the more poignant. It is such a tough subject and one that we will probably
never truly understand. There is also a great reluctance for people to actually talk about suicide.
The Surgeon General of the United States, Dr. David Satcher (2003) stated, “As a
society, we do not like to talk about suicide” (p. 264). In Chapter 10 of Night Falls Fast, Jamison
(1999) wrote that
the suicide of an adolescent is often considered to be a newsworthy event, and when
handled in an insensitive or sensationalist manner by the media it can be a further source
of pain and embarrassment to the siblings and parents. (p. 298)
It is tragic to imagine a situation in which your child or your sibling is dead and besides dealing
with the horrendous grief, you are embarrassed? The fact that we cannot talk about suicide or
look at suicide, makes it a shameful event, instead of just a sad and tragic event, and makes it
more difficult for us to deal with ways to help prevent it.
Thomas Joiner (2005), author of Why People Die by Suicide, lost his dad to suicide. This
compelled him to work to understand what would drive a person to take his or her own life. He
wrote about the absence of research on suicide and how odd this is, considering that it kills
millions. He noted that “the science about suicide is not especially well developed and has
certainly not permeated the public consciousness” (Joiner, 2005, p. 25). Albert Einstein said, “A
problem cannot be solved by the same consciousness that created it” (as cited in McFarlane,
2002, p. 126). In this respect, problems must be looked at from an entirely different
consciousness. It does not appear that people are doing enough in society to take the time to
address the subject of suicide and the effects of such events with the youth.

15
Issues the Adolescent Faces in Society Today
I reviewed books that are gender specific, such as Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of
Adolescent Girls by Mary Pipher (1994), and Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of
Boys by Dan Kindlon and Michael Thompson (2000). Pipher and Kindlon and Thompson
explore the world of the adolescent male and female in the culture today. Both of these books
give an in depth account of the conditioning that affects the psyche of the adolescent child. The
back cover copy of Pipher’s book illustrates the main points that Pipher (1994) raises,
Girls are crashing and burning in a “developmental Bermuda Triangle,” they are coming
of age in a media-saturated culture preoccupied with unrealistic ideals of beauty and
images of dehumanized sex, a culture rife with addictions and sexually transmitted
diseases. They are losing their resiliency and optimism in a “girl poisoning” culture that
propagated values at odds with those necessary to survive. (Back cover)
Both authors of the book Raising Cain, Kindlon and Thompson (2000), stated that as they did
their research and examined their own boyhoods, they came to the same conclusions about how
the American culture is railroading boys into lives of isolation, shame, and anger.
This book’s inquiry has been guided by two basis questions: What do boys need to
become emotionally whole men? And what is the cost to boys of a culture that suppresses
their emotional life in service to the rigid ideals of manhood? (Kindlon & Thompson,
2000, p. xiii)
I think that this book illustrates how the absence of the Divine Feminine is damaging to
boys and men. Just as women are marginalized in our society, boys are not able to develop their
wholeness and are suffering from the effects of the imbalance as well. Boys are taught to ignore
or suppress their feelings and vulnerabilities. By hiding from this side of their nature, difficult
symptoms arise when they are not allowed to express all of their feelings.
In their book, So Sexy, So Soon, Diane E. Levin and Jean Kilbourne (2009) discussed
how children today are encountering sexual messages and images that they do not have the
emotional maturity to understand. Children are good at imitating behaviors and it is a primary

16
way in which they learn. Girls see roles modeled for them in movies and magazines and learn
that their value is determined by their appearance. Boys are conditioned to judge girls on this
type of standard. Media images can portray images of sexual behavior devoid of emotions and
that sex is the defining activity in relationships. “They learn that sex is often linked to violence.
And they learn to associate physical appearance and buying the right products not only with
being sexy but also with being successful as a person” (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009, p. 5). One can
see how young people shape their ideas of gender, sexual attitudes, and values by what the media
propagates. If personal value depends on outside sources, much suffering will be experienced.
Mindfulness training is instructive in teaching people to honor themselves, and allowing them to
see that measuring their self-worth, based on things outside of themselves, is never the road to
fulfillment. There are films available and organizations that work with teens that I will describe
and discuss further in Chapter 5.
Mindfulness as a Tool for Teenage Suicide
Full Catastrophe Living, by Jon Kabat-Zinn (2009), is a book about mind/body medicine.
Dr. Kabat-Zinn described his mindfulness-based stress reduction program. This book addresses
fear, panic, anxiety, and stress reactivity. His program provides a tool that might be beneficial if
taught to children and adolescents during the academic school day in small doses. It is a
nondenominational approach to a type of spirituality that can be brought to children in the midst
of their day, and that can make a difference in the quality of their lives. Joan Borysenko,
president of Mind/Body Health Sciences, wrote in Kabat-Zinn’s book that
Mindfulness is more than a meditation practice that can have profound medical and
psychological benefits; it is also a way of life that reveals the gentle and loving
wholeness that lies at the heart of our being, even in times of great pain and suffering.
(as cited in Kabat-Zinn, 2009, p. xvii)
The philosophy behind mindfulness is that one’s pain is not one’s self. Some people

17
identify with their physical or psychological pain to the extent that it becomes who they are.
People’s minds create their own reactivity and these thoughts, even if they have no basis in
reality, produce more pressure and demands. People of all ages can use the technique of
mindfulness. A personal practice is free, and much simpler than expensive medical treatments.
This is not to say that medicine is never needed, but mindfulness has been proven to help
considerably in coping with physical or psychological pain and illness. Dr. Bernie Siegel (1990),
surgeon and author of Love, Medicine, and Miracles strongly advocates meditation for cancer
patients and says, “I know of no other single activity that by itself can produce such great
improvement in the quality of life” (p. 189). In The Practical Neuroscience of Buddha’s Brain,
Dr. Rick Hanson (a neuropsychologist) and Dr. Richard Mendius (a neurologist) use the backing
scientific research to bring a modern understanding to the ancient and profound teachings of
inner meditation practice. Mindfulness meditation is being successfully integrated into
mainstream medicine by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn.
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction therapy differs from traditional cognitive therapy in
the treatment of internal experiences such as thoughts, feelings, and physical bodily sensations.
“Rather than targeting and attempting to change the content, frequency, and form of thoughts and
feelings directly, acceptance-based therapies (such as mindfulness) seek to alter the function of
internal phenomena so as to diminish their behavioral impact” (Greco & Hayes, 2008, p. 3).
Acceptance and Mindfulness Treatments for Children and Adolescents: A Practitioner's
Guide, edited by Laurie A. Greco and Steven C. Hayes (2008), is a resource book for clinicians
who want to apply the techniques of acceptance and mindfulness to treat physical and mental
health problems of children and adolescents. In their book, Greco and Hayes sought to help
children with anxiety, externalizing disorders, and chronic pain. Direction is given to parents,

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schools, and other social institutions that deal with teenagers. There is an entire chapter dedicated
to the mindfulness-based stress reduction of school-age children, written by Dr. Amy Saltzman.
Dr. Saltzman is a holistic physician, mindfulness teacher, scientist, wife, mother, and devoted
student of transformation. Her passion is supporting people of all ages in enhancing their well-
being, and discovering what she referred to as the Still Quiet Place within. Dr. Saltzman is
recognized as a visionary and pioneer in the fields of holistic medicine and mindfulness in K-12
education. In 2011, I had the pleasure of meeting Amy and we brought her mindfulness class to a
group of teens shortly after the height of the suicides in the neighboring community suicide.
Most people spend a good part of their lives focused on acquiring things, focused on the
future, and looking to the outside for praise and acceptance. There is nothing wrong in planning
for the future, or setting realistic goals, but if one is constantly living in the future, a place that
does not really exist, and cannot appreciate the present, I believe that much joy escapes one’s
attention. I believe adolescents are extremely vulnerable to the messages that our culture
supports in these ways. The book, Wide Awake: A Buddhist Guide for Teens (Winston, 2003),
described what she feels is the true nature of the world. The truth, according to Winston (2003),
is that “you cannot escape the opposites no matter how hard you try to experience only the
pleasant half of each pair” ( p. 5). As Winston (2003), pointed out:
This book may not make your life less stressful, but it might show you another option to
relate to life’s ups and downs. It will not hand you the answers to your questions, but it
will provide you with the framework, and offer tools, suggestions, and practices, so that
you can arrive at the answers yourself. (p. 2)
I could not agree more with Winston’s (2003) philosophy on acceptance, “The more we
practice mindfulness, the more the accepting quality of the heart develops . . . the effort to show
up and bring ourselves whole heartedly into the present moment actually develops acceptance”
(p. 141). I think this is an extremely important message for young children and teens.

19
I believe that young children can benefit from learning simple mindfulness techniques
that can then serve them during difficult times throughout the many transitions of their lives,
especially in adolescence where many changes are occurring within themselves and in their
outside world. In The Mindful Child, Susan Keiser Greenland (2010) gently introduced the
rationale of breathing techniques with young children. Greenland describes using
a breathing technique to help children calm themselves when they feel overwhelmed, and
the transformative power of breathing never ceases to amaze me. Breathing is the most
natural thing in the world, the foundation of our lives. We do it without thinking about it,
but by tapping into the power of this simple act, we can better manage stress and live
happier lives. (Greenland, 2010, p. 2)
I looked at two current preventive measures used in our society to help allay feelings of
depression and anxiety. They are: Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Mindfulness Based Stress
Reduction. DBT therapy involves a psychotherapist working individually with a client. In
Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Children & Adolescents, Connie Callahan (2008) explains that
adults who present with a variety of symptoms that keep them from functioning well in life,
often started having problems as children. In this book, Callahan advocates working with
children when these problems first develop. One of the first processes a clinician would follow
with a suicidal client would be a very frank discussion about any self-mutilating behaviors,
suicidal gestures, or attempts. Next would be any behaviors that destroy the quality of life.
DBT employs multiple modes: individual therapy, multi-family skills training groups,
and family therapy. There is a treatment hierarchy and treatment is structured to address target
behaviors according to their priority within each treatment mode. DBT clients are normally in
therapy for the period of 1 year. Treatment hierarchy involves addressing the hierarchy of needs
that is relative to the moment. In DBT therapy, the therapist works to decrease life-threatening
behavior, decrease noncompliance and premature drop-out of treatment, decrease drug abuse and

20
other criminal behaviors, and increase behavioral skills (Tryon, 1996, p. 217).
Cheri Huber (2001), of Living Compassion, a nonprofit organization dedicated to peace
and service, wrote a book dedicated to and written exclusively for teenagers, There is Nothing
Wrong With You: For Teens. Reading Huber’s book raises the question: How do people know if
what they have been told is true? People must examine the messages that their culture and their
parents have given them and challenge the cultural expectations and regulations. As an example,
Huber (2001) wrote:
Once we turn our attention outward, away from our own heart and toward someone “out
there” who we hope we can please enough that they will meet our needs, most of us never
address the original unmet need we were traumatized into abandoning. Most of us don’t
know it is that original, unmet need that has been controlling our lives. (p. 53)
The format of Huber’s book includes questions and responses directed to teens, and is a
simple and direct, handwritten script with straightforward illustrations—very teen-friendly, but at
the same time, quite profound. Further conversations with teenagers in this book include
responses and questions that the teens themselves have raised. The book combines mindfulness
with questions about the conditioning we receive as children so that one can learn to let go of
preconceived notions that are unhealthy. Huber teaches that self-hate is rampant and can lead to
self-abuse, self-injury, and thoughts and behaviors that can lead to the worst possible outcome:
suicide.
My research into Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) provided current information
about trends in therapies and techniques used for children and teenagers. These references also
show how mindfulness and principles derived from Zen philosophy have come to form an
important part of DBT. Due to the perceived limitations of traditional cognitive and behavioral
approaches, mindfulness has been incorporated into these programs with more beneficial results.
All of the books and articles that I researched led me to see that our understanding of how

21
to treat the suicidal adolescent is limited. We can understand the feelings that teens are struggling
with and there are many avenues for therapy and community services, but there is not much
literature that addresses how to decrease the risk of suicidal behavior in the first place.

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Chapter 3: Research Method
Heuristic Method
Carl Moustakas (1994) Heuristic Research: Design, Methodology, and Applications,
described heuristic research as “an organized and systematic form for investigating human
experience. From the beginning and throughout an investigation, heuristic research involves self-
search, self-dialogue, and self-discovery; the research question and the methodology flow out of
inner awareness, meaning, and inspiration” (Moustakas, 1994, p. 21). The root meaning of the
word heuristic comes from the Greek word heuriskein, meaning to discover or to find. Utilizing
this method of discovery during the research process allows the researcher to experience growing
self-awareness and self-discovery. Moustakas (1994) wrote that
The heuristic process is a way of being informed, a way of knowing. Whatever presents
itself in the consciousness of the investigator as perception, sense, intuition, or
knowledge represents an invitation for further elucidation? What appears, what shows
itself as itself, casts a light that enables one to come to know more fully what something
is and means. (p. 10)
As I write and explore adolescent suicide, using heuristic inquiry, I engage with my sources as
well as my Self. With this external and inner dialogue, self-search, and self-discovery. Although
my research topic has often been very painful for me to explore, I feel that I have been able to
tolerate the emotional roller coaster because heuristic research allowed me to be true to myself as
I gathered information. I have researched this topic because I care about it and want to make a
difference. Without the nature of heuristic research, I do not feel that I could have been confident
to speak to this distressing topic in ways that became meaningful for me. Tying the research of
mindfulness into the research on suicide allowed me to use the methods of tacit knowing and
intuition about the topic. These thoughts and intuition were such a large part of my journey.
Heuristic research allowed me to access a deeper part of myself and bring it to my research. It

23
allowed me to speak with my authentic voice and feel validated. In other research
methodologies, these meaningful and insightful ways of knowing may not have been recognized.
“Many of the most significant and exciting life events and extraordinary experiences—moments
of clarity, illumination, and healing—have been systematically excluded from conventional
research” (Braud & Anderson, 1998, p. 3).
I found it very interesting to read in Transpersonal Knowing: Exploring the Horizon of
Consciousness, (Hart, Nelson, & Puhakka, 2000), a passage describing mental illness and
inspiration. “If we consider inspiration as one end of a continuum, toward the other end lies a
constellation of experiences that have depression as their emotional center” (p. 41). It is
fascinating to note that the very method of transpersonal knowing distinguishes the value of
intuition to be a feeling of connection, openness and clarity. The opposite would be to feel
isolated, alone, and disconnection. These are emotions described by a suicidal person. The ability
to connect with intuition would balance one’s feelings of hopelessness and meaninglessness in
which life experienced as a burden.
In the article, “Heuristic Inquiry and Transpersonal Research,” the author, Dave Hiles
(2001), defined research as “an addition to knowledge” (p. 14) and noted, “we undertake
research because we care and want to make a difference” (p. 14). I undertook this research on
mindfulness as a preventive measure for adolescent suicide because I care about finding ways to
ensure the health and safety of our children. The heuristic inquiry approach to research is
appropriate for this topic because it promotes empathy and caring as a major component. In this
manner, heuristic inquiry differs from many areas of human action and experience deemed by
scientists to be too difficult to study. Donald Polkinghorne (1983) pointed out that
human science seeks to know the reality which is particularly our own, the reality of our
experience, actions, and expressions. This realm is closest to us, yet it is most resistant to

24
our attempt to grasp it with understanding. Because of the success we have had knowing
the world around us, the human realm has expanded its power to such an extent that we
can act to create wellbeing and physical security and comfort and to inflict untold
suffering and destruction. Serious and rigorous re-searching of the human realm is
required. (pp. 280-281)
Because of the sensitive nature of my topic, management of adolescent suicide, I took a
very thoughtful approach to my research. In order to investigate the issue of teen suicide with the
possibility of incorporating mindfulness as a preventive measure, I listened to my own inner
wisdom as a source to guide me in my investigations. Exploring the subject from a deeply
personal perspective, as well as through the eyes of others seemed the best way to proceed. As
Braud and Anderson (1998) so eloquently pointed out in their book,
Bringing the compassionate heart to scientific inquiry, to the way we, as researchers, ask
our questions, analyze our data, construct our theories, and speak to our readers brings a
renewed intentionality to our sciences. Research informed by compassion is qualitatively
different from emotionally detached research because our values and intentions frame the
manner of our thinking and actions nonetheless: Better that compassion set our
intentions. (p. 71)
It is impossible to conduct research on adolescent suicide without using a large dose of
compassion. Helping the adolescent to acquire skills for finding serenity and contentment in
everyday life requires that researchers be compassionate participants and observers.
Working with teens at a local high school employing the mindfulness class taught by Dr.
Amy Saltzman, I have been immersed in my thesis research. Dr. Saltzman aims to help young
children and teens learn a new way to manage their difficult thoughts and feelings. She feels that
mindfulness can give them a tool for accessing what she calls “the still quiet place within.” She
feels that connecting with their inner wisdom and strength is a way to keep them safe. In addition
to the mindfulness class for teens, I have been working with an organization called
Breakthrough the Static, a nonprofit group that is helping teens to connect with others who have
lost someone to suicide. Because I am personally involved with this subject, I am beginning to

