Animobitus

There are many Devajobs, beings from the 4^th dimension trapped in three-dimensional space. Their hubris, a long forgotten act of defiance, offended the Mulungu, beings from the 5^th order, so they split their essences’ into separate, individual souls. These souls were injected and hidden into Homo erectus as RNA, a virus, an infection of consciousness, a cruel punishment that left the Devajobs scrambling to round up human souls to add to their collected consciousness.

Each soul is part of the essence of the Devajobs. When separate, feelings of dread and despondency pulse through them with each beat of the human heart. The Devajobs can feel their souls’ presence in the world, a vibration, a rhythm, propagating through dimensional barriers. The connection is not physical, chemical, or electrical, but something that can only be “observed”, if there ever was such a thing, in the 4^th dimension. Their suffering is one with that of the humans. They can feel your pain. They feel anxiety. The separateness and loneliness that is always there, a feeling there is something missing, walking around with one shoe, an unbearable, pervasive illness with no relief. The souls were cast out to the 3^rd dimension, a physical realm where Gravity is G*d, where you move relative to things, nothing more than an object.

The Devajobs experience a release of dimensional energy when the soul is collected and reconnected during the process of Sefusion. It is euphoric for the human as well, realizing the end of the malevolence of forced existence. The coalescing of the soul as one with its respective Devajobs is ego death. Imagine the frustration for the Devajobs, knowing that coming together as one will make them feel whole, and being met with resistance, the irony of humans so afraid of death they will do anything possible to avoid living.

There is a sense of boredom amongst the Devajobs, their purpose fruitless and unnecessary. An existence of perpetual stagnation with no escape from the task at hand, gathering souls to temporarily alleviate misery, to put suffering on hold for just a moment. The process is endless and it is difficult to accept this infinite way of being, trapped in this form for trillions of year on repeat, the record skipping with a dreadful feeling that nothing will change.

You take a substance expecting it to kill you and now you are falling, the chair beneath no longer there. Gravity holds you in place. You, ancestor of Sir Isaac Newton, thank gravity for everything you have, and remark “G*d is gravity”. You want to worship it as if it is the Ultimate Force. You can rely on it. It is constant. It does not judge, treating each object with the same principles and effort. You know it is there through testable hypotheses, like Newton himself sitting at the base of an apple tree. Gravity created the sun and the earth, which predictably spawned life. Gravity was central to the creation of the universe. Is there a force that drives gravity? What was the first force that began all others, the first “creational” force? Are the forces of the three dimensional universe merely integrals from higher order dimensions, correlated and directly tied to an invisible hand?

When you see your Devajobs approach there are only a few moments to live. The Devajobs are mystical spectrophotometers so they can see fluctuations in aura, a certain glow emitted by a dying human. The Devajobs approach you at this time.

Its silhouette is that of a human, but their height is that of a giant with arms that can reach to the sun. However, there is an ominous suspicion that comes with their presence, opaque eyes, pitch black skin, hairless, appearing with a sleek, smooth, rubbery texture. Devajobs seem stoic, weathered, disheveled, unconcerned with appearance. They are blank and lethargic, a model of learned helplessness. While eager to become whole, there are millions of souls collect and it takes an approximately eight hours to absorb each one. With over 350,000 people born each day, there just are not enough Devajobs to absorb every soul, so the ones that are not selected are reabsorbed back into the system. Some souls mutate, split off, further diluted with each division. Created from the Devajobs was a universe of individual characters destined to an existence of estrangement and suffering.

You are alone. Isolated. You come up with metaphors to describe the meaning of loneliness. You are in a room with the lights off. There are no doors or windows. There are no openings. There are no lines on the walls. There is nothing written. You are paralyzed and cannot move. The only sound is your own brainwaves reverberating off the interior of your skull. The temperature remains the same: Cold. You want to quantify how cold it is with some hyperbole about absolute zero, but instead settle to describe it as freezing. In a sense there is nothing, but you have an awareness of your own body and apparent thoughts, what seems to be a thinking mind forming a consciousness and a self. You can feel the ground beneath you. It holds you up. Gravity exists in this room. It brings you some sort of connection to the universe.

Gravity feels weak. You feel like you are falling apart, like a puzzle being shaken in the frame, no one glued the pieces together, so you dismember, limb, by limb, your heart is a piece of cardboard in a frame, trapped, desperate, and alone. You are stuck in this feeling. Time infinitely slows, a second is thousands of years for you, trapped, your body frozen in position, your thoughts unwavering, exhausted, on your last breath.

You feel like a zombie. It takes so much effort just to spread your fingers, to separate your eyelashes, to move your tongue. Your eyes are dry and sting, all sound is washed out; you can no longer see color and what little you do see, varying shades, is difficult to discern. Your life has no meaning. You want to end this awful feeling, even praying, the nihilist you are reverting to archaic portrayal of a male G*d flashing before your eyes.

He is a Devajobs. He reveals the mystery of your existence, disclosing the news that you will be taken. You beg, plead not to have it end, but this is no longer a choice. He is addicted to consuming human souls. He will remove you from your body, separating consciousness, energizing a significant amount of fear and anxiety due to your attachment to life. He is put in an awful position, to inflict such suffering in the process of Sefusion. Even with the understanding that Sefusion is inherently sensible and kind, your ignorant cries weigh heavy on his essence, and he sometimes doubts his certainty.

It’s incredible, how it is just creeps up on you like that, backs you into a corner, tells you to count your breath, to recollect and remember that you are still alive, but impermanent, and you notice the light is about to extinguish, as you try and define what that means, to “extinguish” a light, wondering if that is the natural state of things: darkness

Because they always tell you, right now are screaming directly into your ear, so loud, so fucking loud, into your fucking ear, then you forget what you were thinking anyway, you lost focus on that moment, it’s gone, but you can accept that, until you contemplate why they tell you to go toward the light, when you truly believe this is merely self-preservation, cowardice, trying to savor the last source of energy, every bit of that sweet “life”, or whatever it is your metacognitions are saying, but you are closing in, counting each moment, trying to savor those fleeting flavors of whatever passions are spilling out of your fading soul, scraping with claws at a cold iron casket, begging not to close the lid, to stop throwing on shovels of dirt, covering you up, down there, choking on depleting oxygen reserves…

… You’re talking, rapid speech patterns, tangential thinking, confabulations, no one can understand a word of it, you have so much to say, you plead with him, but you appears blank, unmoved, like death … you are completely irrational, nonsensical drivel spewing from your throat box. You feel detached from everything, probably a bit lonely, but you can usually avoid that …. usually … but not tonight. No, it came to you. It was dark, the lights are closing all around, candles burning down to end of the wicks, broken filaments, your last match, no difference between eyes open or closed.

… you assume your emptiness is more than Devajobs. How could they possibly understand what you feel? But how could anyone understand the complex intersections that make up your unique experience of feeling your emotions? You could imagine that as a human being, the feelings of “sad” or happy” are chemically similar for all people … but not the same, emotional threads are merely frays from the Devasjobs cloth.

You are crying. You want to sleep, but your eyes visualize patterns, math equations, nonsensical ones, just random expressions, nothing signaled, just there … listless thought wanderer, you smile ear to ear, stitched up Glasgow. There is too much foliage, so you grab your metaphorical machete and with a slow, mechanical, dullard, lethargic, pathetic, swing of the arm, cut blindly into the void for what relatively feels like eternity.

Time is no longer one directional. Your perception shifts and Newtonian mechanics become nonsensical. Your theory for life responds to a new force: not gravity, electromagnetic, or nuclear. The senses no longer respond to three-dimensional stimuli. You cannot hear, taste, or feel. Traditional emotional experiences of “happy” and “sad” are non-existent. You are freed from the body. The bones beneath flesh will remain for years, but you are no longer there.