25
see transformations within my own understandings of the topic of using mindfulness practice in
dealing with suicidal teens.
My own children know that I am working on this paper and I feel that they have
definitely gained awareness around the topic. I have spoken to them about people in the
community with whom I talk, and I try to get their feedback. I have kept details confidential, but
I think that it has heightened their sensitivity and has also allowed them to see that people
everywhere, and from all walks of life are suffering. We have talked about empathy and how it
helps to look at others with compassion, especially when you have been hurt by someone else.
I also feel that my own mindfulness practice has been a source for me to investigate how
this practice has changed and affected my own life. Learning through mindfulness that my
thoughts are only my thoughts has helped me deal with depression and unhelpful thoughts. I
have read varied material on mindfulness for many years now and all of it convinces me that the
practice can be incredibly helpful for people suffering with anxieties and depression.
Myriad approaches are required to deal with the problems encountered in suicidal
patients. There is a need for psychotherapy, medication, and many other methods to help
alleviate depression and anxiety. However, I feel that it is crucial, especially with children, to
identify a different way of thinking than is customarily used. Moustakas (1994) spoke to this
when he explained,
Essentially in the heuristic process, I am creating a story that portrays the qualities,
meanings, and essences of universally unique experiences. Through an unwavering and
steady inward gaze and inner freedom to explore and accept what is, I am reaching into
deeper and deeper regions of a human problem or experience and coming to know and
understand its underlying dynamics and constituents more and more fully. (p. 13)
This quote describing heuristic research sounds remarkably similar to mindfulness
practice. As I reach deeper and deeper into my own psyche, I can understand myself more and
more fully. As noted earlier, I have had my own battles with depression and feel that if I had

26
understood the nature of my mind and had been able to separate myself from my thoughts at an
earlier age, I would have been better equipped to deal with my circumstances. Not only did I
seek to understand my father’s depression and tendency for self-harm, I, as well as others in my
family struggled with feelings of unworthiness, disconnection, and darkness which was
something that I struggled with and needed to understand so that I could heal.
It was an intuitive experience that led me to take the time to investigate these issues
around our youth and society. This study has illuminated my own life issues and has led me to
look at new ways to assist children and families who suffer with depression, or with suicidal
tendencies or thoughts. The goal of the Heuristic method is to explore the essential meanings of a
topic and bring them to life in such a way that the work helps both the researcher and the reader
to live well, as one finds one’s own experiences illuminated by the experiences of others.
I found that it is difficult to investigate adolescent suicide without a very personal interest
in the topic. “The heuristic process is a way of being informed, a way of knowing. Whatever
presents itself in the consciousness of the investigator as perception, sense, intuition, or
knowledge represents an invitation for further elucidation” (Moustakas, 1994, p. 10). My
personal interest lies in the safety of human beings and in the evolution of consciousness that I
believe can be furthered by the understanding that we are all in this together.
In heuristic research, one must be able to see a problem and sense a direction toward a
solution where others see none. It is hoped that eventually the researcher will arrive at a solution
that is surprising to all. I can only hope that something close to this might occur with this
research. Heuristic research begs the question, “What do you want to learn?” My intention is that
through my investigation of mindfulness as a tool for teens, my commitment to my own
meditation practice will become deeper and more consistent and help to open up communication

27
with the general public about how we can better serve our adolescent population.
The more I read about the positive effects of mindfulness, the more committed I am to
the process. I find that in researching for others, I am gaining perspective on my own life. It is
possible to get a new perspective and to learn a new way to view the world.
I wish I had been taught mindfulness techniques as a child. I believe that just learning
that “you are not your thoughts” is a very valuable piece of information. Learning to take a
breath and step away from identifying with negative thought patterns can be a very effective way
to help with depression and self-sabotage. I cannot help but see that the education system in the
United States is lacking in ways to help children identify a healthy way to see themselves and the
world in which they live. The underlying attitude many have towards education, in which one’s
worth is based solely on how much one can learn and into what college one is accepted—can be
very short lived satisfactions. This is not to say that academic learning is not valuable or that
learning should not be an essential part of life. It is only to point out that self-worth can only be
found in intrinsic value, not by standards by which others judge. “To be nobody but yourself in a
world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the
hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting” (Cummings, 1981,
p. 174).
Heuristic inquiry is a process that begins with a question to a problem which the
researcher seeks to illuminate or answer. The question is one that has been a personal
challenge and puzzlement in the search to understand one’s self and the world in which
one lives. (Moustakas, 1994, p. 15)
Heuristic methodology also respects the researcher’s tacit knowing. “The tacit dimension
underlies and precedes intuition and guides the researcher into untapped directions and sources
of meaning” (Moustakas, 1994, p. 20). This means that each person has his or her own unique
viewpoint to contribute; everyone has their own personal perspective. “This idea of personal

28
knowing corresponds to the Hindu idea of the ‘play of consciousness,’ where the Divine, to
know itself, has split up into all of creation in order to have different experiences” (Moustakas,
1994, p. 34). If one curtails tacit knowing in research, one will limit possibilities. I believe that I
possess a tacit knowing in the mental process that is involved in suffering, having witnessed the
experiences of my dad and several other family members who lived with depression. I
understand the topic, having lived with it all of my life, and having my own episodes with the
dark night of the soul, so with this comes a sympathetic knowing that helps me proceed with my
inquiry.
Moustakas (1994) proposed that heuristic inquiry involves
a process of internal search through which one discovers that nature and meaning of
experience and develops methods and procedures for further investigation and analysis.
The self of the researcher is present throughout the process and, while understanding the
phenomenon with increasing depth, the researcher also experiences growing self-
awareness and self-knowledge. (p. 10)
It is said that in heuristic methodology, the research question chooses you. This was certainly
true for me. I did not really want to study adolescent suicide. However, as adolescent suicide
made itself more and more present in my psyche, my family, and my daily life, I started to
realize that I could no longer ignore it.
Every event in my community that touched the topic in any way initiated its entry into
my awareness. I started attending talks and events that were deeply moving to my soul. An
outside force seemed to be pulling me in. In my heart, I realized that there is nothing more
important to me than keeping children safe and insuring that they feel loved. It connects me to
the feelings I had as a small child: wanting to take care of other children, taking care of my
family members, my years as a nurse, my hospice work, my spiritual view of the world. My own
maternal nature and connection with the Divine Feminine was driving me forward. As I
discovered this fundamental drive, it helped me to choose this as a thesis topic, to seek out

29
books and articles regarding suicidal behavior, why people die by suicide, dialectical behavior
treatments for suicidal adolescents, and mindfulness techniques and philosophies for suicidal
teenagers.
As Moustakas (1994) observed, “one senses a pattern or underlying condition that
enables one to imagine and then characterize the reality, state of mind, or condition” (p. 23).
Intuition is a valuable resource that may not get the respect that it deserves. Fortunately, in both
heuristic and transpersonal research, intuition is valued and recognized as important. I
interviewed several people for their expertise or experience with mindfulness practice. Through
these dialogues and conversations, through self-awareness and exploration, the interviews have
illuminated my intuition about this subject even further. “Dialogue with the other and dialogue
with oneself require active, reflective listening. This means tuning into the other person’s
communications or one’s own and noticing moment by moment what they mean” (Moustakas,
1994, p. 118).
The points that I found to be interesting in Moustakas’ (1990) core process include:
becoming one with the research question, having self-dialogue, an openness to one’s own
experience, tacit knowing, intuition, concentrating on some aspect of human experience, and
focusing (p. 120). I feel that these components of self-awareness and openness allowed for an
embodied experience around my topic. I could feel that in small ways I was able to make a
difference in this very tragic phenomenon of the human condition. Research did not feel boring
or distant. It became a part of my heart.
Description of the Participants
My participants included 1 local author and mindfulness instructor, 2 psychotherapists,
and 2 teenagers who participated in a recent mindfulness program. I had the great pleasure of

30
interviewing Cheri Huber, one of my favorite teachers and founder and resident teacher at the
Zen Monastery Peace Center in Murphys, California, and the Mountain View Zen Center in
Mountain View, California. She is also founder and executive director of Living Compassion, a
multifaceted center that offers classes for meditation, peace practices, a project called the “Africa
Vulnerable Children Project.” The center offers many other ways to practice mindfulness in daily
life and in the world. Huber has written many books on mindfulness and awareness practice
tools, including the book, There’s Nothing Wrong With You, for Teens (Huber, 2001), where she
specifically addresses adolescents. Huber travels around the country giving workshops and
retreats on mindfulness and has a weekly call-in talk show called, “Open Air.”
I was fortunate to interview Roni Gillenson, program director of Adolescent Counseling
Services. Gillenson has 15 years of experience providing mental health services to culturally
diverse youth and has worked at the County Juvenile Probation and County Mental Health. The
bulk of her experience has focused on adolescent issues in school and residential settings.
Gillenson also holds a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology with an emphasis in Feminist
Psychology and Multiculturalism. She also has a private practice in San Francisco, CA seeing
adolescents and young adults.
I also interviewed author and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) expert, Gina
Biegel (2009). Biegel, whose work is crucial to my paper, adapted MBSR for the adolescent
population and conducted a randomized control trial assessing the efficacy of the technique with
very significant results. She has published an article about her findings in the Journal of
Consulting and Clinical Psychology (JCCP). Biegel is also currently conducting a formal
research study to assess the efficacy of the Mindful Schools’ program. Mindful Schools are a
non-profit organization that seek to integrate mindfulness into education. These schools offer in-

31
class instruction, professional training, and other resources that support mindfulness in
education. Biegel is author of The Stress Reduction Workbook for Teens: Mindfulness Skills to
Help You Deal With Stress.
In addition, I interviewed two high school students from Menlo-Atherton High School,
who had taken a mindfulness class at the school, provided by Dr. Amy Saltzman of Still Quiet
Place. As stated earlier, I helped Dr. Saltzman get the class accepted at M-A and I funded it
while I was a parent at the school.
Adolescent Counseling Services (ACS) in Palo Alto, CA, is an organization that offers
free on-campus counseling at the local high schools during the school day. The mental health
professionals also have an after-school counseling program, adolescent substance abuse
treatment program, and community education program that discusses the issues and challenges
that the adolescent faces today. There is a website about their programs, which lists risk factors
and warning signs for adolescent suicide and bullying resources. The site provides information
on Project Safety Net, a program designed specifically for teens to address any issues they might
seek to resolve, Just for Teens, and an adolescent substance abuse program.
Description of Procedure
The interviews formed a significant part of my research for this thesis. The interview
process has provided genuine, profound and valid conversations that shed light on an extremely
dark subject. By interviewing an adolescent counselor, I was able to find out what the current
climate is among teens at our local high schools. I determined with what students sought help,
what issues they are facing, and how the issues are being addressed. The information from the
parents included how they are communicating with their teens, what the major issues are
between teenagers and their parents, and what the counselors usually see on a daily basis. I think

32
that all of the interviews provide for a well-rounded discussion on the issues people face today
with the adolescent population. I have learned more about the current resources and how they
seem to be working. I also spoke with participants about their thoughts on incorporating
mindfulness into the school day.
I e-mailed the participants with a letter of invitation and the informed consent form
(Appendices A, B, and C). I interviewed them about their experiences with mindfulness as a tool
to help with depression. I used a digital recorder with each participant’s permission and
interviewed each one in person. I then transcribed the interviews and included what was relevant
to my thesis. I found similarities in the interviews on the usefulness of mindfulness as a tool for
children and teens in the school system.

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Chapter 4: Psychology and Psychopathology of Suicide
The topic of suicide is extremely complicated. Simply defined, suicide is the act of taking
one’s own life. In the U.S., suicide ranks as the third leading cause of death for young people
between the ages of 15 and 24 years. And, suicide is the sixth leading cause of death for children
ages 5 to 14 years (“American Foundation for Suicide Prevention,” 2012, Youth, para. 1). There
are numerous theories and many different approaches to suicide. The editors of the book,
Suicide: Understanding and Responding, by Douglas Jacobs and Herbert Brown (1989) took
materials from the Harvard Medical School conferences on the subject of suicide and compiled
the information in a multidimensional approach to suicide. These different approaches included
the literary and personal document approach, philosophical and theological approach,
demographic approach, socio-cultural approach, biological and biochemical approach, and
psychiatric and mental illness and disease approach, among others (Jacobs & Brown, 1998,
pp. 1-15).
Considering all of the angles it takes to begin to understand the nature of suicide, it is
obvious that it is no easy problem to attend to, and that there are many different avenues of
thought by which to approach the problem. In the psychological approach, Jacobs and Brown
(1989) listed 10 commonalities of suicide: to seek a solution, the goal is cessation of
consciousness, psychological pain, frustrated psychological needs, hopelessness, escape, feelings
of constriction, ambivalence, and the common interpersonal act in suicide is communication of
intention (p. 16).
In the 1960s, the field of psychology was influenced by the work of Abraham Maslow.
His work helped researchers and psychotherapists see new ways to understand psychological and
spiritual experience, hence his description as the father of humanistic psychology. The author of

34
Waking Up, Alive, Richard Heckler (1994), was moved by Maslow’s work when he was a
student of psychology. He embraced Maslow’s view of helping people regain their health and
happiness by the approach of studying the behavior of people who are healthy and leading
extraordinary lives. Maslow’s famous hierarchy of needs shows that survival needs include love,
belonging, and esteem. In Heckler’s research, he interviewed people who attempted suicide, and
because their attempts failed, they were able to shed light on their feelings and experiences.
Waking Up takes an in-depth look at how one emerges from the attempt of suicide and learns to
thrive. In showing how these individuals were able to return to life, change their situations, and
find new reservoirs of strength, this book shows what elements were missing in the psyche of
these individuals that led to their descent and ultimately ending their lives.
Heckler (1994) chronicled the three most common types of loss that affect the suicidal
person: (a) traumatic loss, (b) extreme family dysfunction, and (c) alienation. His research led
him to see that although people do commit suicide after a traumatic loss, a larger proportion of
suicide attempts reflect losses incurred in childhood and adolescence. He found that the
interviews provided “intimate access to the experiences that upset the critical balance between
hope and hopelessness” (Heckler, 1994, p. 39). He pointed out how “the accounts share elements
fundamental to the experience of the descent into suicide—that psycho-spiritual period during
which the very fabric of one’s world seems to stretch, tear, and then break apart” (Heckler, 1994,
p. 39). He wrote about the “suicidal trance” (Heckler, 1994, p. 79), which he explained to be the
narrowed perspective in which a person’s inner voices are the only ones that are heard and those
voices direct him or her to die. The disabling thoughts about a troubled past and a vision of a
tormented future render a person unable to live in the present and “they lose their balance,
bewildered in the present and unable to comprehend the future” (Heckler, 1994, p. 79). Heckler

35
(1994) noted that “it is at this juncture, for almost everyone interviewed, that the stage is set for
the final act” (p. 79).
Through the stories represented in Waking Up, Alive, Heckler (1994) was able to see that
in grieving, people can begin to “revalue” (p. 188) themselves. “When people allow their pain to
surface, they make a statement that they are important and worthy of attention” (Heckler, 1994,
p. 188). People begin to catch a glimpse of who they are beneath the pain. I believe that
mindfulness can teach people to value who they are beneath their painful thoughts as well as
providing a link between self and society.
Many stressful factors contribute to adolescent suicide that include mental disorders,
depression and anxiety, substance abuse, sexual orientation or questioning sexuality, ethnicity,
gender, disturbed family context, and borderline personality disorder. Other risk factors are
stressful life events, childhood sexual and physical abuse, which could lead to or be in addition
to academic and social difficulties.
Suicide vulnerability includes the incomplete development of emotional autonomy and
the ability to be able to tolerate periods of loneliness, depression, anxiety, and anger. Individuals
who have not developed this capacity depend on external resources to sustain their psychological
integrity. If the person feels extreme vulnerability, negative self-judgment, and unworthiness
threaten the sense of self. The decision to commit suicide is a statement indicating that not only
is one’s own life not worth living, but may express that life has no value.
In his book, Why People Die by Suicide, Thomas Joiner (2007) wrote,
people desire death when two fundamental needs are frustrated to the point of extinction;
namely, the need to belong with or connect with others, and the need to feel effective
with or to influence others. When both these needs are snuffed out, suicide becomes
attractive but not accessible without the ability for self-harm. (p. 47)
He went on to explain in this chapter that self-harm has calming and pain-relieving abilities and

36
that self-injury distracts people from deeper emotional pain. Joiner notes that self-harming
behavior can actually make a person feel alive or that self-harm brings their inner world back
into harmony with the world at large. The more self-harm behaviors come into effect, the more
apt the person may become to do the ultimate self-harm.
I believe that there are many correlations between the kind of emotional pain that a
suicidal individual suffers and the kind of self-discovery that has been shown to be effective
when practicing mindfulness. Realizing that you are not your pain, and watching negative
thoughts in a less attached way can be a significant learning tool. It seems that people are not
exposed to this type of thinking until their problems reach a point of seriousness that leads to
crisis and emergency. People are conditioned in society to look outside of themselves for their
self-worth. Children are constantly being compared to others in sports, academics, the way they
look, dress, act, their economic status, and many other outward appearances.
I asked Roni Gillenson, Program Director the On Campus Counseling Program of
Adolescent Counseling Services in our interview, what do most of the kids that come in seem to
be troubled about? She said,
What we see at the high school level is mostly academic stress, but also communication
with parents, whether it’s that they don’t understand them or that they would like to
spend more time with them, peer relationships, mean girls or bullying, boyfriend/
girlfriend issues, depression/anxiety, divorce, loss, transitions. . . . I think that there’s a
safety in coming in and saying “I’m really stressed out at school,” and then you uncover
all the other stuff. (Roni)
Roni was at Gunn High School in Palo Alto, working as a counselor when four suicides
took place within 6 months in 2009. She said of her experience there,
It was . . . the first one was jarring and unsuspected, scary, being on campus was hard—
everyone was affected and reacted even if they didn’t know the student. I think when it
happened it raised a lot of awareness. A student might be crying in the corner, or they
might be silent, or they might be yelling and screaming and act upset. You don’t always
know. There are some indicators, but they are not always specific. I think we really

37
utilized that tragedy to raise awareness with students/faculty and parents, because parents
were like, “what do we do?” so we used a lot of education. We used the word “suicide”
and told them to talk about it, check in with their kids about how they are feeling—not
just their grades or college applications, but how they are feeling—what’s going on?
When the second one happened, it was more than a punch in the stomach and I think it
kind of took the wind out of all of us. Tragic. Really hard. We had just had a smidgen of
having tried to pick up the pieces and move on, and then that happened. It was one step
forward and five steps back. The community had a lot of fear, wanting answers. For me
as a therapist, it was painful. We were doing a lot of outreach and check-ins and students
were bringing friends in, but we were also trying to give everyone a chance to grieve.
(Roni)
The practice of Mindfulness teaches compassion for self and others. It helps people have
tolerance and understanding for others. I believe that if this were instituted into the school day,
even in a small way, children would learn to not only have self-acceptance and love, but would
learn tolerance and kindness in the face of the struggles of others. Mindfulness teaches
individuality and the gifts of being unique and different. Perhaps this would enable children to
master these skills at an early age so that by the time they were struggling with larger issues, the
differences in gender, sexual orientation, body image, and athleticism there would not be a
climate of such competition and aggression. Being “different” could be celebrated for its unique
gifts and children would not feel as ostracized and alone. Mindfulness also teaches unity and
grounding, a respect for the Earth and the universe. If this became a fundamental belief, instilled
in childhood, perhaps people would not feel so desperate and isolated.
One example of a mindfulness practice is the simple experience of a silent meditation
where small pieces of paper and a pencil are placed on chairs. Students are asked to look two
seats to the left and write down something they appreciate about that person. Then notes can be
written to others in the room. These “appreciations” are handed to the subject at the end of the
meditation.
As children grow older, the issues that they face become more serious. Adolescents are
dealing with changing bodies and hormones, increased academic and athletic demands, sexual

38
identity questions, the emerging stress of individuation, and peer group pressures. It is often
difficult to find time, even in one’s own family, to address the issues that are affecting the
average American teenager. Their lives are packed with activities and they are turning to peers
for attention and support more than they are going to parents or adults that might be able to help
them handle the pressure. Facebook and the Internet can provide helpful information for teens,
but can also create a climate of bullying and hatred that now extends to public scrutiny, and can
be the impetus for an individual to feel overwhelmed with helplessness and despair.
Being the mother of four children, one girl and three boys, I have had the chance to see
the ways in which girls and boys are both conditioned by our culture. When I began my graduate
studies in Women’s Spirituality, I gained incredible insight into the patriarchal system. I
discovered how women have been denied empowerment, authority, historical affirmation,
respect, and many other disturbing inequities that have led to many of the problems in our
society. When I began this thesis regarding adolescent suicide, I wondered if I should center on
female adolescents and the issues that are prevalent in society today. However, having three
teenage boys at home made me distinctly aware that although the problems differ for boys and
girls, and though it would be important to separate the genders for a complete look at both, this is
not what I had in mind for this paper. I feel that to divide the genders, I would be discounting my
firm belief that we must begin to view our world from the standpoint of one gender--humanity.
By doing this, we can begin to combine our masculine and feminine qualities so that we do not
discount important parts of our psyche, we can gain more respect for one another, and we can
become more complete and whole human beings.
I have a deep and fundamental belief that we are not separate and that our oneness is our
salvation to how we can best serve ourselves, one another, and our planet. One of the spiritual

39
teachers that I most admire, Eknath Easwaran (1996), wrote in Seeing With the Eyes of Love,
God has given us several laws. The law of gravity is a divine gift and so is the law of
unity. We have discovered one, but not the other. The law of gravity governs the external
world. The law of unity governs the internal world. Just as all the planets and all the
galaxies are held together by gravitational forces, human beings also, the mystics say,
are held together by the law of unity – beginning with the members of the family and
extending to all other families, beginning with one nation and extending to all other
nations. (p. 219)
Although I do not have proof of this, I believe in it with every fiber of my being. So, I believe
that many of our gender issues and inequities could be enlightened by the discovery and belief in
the bond of unity that holds us together. Although we are different, and we have been
conditioned in many different ways by our cultures and societies, we are all human and share a
fundamental bond which can help heal our differences and our wounds.
Two bestselling books, Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls (Pipher,
1994) and Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys (Kindlon & Thompson, 2000),
were instrumental in exploring the issues that both genders face and in looking at how society
conditions children to believe. The stories in Raising Cain shared a disturbing theme of
emotional ignorance and isolation. The struggle that adolescent boys face between the need for
connection and the desire for autonomy is a big one. Kindlon and Thompson (2000) pointed out
that American culture supports the emotional development in girls and discourages it for boys.
“Stereotypical notions of masculine toughness deny a boy his emotions and rob him of the
chance to develop the full range of emotional resources” (Kindlon & Thompson, 2000, p. 4). I
believe that boys, as well as girls, face unrealistic and narrow roles into which they feel they
must mold themselves.

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Chapter 5: Teen Culture and Issues and the Community’s Response
In this chapter, I share some of the events that have been taking place in my local
community and the high schools located here. Since experiencing the teen suicides, the
community has rallied with events and committees to address the seriousness of the situation and
to attend to some of the issues that may have led to them.
As noted earlier, issues facing teens today include gender identification and sexuality,
bullying and cyber-bullying, race, religion, academic pressures, relationships with family,
boyfriend and girlfriend problems and break-ups, substance abuse, depression, self-harming
behaviors, suicidal thoughts, and suicidal attempts and general violence in the world and
community. I will address some of these issues further, in this chapter.
My paper is centered on the issues and reactions that my immediate community is facing.
However, the research I conducted shows that these issues are not very different in the rest of the
country. Whether the high schools are rural or urban, private or public, the issues that teens are
facing are all very similar. Facebook has been the great leveler, and the communications that
teens have with one another on the Internet seem to run along the same track. Cyber-bullying
seems to target similar children with similar issues, the media messages that affect children are
the same, and the messages about the quest for a “successful and happy life” seem to be based on
many of the same contingencies.
Some of the elements in my community trying to address these issues include programs
such as Challenge Day (Challenge Day, 2012), Teen Truth Live (Pohl & Christopher, 2007), and
the films, A Race to Nowhere (Abeles & Congdor, 2010), and Miss Representation (Newsom &
Scully, 2011).
The People Magazine issue of October 18, 2010, cover was “Teen Suicide Tragedies:

41
Deadly Bullying.” This issue described the horrendous details surrounding several young people
took their lives as they were tormented for being gay. There has been a lot of attention in the
media about this since University of Rutgers freshman, Tyler Clementi, 18 years old jumped off
a bridge after he was videotaped by his roommate while being intimate with another boy. People
Magazine (2010) cited that a
2005 Harris poll found 90 percent of gay and lesbian teens say they’ve been bullied in
the past year. And nearly two-thirds of these students feel unsafe in school, according to
a 2009 survey by the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network. (p. 56)
The It Gets Better Project (http://www.itgetsbetter.org) was started by Dan Savage and
Terry Miller. They describe the project,
The It Gets Better Project was created to show young LGBT people the levels of
happiness, potential, and positivity their lives will reach—if they can just get through
their teen years. The It Gets Better Project wants to remind teenagers in the LGBT
community that they are not alone—and it WILL get better. (“What is,” n.d., para. 1)
I feel that while these organizations are very important and helpful, it is crucial to begin to
address the areas of empathy and compassion early in life so that people do not have to endure
this type of torment.
As mentioned in Chapter 3, Adolescent Counseling Services is a local organization
dedicated to helping teens find their way; it offers a number of services including on-campus and
after school counseling. ACS collaborates with many other community resources such as (a)
Project Safety Net, a community task force formed around prevention of teen suicide; (b) The
Trevor Project, organizations geared to helping lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and
questioning youth; and (c) Teen Talk, an informative online blog. I will describe these
community events more in this chapter.
An event held in 2010 called Dear Palo Alto, was organized by a college-aged girl, Julia
Tachibana, who had lost her brother to suicide in 2007 while he was in high school. Her event

42
was planned in remembrance of her brother and other youth who had commit suicide. Teens
were able to perform and express their grief through artistic means. It was a beautifully
spellbinding evening. Teens who have been touched by suicide or have been suicidal themselves
performed on stage by doing monologues about their issues or grief, music was performed with
lyrics that described friends that had committed suicide, and compassionate speeches were given.
One teenage girl did a monologue about her anorexia that was very powerful. I feel that this gave
these young people a chance to express their grief and to heal some of the pain that they are
experiencing. It was also a heartfelt tribute out to families in the community that had experienced
a loss. This event was sponsored by the City of Palo Alto and a nonprofit organization called
Breakthrough the Static, which was founded by a young woman whose father had committed
suicide when she was in high school. She felt that she did not get any support at that time and so
she founded this nonprofit for teens affected by suicide.
I see that there are a great many resources and many wonderful, professional people
wanting to make changes and to help. The issues children are facing need to be addressed earlier
in their lives; we are waiting until children are in crisis to begin to talk about how to help. We are
putting them through stressful situations from elementary school on, and by the time they reach
adolescence, they are already confused and disoriented.
Challenge Day (Challenge Day, 2012) is an organization that travels around the world,
visiting high schools to meet with teens in a full day event geared to help break down barriers.
The mission of Challenge Day is to demonstrate the possibility of love and connection through
the celebration of diversity, truth, and full expression. I have been a parent volunteer for this
event for 8 years. I have seen how powerful it can be to take the time to talk to youth about their
feelings. I have been a small group leader, which means that I have had five to six teens whom I

43
did not know in a small circle; the goal was for them to be able to share their most private fears
with one another. I have had children speak about their own attempts at suicide. I have heard
countless youth talk about depression, the problems within their families, abuse, neglect, and the
incredibly difficult issues that they are faced with on a daily basis.
I have been dumbfounded by the realities that face these children and their perseverance
and courage in managing to keep moving forward, attending school, and doing their best. This
event is inspirational because the children themselves are so incredible. By the end of the day,
the drastic diversity becomes less obvious as students find that they are not alone, and they are
surprised to see no matter what race, what economic level, what family another is from, everyone
has experienced pain and suffering. In fact, it is shocking to see just how much suffering is going
on. And this is one day during their high school education, one day, as freshmen, that they are
given the opportunity for this kind of discourse with one another and with caring adults.
Teen Truth Live (Pohl & Christopher, 2007) is a film presentation given to teens around
the country that covers school violence and bullying, drugs and alcohol, and body image and
self-esteem. When I attended this assembly at my children’s high school, I was struck by the way
that the students responded. They were definitely affected by the film in a visceral way—some
were crying, most were responding by raising their hands, and most seemed to be listening and
engaged. This is not the usual climate in a high school assembly. I believe that children are
hungry for this type of education. This is the type of communication that means something to
them and helps to address feelings that are often difficult for them to talk about.
Over 13 million American children will be bullied this year, making it the most common
form of violence experienced by young people in the nation. The new documentary film,
BULLY, directed by Sundance and Emmy-award winning filmmaker, Lee Hirsch (2012), brings

44
human scale to this startling statistic, offering a look at how bullying has touched five children
and their families. The fact that a movie like this needs to be made at this time shows us that our
children need help now. When children and teens are losing their lives because of bullying, we
know that something needs to be done and that the education climate needs to change. In schools
where children are learning mindfulness at an early age, they are learning the skills to have a
calm, focused, and empathetic mind.
Elementary children are being taught by a program called the Roots of Empathy (Gordon,
2012) in countries all over the world. As is stated in their mission statement,
The focus of Roots of Empathy in the long term is to build capacity of the next
generation for responsible citizenship and responsive parenting. In the short term, Roots
of Empathy focuses on raising levels of empathy, resulting in more respectful and caring
relationships and reduced levels of bullying and aggression. Part of our success is the
universal nature of the program; all students are positively engaged instead of targeting
bullies or aggressive children. (“Our Mission,” n.d., para. 1)
This program has seen changes in children who are more able than children that they have
witnessed in the past, to share, help, and understand others and a decrease in aggressive
behavior.
Another program called the Inner Resilience Program (IRP, 2011) was started after 9/11
in lower Manhattan and around Ground Zero to help teachers, parents, and students to cope in
the aftermath of the disaster. The program became so successful that it now serves schools in
New York, Ohio, and Vermont. The mindfulness-based approaches used in IRP help create
healthy environments for teaching and learning by assisting both teachers and students to hone
the skills of self-regulation, attention, and caring for others. The underlying principle of teaching
specific skills to teachers and students through sustained practice and the development of a
mindful classroom environment may provide value-added benefits because of the emphasis on
repeated practice of skills over time in the context of a caring learning community.