The Benefits of Meditation and Mindfulness-Based Interventions

Mindfulness-based interventions appear to reduce psychological distress, with several studies linking various interventions to improved mental health (Baer, 2003; Coffey & Hartman, 2008; Grossman, Niemann, Schmidt, & Walach, 2004). Zeidan, Johnson, Gordon, and Goolkasian (2010) found that even brief, 3-day mindfulness meditation interventions can reduce symptoms of depression, fatigue, and confusion. Mindfulness meditation also has benefits in stress reduction, enhanced cognitive control, and emotion regulation (Zeidan et al, 2010). Brain imaging studies have demonstrated that mindfulness may offer cognitive protection from rumination, negative bias, and depression, which was reflected by reduced anterior insula activation during periods of stress, meaning practitioners were not reacting as strongly and automatically to thoughts and emotions (Paul, Stanton, Greeson, Smoski, & Wang, 2012). This can lead to improved emotion regulation for the individual. In addition, two therapeutic approaches: Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) have been shown to improve symptoms of psychological distress (Goldin & Gross, 2010; Kabat-Zinn, Massion, Kristeller, Peterson, Fletcher, Pbert, & Santorelli, 1992; Teasdale, Segal, Williams, Ridgeway, Soulsby, & Lau, 2000).

MBCT was developed as a training program to prevent relapses and recurrence in major depression (Segal, Williams, & Teasdale, 2002). The focus is to teach clients to become more aware and detached from their ruminative depressive thought patterns (Segal, Williams, and Teasdale, 2002). The approach combines cognitive therapy with mindfulness training. MBCT was found to prevent relapse in depression for individuals with three or more recurrent episodes by intervening with the reactivation of depressive thinking patterns (Ma & Teasdale, 2004). Finucane and Mercer (2006) reported qualitative and quantitative evidence to support that MBCT could be used to treat depression and anxiety in clinical patients. Their study further found qualitative evidence that interviewees saw improvements in restless leg syndrome, insomnia, and quitting smoking.

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reducation was developed by John Kabat-Zinn to train chronic pain patients in self-regulation (Kabat-Zinn, 1982). The purpose was to bring a technique to those with chronic illness who have exhausted other treatment methods (Kabat-Zinn, 1982). Kabat-Zinn (1982) used a combination of concentration meditation on the breath, body scanning, hatha yoga postures, and traditional mindfulness meditation in the stress reduction and relaxation program. In addition, didactic material on the psychology of stress was given in the form of psychoeducation in group format (Kabat-Zinn, 1982). Goldin and Gross (2010) found that MSBR might have benefits for individuals with social anxiety disorder by decreasing amygdala activity (an area of the brain that shows responses to stressors) activity, and improving engagement to the present task. The program may increase attentional allocation, which may be beneficial in redirecting attention to thoughts, emotions, and sensations, which in turn may enhance exposure based therapies for these clients (Goldin & Gross, 2010).

Meditation practice is used to enhance the quality of mindfulness (Hayes & Wilson, 2003). The practice advances the basic practice of Samtha Meditation (concentration or calm meditation), which is the focus of attention on a single object such as the breath, a word, or a flickering candle, by allowing the mind to wander in an unrestricted manner (Bishop et al., 2004; Chiesa, 2013; Dhiman 2008). Returning to the object of attention allows one to come back to the present moment if the meditator notices the mind wandering too far (Bishop et al., 2004). The mind moves from concentration, to meditation, and culminates in absorption, in distinct stages (Awasthi, 2013). Meditation practice has been extensively researched over the past decade and has demonstrated improvements in cognitive and psychological functioning (Sedlmeier, Ebert, Schwarz, Zimmermann, Haarig, Jaeger, & Kunze, 2012).

Meditation practice has been shown to improve various neurological functioning, such as enhancing activation and structural plasticity of fronto-parietal and fronto-limbic networks, which has long term benefits of improved emotional stability, resilience from stressful events, and improved attention skills (Rubia, 2009). It has been shown to change the physical structure of the brain, increasing cortical thickness and preventing frontal cortex thinning, which can improve sensory, emotional, and cognitive processing (Lazar, Kerr, Wasserman, Gray, Greve, Treadway, McGarvey, Quinn, Dusek, Benson, Rauch, Moor, & Fischl, 2005). Meditation has been shown to reduce concentrates of cortisol secretion supporting the efficacy of medication as a stress reduction technique (Mohan, Sharma, & Bijlani, 2011). It appears that meditation practice can have drastic, long-term benefits to the physical structure of the brain.