45
In “Integrating Mindfulness Training Into K-12 Education: Fostering the Resilience of
Teachers and Students,” Meiklejohn et al. (2012) states
The focus of mindfulness educational practices is grounded in contemplative
neuroscience including the concept of neuroplasticity—the notion that the brain is the
key organ in the body that is designed to change in response to experience and training
of various kinds. Marrying the idea of neuroplasticity with the kinds of mental training
offered by contemplative practices, educators are learning just how much we can train
the mind and change our brains/bodies in the directions of greater attentional focus,
emotional calm, awareness and insight, and caring for others. (p. 11)
I feel that inner resilience is such a key phrase in the name of this organization. In trying
to work with those suffering from the tragic occurrences of 9/11, people running this
organization found that it was worth doing this sort of training in the classroom every day,
because it really helped the staff and students feel connected. They continued the program as
they saw the benefits.
The film, The Race to Nowhere: The Dark Side of America’s Achievement Culture
(Abeles, 2010), was shown mostly to adult audiences across the nation. This film was directed by
Vicki Abeles, whose two children started to show adverse signs of stress in their daily lives with
the pressure of homework, activities, and the constant need to perform. The documentary focuses
on interviews with teens, parents, and educators, who all felt burned out, stressed out, and
miserable with the pressures society placed upon them. Supposedly, the title came from a boy
who was interviewed in the film trying to describe what his life feels like, and he very aptly said,
“I feel like I’m on a race to nowhere” (Abeles, 2010). Out of the mouths of babes.
As I watched the film, I felt a familiar and suppressed anger begin to resurface. I
remember the stress that occurred on a daily basis, rushing around, getting my children to
activities and sports and the frustration of too many things to accomplish in a day. I thought of
the countless evenings when my four children needed to do homework; in fact, it was almost
every single night since they each had started kindergarten! It’s incredible how much time was

46
taken from our family in order to complete homework for four little children who would have
been much better off playing in our back yard. I desperately tried to keep things balanced and
was one of the few mothers who always allowed children to come over after school to play. I
knew that the time they had to play with their friends was of utmost importance and that years
pass quickly, and you only get to be a child once. I remember trying to tell my children that they
did not need to finish assignments if it was a stressful night. I would write a note and explain
things to the teacher. However, they always felt that they had to complete their work or they
would be embarrassed at school. I just about went crazy trying to manage my children’s
activities. I had four children born in five years, so they were like a little pack, with many
extracurricular activities all going on at the same time.
The daily stress of getting children up in the morning and getting to school on time,
afternoon activities that stretched until dinnertime; soccer, music lessons, and so on. Often sports
practices would go through the dinner hour and then homework—exhausting for all and hardly
any down time to just be. I remember thinking that somehow the world seemed to be conspiring
against the family. No longer was dinnertime a sacred event or weekends or even holidays, as
sports events and other activities were now scheduled at awkward times. Having multiple
children meant multiple activities. Although I realize that we could have chosen not to do the
activities, school took up an incredible amount of time as well. My children all had homework
starting in first grade! As time goes forward and children get into middle school and high school,
the pace continues to ramp up and suddenly it is all about where you are going to college.
The academic pressure is rampant everywhere. Our fast-paced and frantic culture
demands that students learn more at a faster rate than ever. Advanced Placement (AP) classes in
high school offer students college-level courses and exams where they can earn college credit

47
and stand out in the admission process. Other students who are not able to go at this pace are
faced with the pressures of having to compete with AP students throughout their high school
experience. This creates an atmosphere of competition that adds to the stress of students of both
levels. Both of the students that I interviewed from the mindfulness class at Menlo-Atherton
cited academics and the large amount of homework each night as a huge struggle. The male
student said,
I just hope that I can manage to get C’s in my classes. The most stressful thing in my life
is getting through school. I have family problems and so I struggle at school and then I go
and struggle at home.
I asked him if he found any support at school. He said, “There are some teachers that understand
that we are under a lot of pressure, but no one is able to make any changes.” It saddened me to
hear him say, “I have anxiety and depression. The doctor told me that I was born with it. My
mom has it too, so I guess that’s where I got it.”
The female student that I interviewed said,
I want to be independent. I don’t want to depend on anyone else. I don’t want to have to
get married in order to be supported. I don’t know if I can keep my grades up during high
school and be admitted to a decent college.
She told me, “I’ve been really depressed about my grades and sometimes I wonder if it’s all
worth it. I don’t know how I could manage my life if I don’t get to go to college.”
We have a high stakes testing culture and cheating on exams is not unusual in our
country. Denise Clark Pope (2003) decided to investigate the educational experience from the
adolescent’s point of view and spent eight months following five students at a California high
school. She did not talk to teachers and administrators, but talked in depth with the students she
shadowed. She wrote the book “Doing School: How We are Creating a Generation of Stressed-
Out, Materialistic, and Miseducated Students.” She found that the students all struggled to keep
up their grades. Some barely slept at night, others tried to balance their parents high expectations

48
with having a life outside of school. Teens were doing things that they were not proud of in order
to succeed in school. She wrote that “They realize that they are caught in a system where
achievement depends more on ‘doing’—going through the correct motions—than on learning
and engaging with the curriculum” (Clark Pope, 2003, p. 4). She found that students were
compelled to cheat to get the scores they believed that they needed for the future. ”The students
were willing to sacrifice individuality, health, and happiness” (Clark Pope, 2003, p. 5). This is
not just a problem for the children, but a societal problem. Fortunately, there are attempts to
bring awareness through the films that have been made depicting the problems.
The Race to Nowhere was spelling out our lives on the big screen. The movie is raising
awareness to change the national dialogue on education. I advocate changing things even further,
by starting early, and not just changing the education system, but changing the way we think and
the ways that we teach our children to think. Our worth should not be measured by what we do
but who we are.
As the film drew to a conclusion, we watched a heartbreakingly tragic scene. A mother is
giving an interview about her 13-year-old daughter who committed suicide when she received a
poor grade on a math test. Tears streamed down my face as I watched this mother look into the
camera and recount the terrible loss of her daughter. Her eyes looked hollow and she appeared to
be in shock, still trying to imagine how her beautiful, intelligent, and competent little daughter
was gone. She had no idea that her daughter was experiencing this degree of despondency. Her
daughter was one of the children that had a loving family, a comfortable home, and was
excelling in all of her activities and classes. As far as the family knew, this bright little girl was
doing everything “right.” The film covers the ways in which our fast-paced culture is impacting
our children in negative ways, but it does not really give any ideas as to how to change it.

49
When I spoke with Gina Biegel, I asked her how she felt our own community was
handling the recent suicides. She said,
I believe that in our own community, the Palo Alto School District is not doing enough.
They are not taking responsibility and they are worried about pointing fingers as to who
might be responsible. I believe that the children that are suffering in silence are the ones
that we need to worry about. The kids that are outwardly doing self-harm behaviors are
getting the attention and care that they need. It is the silent sufferers—sometimes the kids
that look perfect that are the ones to worry about. (Gina)
Gender and sexuality issues usually start around the time children reach puberty. In our
culture, we are bombarded with media that can profoundly affect young people and the ways in
which they identify with gender and sexuality. Recently, I watched another film as it was shown
to high school students called Miss Representation (Newsom, 2011). This documentary, written
and directed by Jennifer Siebel Newsom (2011), speaks out about how the media’s
misrepresentation of women has led to the under-representation of women in positions of power
and influence. In this movie, Newsom investigated many of the ways in which magazines,
movies, the internet, television, and newspapers diminish women’s roles in our society. Media is
the most persuasive force shaping cultural norms and the messages that young women and men
overwhelmingly receive is that a woman’s value and power lie in her youth, beauty, and
sexuality, and not in her capacity as a leader. Because of the obsession with appearances, women
develop deep feelings of insecurity. Women may also develop eating disorders to keep up with
the popular image of beauty. A study by the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and
Associated Disorders reported that 5% to 10% of anorexics die within 10 years after contracting
the disease; 18% to 20% of anorexics will be dead after 20 years and only 30% to 40% ever fully
recover (http://www.state.sc.us/).
There are many organizations struggling to meet the needs of children and teens outside
of the school day. The problem is getting there. Another problem is paying for the services. And

50
with children’ lives so busy, it is almost impossible to schedule outside help without it becoming
just one more stressful thing to fit into the day. ACS a valuable organization that offers On-
Campus free counseling services during the school day. The problem, once again, is having the
time during the day to access the counseling services. After school is also an issue if children are
playing sports, as there is no time to spare. The most difficult aspect of teens utilizing the
service is the stigma that is still rampant in our society about seeking emotional help. I asked
Roni Gillenson, Director of ACS, about this problem; she admitted
Yes, it’s a stigma in the culture and a stigma in the community. I think one thing that
helps most is that our offices in Palo Alto and Menlo Park are alongside of the Guidance
Office (Counselors used more for school-related issues; students commonly access it), so
no one knows where they are going. In this community it’s not OK to have problems and
it’s not OK to go for help. During the suicide grieving period, it gave us more permission
to check in with students and ask more directly, “How are you feeling,” “Are you
depressed,” “Are you thinking of hurting yourself?” There is permission to “go there”
sooner. We had lots of presentations to parents about how to talk to their kids about
serious issues. To use the word “suicide” and how to look at your own fear and get
support for yourself and talk to your kids about that. (Roni)
Many addictive behaviors are used to escape from feeling pain and suffering in our
society. We are taught that in order to be happy, we cannot feel pain. In running from our
feelings, many people develop serious habits that are methods to numb out. In our Women’s
Spirituality class we explored the story of Inanna, the world’s first goddess and most ancient
myth. Inanna’s journey takes us through her descent, the dismantling of all that she thought that
she was, and her emergence to wholeness—only after she embraces her pain and moves through
it.
Alcohol is advertised in the media as something wonderfully powerful that can make you
feel better, have more fun, make friends. Alcohol is also seen as something that can help you
escape if you are having feelings of sadness, loneliness, or depression. Teens who spend the
entire week at school, doing homework late into the nights, and exhausted by sports practice and

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expectations often unwind by doing what they see in the media, partying. Substance abuse is a
major issue for teens and adolescents. It looks deceptively glamorous on TV or in the movies to
drink your troubles away. And, although there are examples in the media of lives going awry
because of addictions to substances, using substances as a method of escape are still very
accepted forms of solace in our culture. People are led to believe that they are going to be able to
erase their pain by having a drink or doing drugs. Sports events are advertised with beer and
alcohol; young people drinking in commercials look like they are having a great time because of
the alcohol, not because of the gathering. This kind of advertising makes it look as though life
will improve with alcohol. Unfortunately, many people are unable to have alcohol in their lives
and handle it appropriately, and end up with substance abuse problems or alcoholism. Anyone
who has ever had any experience with the life of an alcoholic knows firsthand that it is not a
glamorous life. Adolescents struggle with addictions that exacerbate emotional issues. I believe
mindfulness can teach children at an early age that denying pain and using substances to escape
their pain only creates more suffering. Mindfulness teaches that facing painful issues is the way
to get past them, and to look to other “solutions” is only a temporary relief, if it is a relief at all.
Different religions teach many wonderful ways in which to cope with life’s problems, but
there can also be difficult beliefs and judgments around suicide that make it even harder for the
individual or family to cope. In her book, An Eclipse of the Soul: A Christian Resource on
Dealing with Suicide, Helen Kooiman Hosier (2005) wrote
The Christian view of suicide is that it is a serious sin against God. According to the
Bible, suicide is murder; it is always wrong. Serious doubts should be raised about the
genuineness of faith of anyone who claimed to be a Christian yet committed suicide.
There is no circumstance that can justify someone, especially a Christian, taking his/her
own life. Christians are called to live their lives for God, and the decision on when to die
is God’s and God’s alone. However, the Bible does also say that the moment we truly
believe in Christ, we are guaranteed eternal life (John 3:16). (p. 44)
Many religions see suicide as a sin and there is much judgment about an individual who

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would consider suicide. Although the aim might be to try to help prevent suicide by making it a
sin, it also might add to the feelings of unworthiness experienced by an individual in distress. It
is just one more important area of life that condemns an innocent person and passes judgment.
As it is not within the scope of this paper to identify different religions’ views on suicide, this is
just one small example of their influence.
I would also like to briefly talk about the absence of ritual around coming of age in our
society. I believe that rituals can help us identify who we are, both as individuals and within the
family. Rituals, in whatever form, can provide something constant, stable and secure in a
confusing world. Rituals can help us make life cycle transitions and create awareness into a new
stage of life. Although there are still some customs around the time a child is experiencing
puberty, with the exception of certain religious traditions, such as Bat Mitzvah and Bar Mitzvah
ceremonies in the Jewish tradition, and other organizations such as Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts,
the Quinceñera celebration from the Hispanic culture, and so forth, the lack of initiation is also
an issue for our adolescent population. One sign that we do not have enough initiation rites in
adolescence is the formation of gang initiation rituals which are causing much devastation and
violence in our youth. I feel that much guidance is needed during this tender transition. Boys and
girls often feel awkward about the changes that are occurring in their bodies; changes that can
now be witnessed by the outside. The way adolescents view themselves depends upon the way
society views them. Often in our society, I feel that teens are ostracized and made to feel
awkward. Parents can become frightened of their children during this stage, not because they do
not love them, but because they do not know how to effectively communicate with them. This is
not necessarily the case in other societies where ritual marks this period of time and gives the
family a way in which to acknowledge the changing roles. Karen Liptak (1994) conducted much

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research on coming-of-age ceremonies and rituals in different societies and explained in her
book, Coming of Age,
Rituals give children—known as initiates—a new adult identity in their group. They
help to protect the initiates and prepare them for the future, as well as to emphasize the
importance of the event for the future contributions initiates will be expected to make
to their society. (p. 13)
There are ceremonies for both girls and boys that may help them to discover ways in
which to celebrate their gender as well as the opposite gender. Not all of the ways in which
children may be initiated into the adult world are healthy, as in early marriage and pregnancy, or
clitoral circumcision, but most ceremonies celebrate the positive changes in puberty, which can
be a relief for the mystified youth. In many African tribes, as well as other societies, girls are
introduced to their womanhood with the concept that menstruation is a special gift, one of their
most joyous occasions (Liptak, 1994). Girls are taken into seclusion with other women who
teach them about fertility and the blessings of life. Men in these societies acknowledge a
woman’s power and respect menstruation as an important aspect of regeneration and survival.
Men are also initiated into their changing roles and women acknowledge what is powerful for
themselves and the men in their community. We can compare our society where we call
menstruation “the curse” and men make fun of women with PMS, and so forth. Women often do
not feel comfortable with their own bodies, and are frightened of the sexual attractions that they
feel. Men are often conditioned in ways that make it difficult for them to acknowledge their
feelings and they often shut down their emotional lives as a result.
Many rituals include adults and elders which is important. Ceremonies where each
generation has a purpose might be healthier and make it easier for the different generations to
communicate. Liptak (1994) warned in her book,
The extended period of rebellious and moody adolescence depicted in the American
media differs greatly from the brief adolescence of many tribal cultures where a powerful

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rite of passage bridges the gap between childhood and adulthood in a matter of days or
months. (p. 102)
Liptak (1994) pointed out that
United States society keeps adolescents at a crossroad for some time, lacking both the
protection given to minors and the rights accorded to adults. Adolescents are often left on
their own to work out their conflicts with adults and at the same time to come to terms
with their own physical, emotional, social, and intellectual growth. Without any
significant puberty rites, adolescents generally struggle on their own or with their peers to
attain the new status that they want. Some sociologists think that joining a gang is how an
alarming number of today’s adolescents, particularly inner city males, come closest to
participating in an initiation experience. (p. 104)
From my own experience with my children, I have to say that I felt somewhat awkward
through this time of change in their lives. I noticed that no matter how much I wanted to initiate
and celebrate my own daughter when she started her period at age 12 years in sixth grade, it felt
uncomfortable for her. I admit that I was also unprepared, having had no prior experience with
this transition in my own childhood or with another daughter. I did talk to her about it being a
privilege and that it meant that she was now able to become a mother. We did go for a special
outing that day, but she was not very comfortable having me discuss much about her actual
menstruation. With my three boys, I definitely noticed that they began to be uncomfortable
around me in ways that I expected in our culture, but was not emotionally prepared for. I would
say that they each started to feel like they needed more distance from me. Where before they had
talked easily with me and shared their lives, now they were becoming more secretive and remote.
I distinctly remember thinking that, “OK, this is normal,” but then also realizing that it was
“normal” for our culture and how different it might be for adolescents elsewhere. Maybe in other
cultures it is not “normal” for children to become embarrassed by their parents and feel such a
discrepancy with communication and understanding. Maybe the tools they provide for their
youth when they come of age incorporate a greater reverence and acknowledgement for where
they are developmentally. Perhaps this allows for better communication, a more comfortable

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relationship, and greater respect between youth and adolescents and their parents and elders.
I have touched on some of the issues that teens face and how our community addresses
them. There are many other factors and cultural conditions that play into the dynamics of
problems that children and teens are facing. I do not want to paint a completely negative picture,
as there are many organizations doing incredible work with youth, as described earlier, groups
which are bringing awareness to many of the issues plaguing our society. However, much of this
work is being done outside of the school day or added in as an additional assembly or after-
school class. While this is good, it is not nearly enough. Conscious parents and school
administrators need to give special attention in children’s everyday life. Learning skills to
promote a healthy and well-balanced life must be taken seriously and must be incorporated into
the lessons that children need on a daily basis.

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Chapter 6: Mindfulness Intervention as a Preventive Measure
What is mindfulness? The practice of mindfulness has been described for centuries by
various people, but the meaning behind the practice has remained the same. As David Richo
(2010) explained in his book, Shadow Dance,
Mindfulness is a meditation practice that brings our attention to our breathing in the here
and now and away from our mind’s inveterate habit of entertaining us with fears, desires,
expectations, evaluations, and so on. The word mindfulness is a poetic irony, since the
practice is mind emptying, not mind filling. (p. 157)
By learning to pay attention on purpose, one can also learn to be in the present moment and
remain nonjudgmental to the unfolding experience one is having. Mindfulness helps individuals
to see their problems for what they are, and brings them closer to their innate skill of intuitive
knowing.
I saw the Dalai Lama speak at Stanford University on October 14, 2010. I had just begun
to think about what I wanted to write my thesis about. The talk was called, “The Centrality of
Compassion in Human Life and Society.” The Dalai Lama was speaking with James R. Doty,
M.D., a Clinical Professor of Neurosurgery at Stanford and Director for the Center for
Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE). He spoke about a course at
Stanford called the Compassion Training Class, the course was designed to help people develop
the qualities of compassion, empathy, and kindness for oneself and others. Traditional
contemplative practices are integrated with contemporary psychology and scientific research. I
listened in the large auditorium as the renowned Tibetan spiritual leader, Nobel laureate, and
author of many instructive books on ethics, world peace, and happiness spoke about the
importance of taking a class in college and graduate school in order to learn compassion. As I
thought about learning this as an adult, I realized how hard it is to change our habitual thinking
and how it would help if we were taught more about this earlier in our lives. It did, however, give

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me hope that I was thinking along the lines of something that we never thought about going to
school for; learning kindness, especially kindness directed toward ourselves. We can learn
kindness for others and learn self-directed kindness.
The question arises, how can mindfulness help a teenager who is struggling with his or
her daily life? What is happening in our culture that children, who seemingly “have everything,”
are slipping under the radar of all who know them and committing suicide? Often families and
friends are baffled and say that they did not see signs. It is hard to imagine how a child hides this
kind of despair; the isolation they feel must be extremely painful. Meditation practice provides
the benefit of learning to see that people are not separate from one another and helps us to
experience a non-dual awareness.
In the research reported by Christine Burke (2009) in her paper, “Mindfulness-Based
Approaches with Children and Adolescents: A Preliminary Review of Current Research in an
Emergent Field,” findings showed that MBSR used as an intervention for children and
adolescents was acceptable and well tolerated. There were significant improvements in executive
functioning (social skills and temperament) in preschool aged children. In elementary school
aged children, mindfulness classes for both parents and children showed that there was
improvement in compliance in the behavior of children with attention deficit hyperactivity
disorders. The studies done on children at this age with anxiety symptoms had a small sample
size and no control group, so the findings could not be generalized outside the study participants;
however, the results did suggest that the intervention was acceptable to the children and “the
program may hold promise in overall treatment for children presenting with anxiety symptoms”
(Burke, 2009, p. 139). Clinical samples for adolescents also had difficulties with small sample
groups, the absence of randomization and control groups, and reliance on self-reported data, but

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over all, the studies did show that teens did benefit from the mindfulness-based interventions and
showed significant improvement in self-reported measures of “perceived stress, anxiety, and
several psychopathological symptoms. Clinical measures of mental health, made by clinicians
blind to treatment conditions showed significant improvement in the treatment group” (Burke,
2009, p. 141).
In a clinical trial designed to assess the effect of a MBSR program for adolescents
(Biegel, Brown, Shapiro, & Schubert, 2009), the findings showed that MBSR is effective for
treating adolescents in the same way that studies have shown MBSR to be valuable for adults—
there were reductions in self-reported psychological symptoms.
It has been shown in clinical reports that mindfulness techniques can be effective in
treating anxiety symptoms in school-age children (Goodman, 2005; Greco, Blackledge, Coyne,
& Ehrenreich, 2005). In the book, Acceptance and Mindfulness Treatments for Children and
Adolescents: A Practitioner's Guide, Randye Semple and Jennifer Lee (2008) explained that
“many of us believe that to be happy, we must avoid unpleasant experiences” (p. 65). As
individuals attempt to avoid the unpleasant, they are chronically unsuccessful and create deeper
levels of unhappiness. Soon the uncomfortable feelings become too much to bear and rear their
heads in dysfunctional ways. Mindfulness allows for all experience to be accepted and tolerated.
If there are problems that are difficult to face or to manage, there is nothing wrong with receiving
help. It does not mean that there is something wrong with the individual, and it is nothing to be
ashamed of.
In the current culture, there seem to be many avenues for help, but there still exists a
stigma around mental health counseling. This stigma makes it difficult for children and teens to
obtain guidance without feeling self-conscious, or feeling a sense of inadequacy and shame.

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Counseling is often expensive and can be difficult to work into an already tightly packed
schedule. Even the counseling service that is provided at school can be difficult for students to
use, because they may feel embarrassed or have difficulty fitting it into the school day, as noted
above. Mindfulness does not take the place of professional help or medication, if needed, but can
be a simple tool to access when needed in times of stress and difficulty.
The lives of children and teens today are packed with activities. The school day starts
early and students typically leave school around 3:00 p.m. Often, they have after school
activities, which may include sports, music lessons, tutoring, or other enrichment classes. They
return home to have dinner, sometimes later. Usually there is at least an hour or two of
homework. This cycle repeats every day, for many years. By the time the child reaches high
school, the stakes are higher. Grades matter more and homework increases. There is more
competition in sports, music, dance, and just about everything that they are involved in. The talk
of college increases. Many high school students are seeing career counselors to help them with
college admissions. Students also have the additional studying for SAT Test and are taking
preparation classes outside of the school day. Extracurricular activities matter and many people
believe that their child should do community work and charity along with all the other activities.
It does not feel natural in the current culture to take time for reflection or quiet introspection. In
the current culture, the consensus of concern appears to be all about “doing” and is not
comfortable with “being.” Individuals are constantly striving to finish the impossible task of
completing their “to-do” list. Taking the time to cultivate an inner life can be seen as selfish or
self-centered. Do we not want to center ourselves?
When I spoke with Roni Gillenson of ACS, her thoughts on mindfulness included in
education were:

60
There are many components of what makes up good health and to make a more well-
rounded young person. Stress reduction . . . if it was molded into the curriculum would be
a good thing. And I think there are ways to do that. You’re really talking about slowing
down, getting present, checking in with yourself, and being more productive. It’s a lot to
ask but I think about this, especially when I was at Gunn High School, which is a very
academic environment. I remember wondering what they can do, how can they make it a
less stressful environment and cut stress? But then there’s this competition about getting
into college, Stanford or Harvard and then becoming a professional. Where does it end
and where does it begin? The kids are getting the pressure handed down—how do we
affect change at the top? It’s challenging. If you slow kids down, but they feel that they
have to study five hours a night, and all of what they are doing has to go on their resume
. . . how do you address that? (Roni)
I heard the frustration in her voice. She had started out talking about how to decrease
stress by instituting a program in the curriculum, but ended with the very real dilemma that we
are caught in: if children do not jump through hoops to get where they need to go, they will not
succeed. It is an agonizing issue. We can see that we have set the bar very high as to what
determines happiness and success. How indeed do we address the “pressure at the top”?
Most schools do not address the inner life of the child at all. There are many indicators
that children are not coping well with their busy schedules and the drive to succeed. Stress and
burn-out are common among parents, children, and teachers. Looking at the world as though it is
one big competitive game to win eventually takes its toll. In my interview with Gina Biegel,
psychologist and mindfulness instructor for teens, I asked how the suicides in our community
had affected her both personally and professionally. She told me,
Being a young therapist, I remember my high school years to be not as difficult as what
teenagers are facing today. I believe that individuals that I see are not given sufficient
tools and are using negative coping strategies because they haven’t learned positive
strategies.
The clients that I see come from all kinds of different economic status and there
are stressors on both ends of the continuum. There is no way to determine the factors or
the type of client that might have suicidal ideation. Both ends of the spectrum are dealing
with issues that may cause them to have thoughts of suicide. (Gina)
People are missing out on experiencing the joy that can be found in the present moment
by always rushing to the next situation to master or the next goal to complete. There is nothing

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wrong with having goals or accomplishing important things. There is something wrong with
individuals feeling like they are in constant competition or always comparing themselves to
others. Mindfulness serves to show individuals that they are often living in the past or the future.
People are often reminiscing or regretting something that took place in the past, or they are busy
fantasizing about what they might have in the future. Being brought to the present moment,
listening to the breath, and being intentionally aware, helps to keep the mind from wandering to
some situation that does not really exist. Thoughts can get carried away and carry one off to a
state of despair, even when nothing is actually going wrong. We are not taught about our minds
and the way they function. Meditation involves non-doing, just being with whatever is happening
in the moment, a concept that is very foreign to the Western way of thinking.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is another form of mindfulness that teaches coping
and social skills and is effective in “treating both youth and adults struggling with self-harm,
suicide, suicidal ideations, non-suicidal self-injurious behaviors, depression, anxiety, post
traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder, chemical dependency, eating disorders, anger,
relationships, and even low self esteem” (Christensen, Riddoch, & Huber, 2009, p. 3). In the
book, Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills, 101 Mindfulness Exercises and Other Activities for
Children and Adolescents, authors Christensen, Riddoch, and Huber (2009) discussed what they
call “Core Mindfulness”—a combination of reasonable mind and emotion mind, which together
equal wise mind. They noted that reasonable mind is when “your school brain is in control”
(Christensen, Riddoch, & Huber, 2009, p. 9) and emotion mind is when “your heart is in control
(emotions)” (p. 9); wise mind is a combination of harmony of heart and mind. Wise mind is what
we are striving for.
In his paper, “Dialectical Behavior Therapy: A New Treatment Approach for Suicidal

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Adolescents,” Alec Miller (1999) wrote that
DBT conceptualizes parasuicidal behaviors as having severe potential functions,
including affect-regulating and help-eliciting behavior from an otherwise invalidating
environment. From this perspective, parasuicidal behaviors are considered maladaptive
solutions to overwhelming, intensely painful negative emotions. (p. 414)
The primary focus of DBT is the emphasis on balancing change and acceptance—two of the
prime teachings of a mindfulness practice. Because high-risk youth have the highest risk for
treatment failure, reaching these children at school may be more realistic way to reach them,
rather than expecting them to finish a treatment program that is outside of the school day. Most
adolescents must attend school, but not many will have the opportunity to get outside help.
Tobin Hart (2004), the author of Opening the Contemplative Mind in the Classroom,
noted that contemplation is a third way of knowing that complements the rational and the
sensory. He noted the call for contemplation in education curricula from elementary to university
levels. Hart pointed out that many of the world’s wisdom traditions have offered different forms
of contemplation, from meditation to yoga, contemplative prayer, and metaphysical reflection
that lead to deeper awareness by interrupting habitual thought patterns. Western culture has
shifted away from these forms of knowing and learning due to our tendency to value scientific
discoveries and what science deems as “logical.”
I believe that teaching contemplative methods is the missing link in our public school
curricula, but more importantly, in the school of life—which we are all attending on a daily
basis. Hart’s work explored ways in which contemplative practices can be introduced to
contemporary education. He made the point that “deep encounters with knowledge and with one
another have the potential to transform the learner and the process of learning” (Hart, 2004,
p. 30). He maintained, “When a student comes into emotional intimacy with what they are
exploring, interest and therefore motivation are enhanced” (Hart, 2004, p. 33).

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To conclude his article, Hart (2004) reminded that,
bringing contemplative practice to the classroom is not exactly bringing something new
to children. Children—young children especially—are natural contemplatives. They
ponder big questions, they daydream, they fall in wonder with nature, they reflect on their
own existence and find silence in their “special spot,” perhaps under the arms of an old
tree. However, the demands for constant activity, the habit of electronic stimulation, and
the production orientation of modern society make it very difficult to keep the
contemplative alive, leaving children (and teachers) unbalanced in their ways of knowing
and often losing touch with the inner landscape. (p. 43)
My paper does not focus on teachers, but of course teachers would need an education
themselves in order for the philosophy of mindfulness to be implemented in school programs.
Teaching is a very rewarding profession but it is often exhausting, demanding, and stressful.
There are organizations such as Cultivating Awareness and Resilience in Education (CARE) for
Teachers. This program helps serve teachers so that they can lessen their own stress and enliven
their teaching methods. On the CARE website is written:
Cutting-edge neuroscience confirms that practicing mindfulness facilitates awareness and
self-regulation and develops the capacity for a calm, focused mind—a mind with the
openness, responsiveness and sensitivity for optimal teaching, guiding, and learning. For
teachers, these resources can provide the inner strength to be powerfully present and
emotionally responsive. As a result, teachers become effective guides, and influential
models of healthy social and emotional behavior. (Garrison Institute, n.d., para. 2)
The benefits are fairly obvious to both teaching professionals and students.
Cheri Huber told me,
People who commit suicide are not being successful in society. So, having an alternative
way to relate and access different information might be exactly what they’re looking for.
And then, mindfulness training would light them up like rockets. I work with a lot of
people. Throughout the Sangha and over time, a lot of folks who get to, say, their 20s,
30s, and 40s are turning to awareness practice as kind of a last ditch, “If this doesn’t
work, I’m going to kill myself.” (Cheri)
Which is exactly where I was; and I suppose that is why they find me. We do have people in the
Sangha with teenage children who are exactly where you described. All of a sudden this happens
and, “Oh my God,” you know, “I thought my child was well adjusted, popular, doing just fine.”

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Now the whole family is plunged into this reign of terror, never knowing what day something
tragic might happen. What happened to me is that I looked around and thought to myself, as
many young people do,
This is ridiculous. My parents are ridiculous. The messages I’m getting are ridiculous.
Can’t you see that you are living joyless lives that you don’t want to live, in order to
make a lot of money and what . . . you want me to do that? (Cheri)
Some of those kids, of course, their parents are hysterical if they do not get into the right
preschool, this is true, right? My child is going to be behind, and Harvard is not in the future, and
when you put those two factors together, you know, you’re expecting a child to value what no
child has ever valued, as far as I know, which is worldly success, making a lot of money, being
famous, you know, definitions of success that a child cannot even relate to; and yet, they are
children. So, they are going to try to please as much as possible until they get to the point where
it becomes obvious that pleasing is not going to work. They just simply cannot do it. They
cannot meet the standard, which is what happens with a lot of kids when they hit puberty. It is
just like, “Okay, I give up,” you know? So, I suspect that a great deal of the difficulty these kids
are running into is that nobody’s really interested in them.”
I believe that people can be taught to be present and to begin to understand thoughts and
emotions as temporary states. Of course, this type of learning does not apply in extreme cases of
mental illness, but many people who feel despondent do not feel that way because they are
mentally ill; rather, they are identifying with negative thought patterns, so much so that they
believe the thoughts to be reality. People are not taught to watch their thoughts as a witness and
be able to separate their Selves from the thoughts and emotions. Depression can pull one down
into a vicious spiral and one may find oneself in utter despair with thoughts of self-harm. In his
book, The Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle (1999) noted that

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while a thought is in your head, an emotion has a strong physical component and so is
primarily felt in the body. You can then allow the emotion to be there without being
controlled by it. You no longer are the emotion; you are the watcher, the observing
presence. (p. 27)
The four insights of mindfulness are described by Susan Kaiser Greenland (2010) in her
book, The Mindful Child. Greenland illustrated such simple yet profound insights as: life has its
ups and its downs, delusion makes life harder than it needs to be, happiness is within reach, and
the key to happiness is accepting the present moment (pp. 28-32).
Mindfulness can allow for a broader perspective, enabling children and teens to see a
bigger picture and respond in a skillful way, without getting lost in the turmoil of emotion. It
seems that mindfulness can be a very important and vital tool. Contrary to many other
approaches to helping people deal with stress, mindfulness does not ask that a person change.
Mindfulness is about acknowledging what is already happening. People become aware of
whatever they are sensing, both internally and externally; whatever they are thinking, and
whatever they are feeling. People can learn to include the mind-body-spirit, which can positively
influence their health and wellbeing.
Greenland (2010) offered many different ideas and practices for working with young
children to teens in the classroom and at home. She taught her own children and school children
mindfulness techniques and has seen the benefits. As one reviewer of her book wrote:
Susan Kaiser Greenland emphasizes directly changing the inside rather than encouraging
the inside change from all that seeps in from the outside. This unique author delves into
the heart of developing character and coping skills that enable children to resolutely and
effectively handle difficult situations through a more relaxed self-awareness. (Cline,
2012, Review, p. 10)
As children approach adolescence, the innocence of childhood starts to change and self-
consciousness starts to develop. Along with changing bodies, hormones, and appearances,
thought processes also change and develop. Outside pressures often increase. Often, to maintain