Meditation practice demonstrated significant increases in brain integration scores, an indicator that meditation can decrease anxiety, improve emotional stability, and enhance reasoning skills (Travis, Haaga, Hagelin, Tanner, Nidich, King, Grosswald, Rainforth, & Schneider, 2009). Travis et al. (2009) also found reductions in sleepiness and habituation rates in college students after practicing this mantra meditation twice per day for 15 to 20 minute intervals for a ten-week trial. Dakar and Levin (2009) have extended meditation practice to alleviate cravings and compulsions in substance abusers. They argue meditation practice can reduce emotional reactivity and improve executive functioning, which can help individuals make healthier choices. Thus, meditation is an important practice associated with mindfulness that may help promote mental and physical wellbeing.

References

Awasthi, B. (2013). Issues and perspectives in meditation research: In search for a definition. Frontiers in Psychology, 3, 1-9.

Baer, R. A. (2003). Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 10(2), 125-143.

Bishop, S. R., Lau, M., Shapiro, S., Carlson, L., Anderson, N. D., Carmody, J. (2004). Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 11, 230-241.

Chiesa, A. (2013). The difficulty of defining mindfulness: Current thought and critical issues. Mindfulness, 4(3), 255-268.

Coffey, K. A., & Hartman, M. (2008). Mechanisms of action in the inverse relationship between mindfulness and psychological distress. Complementary Health Practice Review, 13(2), 79-91.

Dakwar, E., & Levin, F. R. (2009). The emerging role of meditation in addressing psychiatric illness, with a focus on substance use disorders. Harvard Review of Psychiatry, 17(4), 254-267.

Dhiman, D (2008). Cultivating Mindfulness: The Buddhist art of paying attention to attention. Interbeing, Fall 2008; 2,2, pg. 35.

Finucane, A., & Mercer, S. W. (2006). An exploratory mixed methods study of the acceptability and effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for patients with active depression and anxiety in primary care. BMC Psychiatry, 6.

Goldin, P. R., & Gross, J. J. (2010). Effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) on emotion regulation in social anxiety disorder. Emotion, 10(1), 83-91.

Grossman, P., Niemann, L., Schmidt, S., & Walach, H. (2004). Mindfulness-based stress reduction and health benefits: A meta-analysis. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 57(1), 35-43.

Hayes, S. C., and Wilson, K. G. (2003). Mindfulness: Method and process. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 10, 161-165.

Kabat-Zinn, J. (1982). An outpatient program in behavioral medicine for chronic

pain patients based on the practice of mindfulness meditation: Theoretical considerations and preliminary results. General Hospital Psychiatry, 4, 33-47.

Kabat-Zinn, J., Massion, A. O., Kristeller, J., Peterson, L. G., Fletcher, K. E., Pbert, L. Santorelli, S. F. (1992). Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 149(7), 936-943.

Lazar, S. W., Kerr, C. E., Wasserman, R. H., Gray, J. R., Greve, D. N., Treadway, M. T., . . . Fischl, B. (2005). Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness. NeuroReport: For Rapid Communication of Neuroscience Research, 16(17), 1893-1897.

Ma, S. H., & Teasdale, J. D. (2004). Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression: Replication and exploration of differential relapse prevention effects. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 72(1), 31-40.

Mohan, A., Sharma, R., & Bijlani, R. L. (2011). Effect of meditation on stress-induced changes in cognitive functions. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 17(3), 207-212.

Paul, N. A., Stanton, S. J., Greeson, J. M., Smoski, M. J., & Wang, L. (2013). Psychological and neural mechanisms of trait mindfulness in reducing depression vulnerability. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 8(1), 56-64.

Rubia, K. (2009). The neurobiology of meditation and its clinical effectiveness in psychiatric disorders. Biological Psychology, 82(1), 1-11.

Sedlmeier, P., Eberth, J., Schwarz, M., Zimmermann, D., Haarig, F., Jaeger, S., & Kunze, S. (2012). The psychological effects of meditation: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 138(6), 1139-1171.

Segal, Z. V., Williams, J. M. G., and Teasdale, J. D. (2002). Mindfulness- based cognitive

therapy for depression: A new approach to preventing relapse. New York: Guilford.

Teasdale, J. D., Segal, Z. V., Williams, J. M., Ridgeway, V. A., Soulsby, J. M., & Lau, M. A. (2000). Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 68(4), 615-623.

Travis, F., Haaga, D. A. F., Hagelin, J., Tanner, M., Nidich, S., Gaylord-King, C., . . . Schneider, R. H. (2009). Effects of transcendental meditation practice on brain functioning and stress reactivity in college students. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 71(2), 170-176.