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dignity and control, people learn to hide their difficulties, loss, and suffering and pretend that
they are immune to tough times. But the difficult feelings that people have only worsen when
they try to ignore or deny or avoid them. Jack Kornfield (2011) pointed out in his beautiful book,
A Lamp in the Darkness, there is wisdom in our difficulties. Kornfield advised that one is never
alone and life is difficult for everyone. The journey to healing comes when we acknowledge our
feelings and learn to work with them. Kornfield teaches mindfulness as a way to awaken an inner
knowing. He said,
This knowing presence is consciousness itself, present in every moment of your life, even
when it feels far away from you. Even in the toughest times of illness and loss, in your
deepest depressions and grief, underneath even your most catastrophic challenges and
fears, the one who knows in you remains calm and clear. It already accepts whatever is
going on. It sees beyond the immediate situation to something much larger. (Kornfield,
2011, p. 5)
If children could be taught to trust their own source of power and inner guidance, they
could build their faith in their own inner strength to carry them through the difficult times. By
learning how to tap into this source, children and adolescents would find ways to trust in their
own resilience and could find inner strength in challenging times. Mindfulness gently teaches
that by becoming aware of feelings, we begin to discover that our feelings are not who we are;
we are not our emotions. By bringing mindfulness to our emotions, we see that the emotions
themselves are not the problem, the problem is our relationship to them.
I attended a talk given by Jack Kornfield in March, 2012, at Kepler’s Book Store in
Menlo Park, California. Kornfield (2011), was there to discuss his new book, Bringing Home the
Dharma, which helps people see that mindfulness practice is not something separate from our
everyday lives. In fact, the ups and downs of our daily life are opportunities for practice. That
night, Kornfield started the talk with a story about his own life. He said that when he left
Dartmouth, he felt that a lot had been left out of his education and that he felt that he had only

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gotten one-half of the education that he really needed. Growing up with an abusive father, he
“didn’t learn about healing, compassion, or forgiveness” (J. Kornfield, personal communication,
March 7, 2012). At the end of his talk, I raised my hand to ask him if he would speak about
mindfulness in education. He asked me why I asked and I told him that I was writing a paper on
it and that I believed that it was a necessary tool for children to learn. He said, “To serve the
hearts and bodies of our children will serve our entire society” (J. Kornfield, personal
communication, March 7, 2012). On the last page of his book is a blessing from Kornfield
(2011) that reads, “May the blessings of these practices awaken your inner wisdom and inspire
your compassion. And through the blessing of your heart may the world find peace” (p. 274).
The way we “do school” now is to deny that children and adolescents have an inner life
with challenges and difficulties. We seem to think that it will work to deal with the suffering
when there is a crisis situation. I believe that it is too late to wait until there are signs of
depression to give children the tools to help them deal with their problems. If mindfulness and its
teachings can show children how to get through their difficult emotions, mindfulness is a lesson
that cannot start early enough to help children navigate through the stages of their lives. I believe
that if we were able to incorporate this type of thinking into the school day, children would
develop better concentration skills, deal with their peers and relationships with greater ease and
confidence, feel less isolated and alone, and find strength in the fact that they are not alone and
that they can face their pain and their fears.
Cheri Huber spoke to me about what she saw as the dilemma with teenagers with whom
she has had experience:
Teenagers see adults as lacking integrity, hypocritical, and phony. And most parents, you
know, if we were honest, we would raise our hands and say, “Yeah, that’s true. I’m
asking you to be ways that I am not. I’m asking you to meet standards that I don’t meet.”
And when you’re a teenager with that acute sense of self-consciousness and awareness

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that is expanded from a child’s awareness, and you combine the sense of power that
comes with that expanded awareness, that’s the first time a parent gets approached with
four letter words. And, they’re just stunned and ask, “Where is my sweet baby? Who is
this person?” And so, all that internal stuff and trying to make peace with who they are
within themselves with absolutely no ability to comprehend it, and then having these
external standards and this very conditional, what feels like extremely conditional love
and acceptance coming at them. (Cheri)
She went on to say,
There’s a lot of intensity and suffering going on. The kids that do continue, and an awful
lot of people that I work with make it clear that they hate their parents. And then, maybe
make peace with that in their 40s, 50s, and 60s, often not until their parents are dead.
(Cheri)
Sadly, I knew what she was speaking about. I loved my parents very much but it took me
many years to begin to unravel the damage of a verbally abusive father. My dad was often out of
control during my childhood. My mother, sister, and I walked on egg shells, never knowing
when we might be bombarded by his temper. I would get backed into a corner while he raged,
screaming in my face, spewing saliva, and looking down from his towering 6’4” position. I once
had an out-of body experience that I remember vividly to this day during a time that I felt
trapped by his screaming presence. Recalling this event leads me to think that it might have been
my first experience of deep meditation, realizing that I could “step away” from my sad and angry
thoughts.
When my sister and I were in high school, my dad told us that he had been diagnosed
with a mental illness called manic depression. I remember that moment as a turning point. Not
only was my dad humble and rather open, for one of the first times that I could recall, but it was
such a sense of relief to finally just talk about it. It also gave us some important information that
explained things. Although I had known from a very young age that something was wrong, it
was not until it was acknowledged by my dad and a doctor that it helped give some relief of
explanation. I think it gave me a chance to feel, however subconscious it was at that time, that

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my father’s pain and our family dysfunction was not my fault.
Another part of this turning point was that I developed great compassion for him as I
realized that he was not entirely responsible for his behavior. This was helpful as it made me feel
compassion for him rather than anger. I also began to realize that he had never gotten what he
needed in his own childhood. Relating to my dad from this standpoint produced feelings of
empathy and unity. He was raised in a wealthy suburb of Chicago with parents who were trying
to “keep up with the Joneses.” They were emotionally unavailable and judgmental. They did not
seem to be able to be present for him and his emotional needs were neither met nor understood.
The fact that my dad never did make peace with his parents, and that I never really got to know
them, was testimony to the distance he had felt as a child.
It brings me great sadness and shame to write about my dad even now, and I am in my
fifties. At the same time that I feel immense pity for my poor dad, who never got the attention
and emotional support he needed as a child, I also know that my childhood and young adulthood
were plagued with feelings of insecurity and unworthiness. I did not seek help until after I
returned home from college and was working to see a psychologist. Therapy was very helpful for
me, but when I discovered mindfulness in my forties, it really made sense of everything and
really helped me heal.
What I realize now is that had someone attempted to give me some framework for
dealing with the emotional duress that I was suffering as a child, I might have been saved many
years of pain and anguish. To have someone even speak to it would have been a relief from the
silence and the attitude that I should just carry on, do what I needed to do, and suffer in solitude.
Not only suffer in silence, but pretend that I was not suffering. Act as if our family was “just
fine” and I was fine and that there was nothing wrong. Instead, I internalized much of it, always

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thinking that there must be something lacking in my own self, and that there must be something
wrong with me. I also believed that if I could just do enough for my parents, I could help change
things. I believe that both my sister and I felt that we needed to care for our parents’ emotional
needs. However, we were powerless to make the necessary changes to make our family “happy.”
We were not equipped with any of the tools needed to make sense of the chaos that ensued in our
family home. The feeling of being responsible is common amongst children of abusive or
alcoholic parents.
In my interview with Cheri Huber, she also explained,
Parents need to be real, take responsibility, show kids how to deal with what’s going on
with them instead of ‘I’ve got to look perfect for the children and tell them how they
should be.’ And kids are watching parents, thinking, ‘You’re full of crap.’ If parents
would show their inner workings, children would be free to express what goes on with
them, because what goes on with you is fine and you’re still OK. Show that if you have a
temper, it doesn’t make you a horrible person, but if you act out and you’re a jerk, be a
big enough person to apologize. (Cheri)
She also said,
I hold that there are two forces operating in the world. There is the dark room and the
light room. And that force of egocentric karmic conditioning self-hate is real. That’s what
people are up against. The message that there’s nothing wrong with you is never going to
be popular because on every level, it doesn’t sell products. It doesn’t make drama. It
doesn’t accomplish any of the things that our society is about. So, you know, drug
companies are not going to give that message. Insurance companies are not going to give
that message. The medical establishment is not going to give that message. You know,
“There’s something wrong with you” drives an egocentric culture. (Cheri)
Gina Biegel concurred with Cheri Huber in our interview, saying,
We often exhibit behaviors that do not address the behaviors we are asking children to
emulate. We need to take care of ourselves and then take care of children. I have
recommendations on my blog on www.mindful.org for schools in how they handle
suicide. (Gina)
I asked Gina how the suicides in our community had affected her both personally and
professionally. She told me,

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Being a young therapist, I remember my high school years to be not as difficult as
what teenagers are facing today. I believe that individuals that I see are not given
sufficient tools and are using negative coping strategies because they haven’t learned
positive strategies.
The clients that I see come from all kinds of different economic status and there
are stressors on both ends of the continuum. There is no way to determine the factors or
the type of client that might have suicidal ideation. Both ends of the spectrum are dealing
with issues that may cause them to have thoughts of suicide. We need to keep the teens
on track—that’s an interesting word choice when you realize what has happened in our
community and that teens have committed suicide on the train tracks. (Gina)
Huber did have some concerns about instituting mindfulness into the mainstream for
children. She said,
My concern with mindfulness is that it’s adults doing stuff to kids. I’m not sure that the
result is going to be anything they want, because having children who can pay better
attention, who are more aware and present, and what they’re more aware and present to is
unconscious adults, might not take us where we think it’s going to take us. When a parent
asks me, “what can I do with my children” and what I say is, “transform your life,
because they’re going to be who you are. And so, if you want them to be different,
you’ve got to be different. (Cheri)
I have great respect for Cheri Huber, but I would hope that an adult’s goal could be two-
fold, both teaching children mindfulness and changing their own behavior and I would hope that
as adults begin to pay more attention, especially in educating children to pay attention, both
would transform their lives. Cheri spoke to this more by saying,
My recording and listening practice [this is a process where people record their own
voice and listen to the “mentor” within speak] is the first thing that I have encountered
that I have actually wanted to do with children, because I think it has the best potential
for them not to lose themselves in the insanity. If children could realize they have a
guiding wisdom inside that they could turn to when they’re confused or upset, or
whatever, I think that this has potential. What you’re seeing through teen suicide is that
parents, teachers, but especially parents, could benefit from a mindfulness practice.
Parents are desperate for the combination of stress reduction and presence. Minimizing
family dysfunction. Reflective listening is the greatest mindfulness practice in the world.
Who you are inherently is what you have to offer the world. You’re not meant to be like
anybody else. You are your own contribution. What is that? You want to grow that, not
what somebody else is doing. Mindfulness is something that could be a tremendous
benefit to children in middle school and then into the teen years. Could it benefit? Yes,
absolutely! (Cheri)

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Chapter 7: Absence of the Divine Feminine
Earlier in my paper, I discussed the absence of the Divine Feminine in our Western
world. As I have conducted my research, all of my readings lead me back to this missing link. I
try to open my perspective and ponder the reasons why our society seems to be struggling in so
many ways. We are sporadically and often involved in war; we have a huge homeless
population; we have people who do not have enough to eat; our planet is suffering and pollution
is on the rise; medical care and health insurance to cover it are often absent for the
underprivileged and difficult for almost everyone to negotiate; we are not taking proper care of
our elderly; we have an epidemic of depression, family dysfunction, high divorce rates, and
teenagers committing suicide. Suicide is not just a personal tragedy, it is a social tragedy, a sign
that society as a whole is unwell and unbalanced.
Eknath Easwaran (1988, 1990, 2005), is known for passage meditation and is considered
to be an authentic guide to learning mindfulness. Passage meditation is a method of meditation
taught by Easwaran that involves slow, sustained attention on the words of inspired passages
chosen from wisdom literature of the world. The passages do not belong to any creed or dogma.
It can be followed in any religion or in none. Easwaran (2008) wrote in the Preface of Passage
Meditation, “Passage meditation belongs to no movement, asks for no change of beliefs, it
simply allows you to take the ideals you respond to and gradually, gracefully, make them part of
your life” (p. 8). He was born in Kerala, India, a matrilineal society, and has given credit to his
grandmother for being his spiritual teacher. His grandmother taught him through her example
that his spiritual life was to be practiced and lived out each day in the midst of family and
community. Easwaran had unique opportunities in his life for education and completed college
and graduate school in India as a young man. He eventually came to the United States on a

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Fulbright scholarship and began to give talks about his belief in meditation. He eventually
taught the first credited course on meditation at a major university, at the University of California
at Berkeley in 1968.
At some point in my own quest for healing, I discovered the books written by Easwaran,
and I fell in love with his teachings. I loved that he was taught by a Divine Feminine presence
through the wisdom of his grandmother, who had learned from her mother, and was raised in a
matrilineal society. I feel that it gave him his well-rounded approach to his teachings that
acknowledge the strength and nurturing capabilities of the feminine and also incorporate the
knowledge from many great spiritual and philosophical teachers and traditions.
As a young man, Easwaran met Gandhi and was influenced by his teachings. The death
of his grandmother and the assassination of Gandhi occurred in the same year, and he was
devastated by these events. His grief during this painful time in his own life led him to turn
inward. During this period, he realized the importance of turning to his inner life and discovering
how to train his mind so that he could manage his personal suffering. Because of, and not in spite
of his profound sadness and confusion, he turned to meditation and became one of the great
spiritual teachers of modern time.
The reason that I speak of Easwaran is because his work continues to inspire and ground
me. His wise counsel has given me a sense of peace and a way to truly trust and honor
mindfulness as a valuable tool for the dark and painful times in our lives. Rather than seeking
solace in ways to mask the pain or hide from it, it is an invitation to travel within and discover
our own wisdom.
When I came to the Women’s Spirituality Masters of Arts Program at the Institute of
Transpersonal Psychology (ITP), I was interested in learning more about consciousness and what

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it meant. I wondered how I could travel deeper into my own spiritual quest. My desires to
understand what my search meant to me, were also directed in how to better raise my children,
how to understand the lessons that my marriage was handing to me, and how better to take my
work out in the world with others, whatever that is meant to be at this point in my life. I hoped
that by attending this program I would learn more about the fundamental issues around the loss
of the Divine Feminine and the institution of the patriarchal system. I hoped that in
understanding those issues, I could better understand myself. Serving others has been my life
work as a nurse, as a mother, mothering others’ children as well as my own, as a hospice
volunteer, and community member. However, unless I can fully accept and understand myself, I
cannot serve anyone else with the authenticity I desire.
In looking for serendipitous and other meaningful learning experiences at ITP, I
discovered the work of Dianne Jenett (2005), author of A Million “Shaktis” Rising: Pongala, a
Women's Festival in Kerala, India. Dr. Jenett was Co-Director of the WSMA at ITP at the time,
and as of this writing, continues to be Executive Core Faculty. A strong proponent of women-
centered research, Jenett has co-designed and taught many of the program’s classes. A major
portion of her life’s work has been to research and participate in an amazing ritual called
Pongala, which coincidentally takes place each year in Kerala, India. Over a million women are
drawn to the festival in Kerala at which they perform a ritual to the Goddess, Attukal Amma
(Mother). In Jenett’s (2005) fascinating account of this ritual, she interviewed 29 diverse women.
Her interviews with them revealed to her that “they believed the ritual to be empowering for
themselves and that their offering was necessary to increase the power (shakti) of the Goddess
and her capacity to help all her devotees” (Jenett, 2005, p. 37). The Goddess is not seen as a
biological mother, but embodies the values of the Divine Feminine, such as interdependence and

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unity. In the interviews that Jenett (2005) conducted, she found her approach to “reflect the
communal and cooperative nature of the Pongola and the Goddess that it affirms” (p. 46).
I found Jenett’s (2005) work to be a potent example of bringing the qualities of the
goddess and Divine Feminine to conscious awareness. This awareness can be seen through the
words of the women who were interviewed and expressed their belief that communal equality
and justice can be increased. In a culture that has seen all kinds of difficulties in equality for all,
such as the caste system, the devotion to the qualities of the goddess have made a significant
difference in the balance and integrity of their lives. Jenett (2005) wrote,
Now almost all people in Kerala live in nuclear families, but members of matrilineages
strive to keep close family relationships, retaining many of the positive attributes toward
women of the matrilineal system. Female fetuses are not selectively aborted, girls and
boys are equally educated, women inherit with men, and widows do not lose status upon
the death of their husbands. (p. 38)
Jenett (2005) assures us that “for the women themselves, the themes of interdependence, unity,
and equality are uppermost” (p. 46).
Traveling back to the time when the Divine Feminine was more prominent in the world,
evidence of a more egalitarian culture exists. As Carol Flinders (2002) identified in her book,
The Values of Belonging: Rediscovering Balance, Mutuality, Intuition, and Wholeness in a
Competitive World, the values with which earlier egalitarian cultures identified included
“intimate connection with land and animals, balance, affinity for alternative modes of knowing,
inclusiveness, openness to Spirit, and nonviolent conflict resolution” (p.102). She attributed
these values as belonging to our hunter-gatherer predecessors. With the rise of agriculture,
10,000 years ago, these values were displaced. In their place, the values of enterprise were born
as agriculture spread outward. Sadly, the relationship between invention and the desire for
control, came hand in hand.

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The age of Enterprise encouraged control over circumstances; other people, resources,
and territory. Competitiveness drove people to struggle for dominance. People, especially
women, were looked on more as resources than as other human beings belonging to a
species. If connectedness was the central motif of the pre-agricultural world,
fragmentation has defined us ever since. (Flinders, 2002, p. 139)
We are fortunate in the Women’s Spirituality program at ITP to have women who have
dedicated their lives to researching the goddess and the cultures that thrived on her worship. One
of the teachers in the program, Judy Grahn (1993), writes in her book, Blood, Bread, and Roses,
The male tradition has “the way” to sally forth in a straight line, and women (led to a
great extent by feminists) have successfully followed men out of the strangling subjective
matrix of the past. But men’s undeviating path has also led us away from old truths, and
over a cliff, without “the way back.” It is the women’s tradition that holds the memory of
the way back . . . the “ascent of man” cannot be the whole story, for it omits the lessons
of descent, of humility and renewal, and appreciation of the body’s wisdom, nature’s
cycles, and the restrictions and celebrations of r’tu (Sanskrit for any act of magic toward
a purpose). (p. 276)
The current worldview is out of balance. Patriarchy has dominated Western culture and
because of this the nurturing principle of the feminine has been lost. Through the patriarchal
lens, the feminine principle in the world is often viewed though not necessarily valued as the
sustaining and responsive nature that joins the male principle of a more proactive and initiating
character. Patriarchy tends to promote competition and rivalry, and although many advances in
technology and industry have served us well, we continue to witness political and social
behaviors that violate the planet and humanity.
We need to bring back the life-sustaining, creative, compassionate, and wise qualities of
the goddess into everyday life and learning, so that people will be better able to work together to
bring life back into balance. In ancient cultures there were structures and initiation ceremonies
designed to shift lives from the surface level to a deeper consciousness. I feel it is important to
find ways in which to make this shift once again to get us away from being such an achievement-
oriented culture which sets children up to compete from their early education on. Another of my

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favorite spiritual teachers, Eckhart Tolle (1999), wrote in The Power of Now,
Since ancient times, spiritual masters of all traditions have pointed to the Now as the key
to the spiritual dimension. Despite this, it seems to have remained a secret. It is certainly
not taught in churches, temples, or schools. The depth and radical nature of religious
teachings are not recognized. No one seems to realize that they are meant to be lived and
so bring about a profound inner transformation. (pp. 51-52)
I believe that mindfulness allows a person to access the “now.” Mindfulness allows a
person to learn to think in the present moment and to begin to accept life as it is happening,
instead of investing in how he or she can control what is happening, or to reject and escape from
what might be happening. It does seem as though people are keeping this a secret—something
that is only discovered by coming to a point in life where one does not know where to turn. It
seems that people finally seek help only after they have become distraught, feel isolated and
estranged, or are suffering in some way.
Betty DeShong Meador (1992) wrote in Uncursing The Dark,
the goddess archetype is an active force in the psyche, coming to women in dreams,
fantasies, visions, and feelings. This energy is life changing. It will lead women to carve
out new forms for their lives, new channels of expression out in the world of the
twentieth and twenty-first centuries. (p. 64)
An assumption cannot be made that if one half of the population, women, is suffering in a
society, the other half does not suffer as well. Meador (1992) wisely pointed out that
the very woundedness of the girl child within carries knowledge of the divine feminine.
The wound, while it is seriously incapacitating and emotionally painful to the woman
who harbors it, implies a secret loyalty to female instinctuality. The child says through
the wound that it is not right for femaleness to be constrained and despised. The
restriction of the female instinct, self-imposed or culturally imposed, inflames the
childhood injury. (p. 54)
So, our children are adversely affected and wounded by this imbalance in the society and the
psyche. In my interview with Cheri Huber, I asked about this aspect of conditioning. She told
me,
Another aspect that I’ve observed over time is there’s a big difference between males and

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females. We tend to take on a lot of messages as girls that boys are encouraged to blow
off. We have to do whatever it is that we do with how we are because we are meant to
nurture everyone else. Boys are encouraged to go out there and live your life, follow your
dream; you can do anything you want to do. And much as we would like not to think this
any longer, girls are primarily conditioned to be the co-pilot, in the second chair
supporting the star. (Cheri)
Over the last century, science has shown that the universe is fundamentally inseparable
and interconnected. In terms of all of the dysfunction in people’s lives and on the planet, I feel
that we are scrambling around trying to treat the symptoms, and we are not determining why
they are occurring in the first place. Why are people’s mental health and wellness left for
“outside help,” which is often called for during a crisis? Why are not more people invested in
living healthy, balanced lives? Should our education be based solely on the things outside of us,
instead of what lies within? I believe that we should start educating our children as early as
possible about their intrinsic worth. Acquisition of knowledge will follow more naturally when
we feel centered and balanced.
I believe that implementing mindfulness practice in the school day would help bring back
the qualities of the Divine Mother into the consciousness of our society. If children were taught
the values of compassion, nonviolent conflict resolution, openness to alternative ways of
knowing, and the value of inclusiveness instead of competition, I feel that children would begin
to embody the more nurturing aspects of human nature and place a higher importance on them.
Boys and girls alike would benefit from regarding these qualities as important and valuable in
their own lives. Boys have as much to gain as girls in valuing the feminine. In my interview with
Roni Gillenson, she said that an exercise to just slow down and check in with our bodies,
something as simple, yet as profound as that, could be very important. She said,
Therapy is part of that. Being able to have a safe space and create trust in the relationship,
even if it’s just for an hour, we like to have some sort of a touchstone that a client can use
to feel safe. (Roni)

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Chapter 8: Conclusion
I have immersed myself with the topic of suicide and mindfulness for 2 years. I have
learned about community events and services in my community and I have tuned in to the teen
population and some of the difficult issues that teens are facing. I have talked with countless
parents about the stress factors that affect individuals’ and families’ lives. Most of my current
friends have teenagers, either in middle school, high school, or college. With most of the
schooling behind us, I find that most people agree that if we could change anything, we would
address the amount of homework, decrease the activities, and take more time together as a
family. There have been too many hoops to jump through and children have not had enough time
to simply enjoy their youth. They have not had a chance to learn valuable life lessons during
their programmed childhood. The children and teens who have had outside counseling in order to
learn more about their feelings usually have done so because some sort of crisis or family
emergency precipitated it. I believe that mindfulness techniques, taught at a young age and
valued in our society can be a turning point in how we can garner more respect for humanity.
Mindfulness techniques are drawn from Buddhist origins applied in a secular context,
offering universal applications not tied to religious or philosophical traditions.
Mindfulness practice is grounded in particular attitudinal foundations, which include
non-judgment, acceptance, trust, patience, non-striving, curiosity and kindliness.
(Kabat Zinn, 1990, p.13)
Mindfulness teaches people to witness thoughts, sensations and emotions as impermanent
phenomena. This helps to make a shift in relationship with these phenomena where one can
disengage from habitual patterns or mind states and respond more reflectively rather than
reactively. When a teen is depressed it might be possible to learn more by taking a step back and
witnessing the thoughts and feelings that they are experiencing. In learning to take this new
perspective, a person can learn to take a few minutes of time to examine their thoughts and ask
themselves, are these thoughts true? Are they happening now? Then they might be able to take a

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few minutes to step away and realize that it is possible to learn to disengage with negative and
unhelpful thoughts. This is the practice of meditation and mindfulness. It is called practice
because it is very difficult to do, especially at first. With practice, however, it becomes easier to
discern what thoughts are based in reality and which thoughts are not. This can be a very
powerful perspective as it allows people to make a conscious choice about whether or not to take
their thoughts so seriously. While there are some efforts to engage children in mindfulness, there
are very few young people who have been educated in this way.
I was recently asked to talk to the 8th grade students at Hillview Middle School in Menlo
Park, California, about suicide prevention. I was very nervous to speak to the children about this
difficult topic, and hoped that I would be able to impact them and impress upon them how
precious their lives are. I wanted them to know that as an adult, I honor their feelings and the
difficulties that they face. I wanted them to know that suicide is never the answer to their
problems, no matter how drastic things seem. I realized as I looked out over the sea of young
faces just how much I cared about each and every one of them. I wanted so badly to reach out to
them and let them know that there is always someone who can help, and that they are not alone. I
find it daunting to approach children at this point in their lives. For many, it is an awkward and
uncomfortable time, and often there is a sense of distrust for the adults in their lives.
It seems very idealistic to talk about mindfulness as a preventive tool when there are so
many deep-seated problems. Obviously, mindfulness is an additional tool that could be used
along with many other methods of care, including support from family and community, mental
health care, and medication. However, I believe that used in conjunction with other therapies, it
can be a powerful tool to reconnect with our deepest selves, possibly making medication an
option, not a necessity. Mindfulness, as I have said earlier, does have several advantages. It is a

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self-nurturing tool that can easily be taught, not expensive to use, and it can be used anytime and
anywhere. It reminds people they have other dimensions to them besides what the popular
culture would have them believe. It connects people with spirit.
David Tacey (2003), Associate Professor of Arts and Critical Enquiry at La Trobe
University, in Melbourne, Australia, wrote a paper that was presented at the 10th Annual Suicide
Prevention Australia National Conference in Brisbane, Australia. In his paper, he wrote,
When spirit is touched, we value ourselves as instruments of the divine, and no longer
seek to harm ourselves or others once we have glimpsed the mystery. Spirit is the core of
creation and the integrity of all being. When we touch it, we win for ourselves a fragment
of that integrity, and this is enough to carry us through the darkest night and to
companion us through the trials and sufferings of a lifetime. (Tacey, 2003, p. 16)
When people feel disconnected from their authentic nature and are alienated from their
true worth, they cannot be expected to value or love who they are. In such a state, people may
even despise themselves, and harm their bodies because they are full of a self-loathing that they
have kept secret from others, until it bursts forth with devastating consequences. It is as if Tacey
(2003) was conveying the message that the spirit dimension recognizes the human search for
meaning and purpose. Perhaps it is the heart-centered part of oneself where one goes to find
connection and strength in times of stress or crisis, and where one experiences gratitude,
kindness, and compassion, both inwardly and outwardly. Nurturing the human spirit helps people
navigate the challenging twists and turns of life’s path. Relying on a solid value system and
finding an internal source of strength helps people follow a course that keeps them true to
themselves. Therefore, spirit would connect individuals to an inner source of joy and discovery
and steady them as they encounter doubt, fear, disappointment, and sorrow. That inner compass
also would help people appreciate the vast universe around them and accept the beliefs of others
that are different from their own. Compassion is a key component of a mindfulness practice and
is becoming a popular course at major universities and in parent education.

82
As a culture, we have been trained all of our lives to desire, reach, grasp, get, and then
want more, and all of this reinforces the underlying feeling that this moment is not enough. This
pervasive feeling of something lacking, something missing is itself a powerfully motivating
force. To find inner fulfillment, people may have to live contrary to the needs and wants of the
grasping ego. People may have to learn a better way to sit in stillness and silence to discover
what they are truly feeling, instead of trying to escape from it.
In reading the Power of Now (Tolle, 2004), I was able to see that I have always operated
from this standpoint. Not only that, but I’ve been taught and conditioned to think this way, and
have now had many years of practice which makes for some hard habits to break. I realize that
most of the media create this drive for more and we are constantly barraged with propaganda that
promises a happier, more fulfilled life. If only we purchase this beauty product, move to a bigger
home, and so on, we will finally reach this goal of “happiness” in the form of beauty, security,
whatever else the advertising promises, and be satisfied. Sadly, the things that we might purchase
or obtain are often only satisfying for a very short period, and then we are off striving to attain
the next thing that would supposedly bring us contentment.
Mindfulness has shown me that I can stand away from my thoughts and observe what is
occurring. I can then take the time to evaluate what my thought patterns are. Are they helpful?
Are they serving my highest potential? I can train myself to consider more closely the random
nature of what my thoughts might be telling me. I can actually choose whether to stay in a
particular thought pattern, or not. Mindfulness, for me, is about waking up to a new
consciousness and a different way to view the world and my life. It is about taking the time to
cultivate awareness for the present moment and to accept whatever it may contain. It is helpful to
try to cultivate a nonjudgmental attitude about this. I have found that this is the crux of the

83
practice, but a very hard thing to understand, let alone adapt as a way of life. It takes constant
practice and constant awareness. I find that I am constantly judging and critiquing, trying to
measure up to some standard of perfection. As children, we are made to feel that we must pass
certain tests or behave in certain ways to measure who we are. As adults, we are mystified that
we continue to be dissatisfied even when we have attained many of our goals. We compare
ourselves to others, never measuring up, and continue to strive to be “better than” others. How
soothing it is to read this excerpt from The Mindful Child (Greenland, 2010)—an exercise titled
A Radical Act of Kindness:
Remember, there is no place you have to go right now. There’s nothing you have to do.
There’s no one for you to please. There’s no one else you have to be. You don’t need
anything other than what you have right now. All we’re doing now is resting. Nothing
more, and nothing less. (p. 122)
In doing my research, I was heartened to find that there is much being done to determine
the value and practicality of using mindfulness in K-12 education, research for high school
students, and mindfulness training for teachers. Through much of my writing, and before doing
my interviews, I had been concerned that I was being overly optimistic and idealistic about
instituting mindfulness into the education curriculum. I now feel more validation around this
possibility and am grateful to know that the likelihood of this change in education seems more
attainable.
Suicide has been such a difficult topic to think about during the time I have been
researching and writing this thesis. There have been many times that I have had to remind myself
that in writing this paper and proposing that mindfulness be a part of our educational system, I
am just shedding light on a possibility that might help. However, I have been pleasantly
surprised to find out how many schools across the country, from elementary to universities, are
employing mindfulness techniques as a way to teach children to give them better life skills.

84
Gina Biegel said during our interview,
We realize that something is wrong in our culture. We need to address the issue of
suicide and do more about it at the schools. In order to be truly responsible, we must
spend time with kids and teach the tools that they can utilize effectively. Mindfulness is
cheap, it is relatively easy to learn, and can be taken with you wherever you go. I have
not found the issues of separation of church and state to be a problem with teaching
mindfulness. You can call it whatever you want. Mindfulness teaches the skills to a
guided inner life and to decrease stress in people’s lives. It does not matter what the
process is called. I hope that mindfulness will be instituted into the school day. That
is my dream. (Gina)
I feel that we are missing an important piece of education by not addressing the inner lives of our
children. As noted earlier, we are looking to outside sources to measure our worth and success
and this will always prove to be a personal disappointment.
Tobin Hart (2004), the author of Opening the Contemplative Mind in the Classroom,
noted that contemplation is a third way of knowing that complements the rational and the
sensory. He spoke to the call for contemplation in education curricula from elementary to
university levels. Hart pointed out that many of the world’s wisdom traditions have offered
different forms of contemplation, from meditation to yoga, contemplative prayer, and
metaphysical reflection that lead to deeper awareness by interrupting habitual thought patterns.
Hart expressed that “deep encounters with knowledge and with one another have the
potential to transform the learner and the process of learning” (2004, p. 30). He maintained that
“when a student comes into emotional intimacy with what they are exploring, interest and
therefore motivation are enhanced” (Hart, 2004, p. 33).
To conclude his article, Hart (2004) reminded that
bringing contemplative practice to the classroom is not exactly bringing something new
to children. Children—young children especially—are natural contemplatives. They
ponder big questions, they daydream, they fall in wonder with nature, they reflect on their
own existence and find silence in their “special spot,” perhaps under the arms of an old
tree. However, the demands for constant activity, the habit of electronic stimulation, and
the production orientation of modern society make it very difficult to keep the

85
contemplative alive, leaving children (and teachers) unbalanced in their ways of knowing
and often losing touch with the inner landscape. (p. 43)
One of the most validating organizations that I ran across while doing my research for
this paper is Mindful Schools in Oakland, California. Mindful Schools is a non-profit group that
offers in-class instruction and professional training. The website stated that
Mindfulness develops an “inner compass”—a true lifetime skill that is highly preventive.
Understanding one’s own thoughts and feelings can save massive future expenditures to
address juvenile delinquency, poor academic performance, stress, mental disorders, etc.
. . . In addition, having a mind that is calm, focused, and empathetic allows children to
increase their scholastic aptitude, particularly if they experience a high degree of stress
outside of school. The skills we learn as children are the ones at which we become best,
which is why we begin teaching children in elementary school. All children can benefit
from the vital skill of mindfulness, which helps them succeed at school and in life. (Our
Solution, para. 2)
My paper does not focus on teachers, but of course teachers would need an education
themselves in order for the philosophy of mindfulness to be implemented in school programs, as
noted earlier. Teaching is a very rewarding profession but it is often exhausting, demanding, and
stressful. There are organizations such as Cultivating Awareness and Resilience in Education
(CARE) for teachers. This program helps serve teachers so that they can lessen their own stress
and enliven their teaching methods. The benefits are fairly obvious to both teaching professionals
and students.
In closing, I offer a quote from Eknath Easwaran (2005), in his book, Words to Live By:
A Daily Guide to Leading an Exceptional Life. He quoted Saint Augustine:
“Imagine if all the tumult of the body were to quiet down, along with our busy thoughts.
Imagine if all things that are perishable grew still. And imagine if that moment were to go
on and on, leaving behind all other sights and sounds but this one vision which ravishes
and absorbs and fixes the beholder in joy, so that the rest of eternal life were like that
moment of illumination which leaves us breathless. I live completely in the present,
released from the prison of the past with its haunting memories and vain regrets, released
from the prison of the future with its tantalizing hopes and tormenting fears. All the
enormous capacities formerly trapped in past and future flow to me here and now,
concentrated in the hollow of my palm. No longer driven by desire for personal pleasure
or profit, I am free to use all these capacities to alleviate the suffering of those around me.

86
In living for others, I come to life. (Easwaran, 2005, p. 390)
The practice of yoga has swept across our country and people have accepted it as a valid
practice for health maintenance. I feel that because yoga has become so popular, perhaps it will
not be long before we, as a society, are able to grasp the deeper meaning behind the physical
practice of yoga, which is in calming the mind. When one can begin to discipline the mind, we
can learn to act in freedom rather than reacting to events according to our conditioning.
I like to imagine a world in which we learn to appreciate the present moment so that we
can be released from some of the agonizing ways in which we seek to fulfill ourselves. If we
were to learn the techniques of mindfulness and meditation at an early age, I believe that we
could increase our chance for a happy and successful life by improved health, focus, balance,
creativity, and equanimity. These are some of the results that have been shown to come from a
mindfulness practice. These days, even very young children have very busy schedules and
demands. It does not get easier with time. What could be more important than teaching children
and young adults ways in which to improve their overall wellness? It is time to make a change
and to realize that by teaching a simple method such as meditation to our children, we could
change the world.

87
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Appendix A: Coresearcher Invitation Letter 1
Hello Gina,
I hope you are well!
With this note, I am formally asking your permission to interview you for my Master’s thesis:
The Mindful Teen: Mindfulness as a Preventive Measure for Adolescent Suicide. A synopsis of
my thesis topic and a draft list of questions are included below.
I would be honored to meet you and speak with you about your work. I am deeply respectful of
the work you do and would be fascinated to learn more. I recently did a presentation on your
article, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for the Treatment of Adolescent Psychiatric
Outpatients: A Randomized Clinical Trial, in my Child and Adolescent in the System class at the
Institute of Transpersonal Psychology. I would love more information about Mindful Schools as
the thrust of my thesis is about the possibility of having mindfulness infiltrate our public school
system.
All the viewpoints that I collect, including my own, will be woven together to bring out
transformational aspects as well as common patterns.
The logistics for the interview include signing a consent form, permission to record the
interview, and finding a quiet, private space for the two of us to meet. I am happy to travel to
meet you at a place most convenient for you.
The interview will take approximately one hour and with your permission will be recorded.
Thank you for considering my request. If you would like a copy of my master’s thesis when it is
complete, please let me know at the time of the interview.
Thank you,
Julie Brody

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Appendix B: Coresearcher Invitation Letter 2
Hello Roni!
With this note, I am formally asking your permission to interview you for my master’s thesis:
I have supported Adolescent Counseling Services and think very highly of the programs that you
endorse. I recently met you at a Project Safety Committee meeting which I attended with Jade
Chamness from Breakthrough the Static, an organization that I also support. I would be very
grateful to you if you could speak with me about your experiences with teenagers. I respect your
work and know that you are intimately familiar with the struggles of adolescents today. To
interview you and hear about your experience would enhance my thesis paper.
The interview should take approximately 1 hour and will be recorded.
Thank you for considering my request. . If you would like a copy of my master’s thesis when it
is complete, simply let me know at the time of the interview.
Best regards,
Julie Brody

93
Appendix C: Coresearcher Invitation Letter 3
Hello Cheri!
I am a huge fan of all of your books, especially There is Nothing Wrong With You, the adult and
teen versions. I have been to your workshops, taken online classes, read all of your books, and
have great respect for you. I will add that I have very rarely taken a bag out of any store since
dedicating to do “One Thing” for the environment! I would be very honored for the chance to
speak with you and learn from your vast knowledge concerning conditioning.
As you know, Palo Alto high schools in particular have had some tragic occurrences of teen
suicide in the last few years. I am hoping that we can begin to look at instituting your work into
our elementary and high school programs.
Thank you for considering my request. If you would like a copy of my master’s thesis when it is
complete, simply let me know at the time of the interview.
With blessings,
Julie Brody

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Appendix D: Interview Questions
Interview Questions: Gina Biegel
1. How have our community’s teen suicides affected you personally?
2. How have the suicides affected your work?
3. Do you feel that mindfulness is an effective tool for dealing with suicide ideation?
4. In what ways have you seen the benefits of MBSR?
5. Can you please tell me more about Mindful Schools? What is the biggest obstacle they
are facing?
6. Do you see mindfulness being implemented in the public schools?
Interview Questions: Roni
1. How have the recent suicides in our area affected the work you do at Adolescent
Counseling Services?
2. What do you feel that teens are struggling with the most?
3. Do you have any experience with mindfulness, and if so, do you think it could be
effective with teens?
4. Do you have any personal experience with suicidal teens?
5. How do you think the schools should handle suicides?
Interview Questions: Cheri Huber
1. Can you describe your personal journey and what brought you to the work that you do?
2. Can you tell me what your experience has been with suicide?
3. Is it possible to teach children about self-hate?
4. When it seems that our entire society is focused on “fixing ourselves”, how do you get
the message to teenagers to believe that “there is nothing wrong with you”?
5. Do you see Mindfulness as something that could be instituted into the school day?

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Appendix E: Coresearcher Invitation Letter for Teen
Hello (Female student)!
The Mindful Teen: Mindfulness as a Preventative Measure for Adolescent Suicide. A synopsis of
You recently took an eight-week class with Dr. Amy Saltzman at Menlo-Atherton High School. I
would like to speak with you about your feelings and reactions to this class. I want to hear about
your experience as a teenager in today’s world. I will be asking you a few questions and will
listen to your answers and your story with compassion and respect.
interview, and finding a quiet space for the two of us to meet at Menlo-Atherton High School.
Thank you,
Julie Brody

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Appendix F: Interview Questions (Female Student)
1. What do you enjoy most about your life right now?
2. What is the hardest part of your life?
3. If you feel sad or confused, how do you deal with it?
4. What did you think about the mindfulness class you took?
5. Is there anything that you think could have been done differently in the class?
6. Is it hard for you to sit still and get quiet?
7. Do you ever meditate, and if so, do you find it comforting?
8. What do you think it means to be “a successful woman”?

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Appendix G: Coresearcher Invitation Letter for Teen
Hello (Male student)!
The Mindful Teen: Mindfulness as a Preventative Measure for Adolescent Suicide. A synopsis of
You recently took an eight-week class with Dr. Amy Saltzman at Menlo-Atherton High School. I
would like to speak with you about your feelings and reactions to this class. I want to hear about
your experience as a teenager in today’s world. I will be asking you a few questions and will
listen to your answers and your story with compassion and respect.
interview, and finding a quiet space for the two of us to meet at Menlo-Atherton High School.
Thank you for considering my request. Please know that it is entirely up to you if you decide
decline this request, and I will honor that decision. If you would like a copy of my master’s
thesis when it is complete, simply let me know at the time of the interview.
Thank you,
Julie Brody

98
Appendix H: Interview Questions (Male Student)
Interview Questions: Male Student
1. What do you enjoy most about your life right now?
2. What is the hardest part of your life?
3. If you feel sad or confused, how do you deal with it?
4. What did you think about the mindfulness class you took?
5. Is there anything that you think could have been done differently in the class?
6. Is it hard for you to sit still and get quiet?
7. Do you ever meditate, and if so, do you find it comforting?
8. What do you think it means to be “a successful man”?

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Appendix I: Informed Consent Form
To the Participant in this Research:
You are invited to participate in a research project concerning “The Mindful Teen: A
Preventative Measure for Adolescent Suicide” for a Master’s Thesis at the Institute of
Transpersonal Psychology. We will meet in a neutral space. You will be asked to help create a
safe, sacred space in which to share your personal views pertaining to your experience and your
feelings about teen suicide and mindfulness, which I will audiotape and transcribe. The interview
will be one hour.
To protect your privacy your will have the option of using a pseudonym. All information
received from you will be kept confidential as to source. Data will be kept secure. The interview
will be transcribed by me, and tapes and transcriptions will be kept in a locked cabinet, and in a
password-protected computer. Names will not be used with transcription material. Your
participation is voluntary at all levels and at all times.
Benefits of participation may include learning about your own personal reactions to, emotions
toward, and thoughts about the problem of adolescent suicide and what can be done to help
address it.
The benefits may include feeling more in touch with that experience and feeling more acceptance
toward it. Participants may choose to see a summary of the research results or receive a copy of
the thesis.
This study, like all studies, may also have drawbacks. This may be difficult for some individuals,
considering the sensitive subject of the study. The issues raised within you may be painful or
may challenge personal belief systems.
This study is designed to minimize personal risk to you. However, if at any time you feel you
need additional assistance coping with an issue that has come out of participation in the study,
resources and references will be available from me or my committee Chairperson.
If you decide to participate in this research, you may withdraw your consent and discontinue
your participation at any time during the conduct of the study and for any reason without penalty
or prejudice. You may also receive the section of the thesis which contains your interview, or the
entire thesis, if you wish; if so, please let me know whether you would prefer to have it e-mailed
or sent by regular mail.
I attest that I have read and understood this form and had any questions about this research
answered to my satisfaction. My participation in this research is entirely voluntary; no pressure
has been applied to encourage my participation. My signature indicates my willingness to be a
participant in this research, and to have my interview published in Julie Brody’s thesis.

100
_____________________________________________ ___________
Participant’s Signature Date
_____________________________________________ ___________
Researcher’s Signature Date

101
Appendix J: Informed Consent Form for Teen Participants
To the Participant in this Research:
You are invited to participate in a research project concerning “The Mindful Teen: A
Preventative Measure for Adolescent Suicide” for a Master’s Thesis at the Institute of
Transpersonal Psychology. We will meet in a quiet space at Menlo-Atherton High School. You
will be asked to help create a safe, sacred space in which to share your personal views pertaining
to your experience and your feelings about teen suicide and mindfulness, which I will audiotape
and transcribe. The interview will be one hour.
To protect your privacy you will have the option of using a pseudonym. All information received
from you will be kept confidential as to source. Data will be kept secure. The interview will be
transcribed by me, and tapes and transcriptions will be kept in a locked cabinet, and in a
password-protected computer. Names will not be used with transcription material. Your
participation is voluntary at all levels and at all times.
Benefits of participation may include learning about your own personal reactions to, emotions
toward, and thoughts about the problem of adolescent suicide and what can be done to help
address it.
The benefits may include feeling more in touch with that experience and feeling more acceptance
toward it. Participants may choose to see a summary of the research results or receive a copy of
the thesis.
This study, like all studies, may also have drawbacks. This may be difficult for some individuals,
considering the sensitive subject of the study. The issues raised within you may be painful or
may challenge personal belief systems.
This study is designed to minimize personal risk to you. However, if at any time you feel you
need additional assistance coping with an issue that has come out of participation in the study,
resources and references will be available from me or my committee Chairperson.
If you decide to participate in this research, you may withdraw your consent and discontinue
your participation at any time during the conduct of the study and for any reason without penalty
or prejudice. You may also receive the section of the thesis which contains your interview, or the
entire thesis, if you wish; if so, please let me know whether you would prefer to have it e-mailed
or sent by regular mail.
I attest that I have read and understood this form and had any questions about this research
answered to my satisfaction. My participation in this research is entirely voluntary; no pressure
has been applied to encourage my participation. My signature indicates my willingness to be a
participant in this research, and to have my interview published in Julie Brody’s thesis.

102
_____________________________________________ ___________
Participant’s Signature Date
_____________________________________________ _____________
Parent’s Signature Date
_____________________________________________ _____________
Researcher’s Signature Date

103
Appendix K: Ethics Committee Form
Form/203A RESEARCH ETHICS COMMITTEE (WS- REC)
APPLICATION
Important: Please read this form in its entirety prior to completing it, including the explanation pages at the end.
Submission Method
x E-mail  Hard copy
Student Type Faculty Association Nature of Project
Core Faculty Project –
M.A. Thesis
 Completed
Proposal
x MA Thesis (203A)  Second Submission
Researcher Information
Applicant’s name: Julie Brody Date Submitted: 12-12-11
E-mail address: Julie@brodyfamily.net
Date of Proposal
Meeting: 12-7-11
Project title: The Mindful Teen: A Preventative Measure for Adolescent Suicide
Approval for Review
As Chairperson for this student’s MA Thesis committee, I approve the attached proposal to be
submitted for review by the WS Research Ethics Committee (WS-REC).
D’vorah J. Grenn, PhD 12-14-11
Signature of Chairperson Date
REC Focus of Review
In evaluating planned procedures and protocols, the REC looks for indications of potential risks and
benefits to participants and others affected by the study. Potential risks and benefits must be
carefully identified. At best, potential risks are to be avoided. Research procedures must also be fully
and clearly explained to all participants, who must also be informed that they may withdraw from
the study at any time, without penalty or prejudice. Regarding MA Thesis research reviews, the REC will
assess the benefits and risks of each study based upon the information provided in the Research
Methods chapter of the proposal and in the Informed Consent Form. For pilot projects or faculty
research, decisions are made solely based upon materials provided. Additional documentation may
be requested as necessary.
Informed Consent Form Review Checklist

104
Studen
t
Chair REC
x x Indicates what the participant will be asked to do in the study,
including approximate time and effort required and where the study is
to be conducted.
X
x x Indicates that all interviews, interventions projects, or procedures will
be conducted in a neutral location.
X
x x Indicates that confidentiality as to the source of information and/or
materials will be assured and maintained, along with the specific
means in which this will be accomplished (e.g., use of code numbers,
pseudonyms, locked files). Real names and identities of participants should
not be used, except with express committee approval.
X
x x Indicates specific potential personal benefits to the participant or
other participating in the study for participating in the study.
X
x x Indicates any physical or psychological risks to the participant or to
others who may be directly or indirectly impacted by the study. If
suffering or other discomfort does arise, the form must identify how
it will be handled. For example, what are the provisions for referrals,
in case of more serious concerns? Form must also provide the names,
academic degrees, and phone numbers (or e-mail addresses) for MA
Thesis Committee Chairperson, as well as that of the Chairperson of
the REC.
X
x x Includes the following statement: “The participant may withdraw
from the study at any time without penalty or prejudice.”
X
x x Indicates that the student/researcher has “explained the study to
the participant and answered his or her questions.”
X
x x Indicates that “participation is entirely voluntary and that no
pressure has been applied to encourage participation.”
X
x x Includes detailed contact information (phone number; address, e-mail
address) so that every participant may contact the student/researcher
at a later date in order to obtain answers to new questions or any
additional information, or to indicate any concerns that may arise.
X
x x Includes signature and date lines for participants and researchers. X
x x Indicates how participants may obtain results (both for the individual
participant and/or for the study as a whole). Also indicates what types
of information will be provided at the study’s completion.
X
x x Indicates that any transcription of materials will be conducted only
after the transcriber has signed a Transcriber Confidentiality
Agreement, a copy of which should also be included as a part of this
proposal. Not necessary in this case.
X

105
Reviewer Comments (See also attached sheets for further information, as indicated.)
Recommended Additions/Alterations to Informed Consent Form/Procedure
Recommendations Regarding Announcements and/or Recruiting Advertising
Other Comments or Recommendations
Benefits/Risks Analysis
Based upon the information provided by the researcher, I find that the research project is thoughtfully and carefully
designed, that there are potential benefits of participation, that risks are minimal, appropriate provisions are in place
to deal with any psychological or other difficulties that might arise, and that participants’ fully informed consent will be
honored and integrated into the study’s final design and execution.
 Approved X Conditionally approved  Not approved
Christine Brooks, PhD 12/22/11
WS-REC Reviewer Date
Faculty/Student (circle one)
Procedural Note: Reviewers, please return this signed form and comments to Chair. After
the Chair’s review, your comments and a copy of this form will be forwarded to the
applicant.

XX Julie Brody EDITED Thesis-1

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