Zeidan, F., Johnson, S. K., Gordon, N. S., & Goolkasian, P. (2010). Effects of brief and sham mindfulness meditation on mood and cardiovascular variables. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 16(8), 867-873.

Mindful Contemplation of the Physical Body

There is an immediate recognition of the impermanence of all form and order with the observation of the movement of time. The one constant is change. Contemplate the impermanent nature of your body … Blood cells regenerate every 4 months, white blood cells a bit over a year, skin cells only a few weeks. Hair grows at a rate of about an inch per month. Fingernails grow at a rate of about 3mm per month, with finger nails being completely replaced every 3-6 months and toenails every 12-18 months.

The majority of the cells in the human body are foreign. It is estimated that more than 500 species are living in the adult intestine at any given time. According Carolyn Bohach of University of Idaho, there are about ten times as many bacteria in the human body than human cells. These cells are constantly being replaced and replenished within the system.

About 70 percent of the human body is water. According to H.H. Mitchell, Journal of Biological Chemistry 158, the brain and heart are composed of 73% water, and the lungs are about 83% water. The skin contains 64% water, muscles and kidneys are 79%, and even the bones are watery: 31%. We consume water to aid in replenishment. We eat food to feed our cells.

The human body is made up of 99% hydrogen, oxygen, Nitrogen, and carbon. These are the basic building blocks of life. All living organisms on this planet follow a similar structural makeup.

From where did these basic elements come? They were formed a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away …when the ancient stars became immensely hot through a process called Stellar Nucleosynthesis. All of existence is based on 92 naturally occurring elements formed during this process.

Synthesis of the elements in a Red Giant

As Carl Sagan would say “The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff”.

And the process continues today. Our form, our order, is impermanent. It is in constant flux, but as the first law of thermodynamics states, energy in must equal energy out. There is nothing lost in the entire system. Energy is merely transferred, as is the form of elements. The cycle continues. When our bodies decompose the matter composing it will be transferred to another medium.

Life cycle of the stars

What is truly incredible is that we can contemplate any of this … elements have formed into complex proteins to create mankind, who now can think about its own creation and existence ..Descartes famous quote “I think therefore I am”. All of existence is connected as one … and always will be … a system.

Assumptions and First Impressions

When you meet someone for the first time, pay attention to what you are feeling inside. What is your initial reaction? What are your thoughts? What is your body doing? Pay attention to your posture, positioning, projection of voice, eye contact, etc. It may give you some insight into your first impressions on various groups of sentient beings … do you have fear in your heart? Lust? Happiness? Disgust? What are you assuming about them? Those People. What are you assuming about yourself?

A mindful being or being mindful?

What is mindfulness? If I am being mindful, the term is a verb, an action to be performed. I have to put energy in to perform the action, it is something that requires my effort. I can practice and become more skilled in the action. If I am a mindful being, it becomes a noun, something that I have achieved, a level of mindfulness I have attained. Is it an attained state of consciousness?

There is some debate about mindfulness as a trait or a state characteristic. Considering the complex nature of mindfulness, it would be hard to imagine it as a singular construct (Grossman, 2008). Thompson and Waltz (2007) put out that trait and state mindfulness might in fact be different constructs, with meditative mindfulness being the state, and everyday mindfulness being the trait. The two may have similar underlying mental processes, but Thompson and Waltz (2007) found little relationship between the two in their study.

Kabat-Zinn (2003) describes mindfulness as a skill that can be honed with practice. While individuals have inherent qualities of mindfulness from moment to moment, cultivation is an art form requiring effort, discipline, and diligence. It appears as a state in that it can be altered through meditative practices (Bishop et al., 2004). Brown and Ryan (2003) describe it as a “state of clarity and a vividness of the present moment”, likening it to being fully awake in the present moment (p. 824). As a state, it may vary in its presentation within the individual. It is also something that can be deliberately altered through training. Baer, Smith, & Allen (2004) argue that it can be developed through formal meditation exercise. Chiesa (2013) speaks of the “untrained” mind, implying that certain individuals without formal mindfulness training have an ability to enhance it as if it were a skill. It requires persistent effort and is not a reflexive intervention strategy applied strictly to stressful moments (Kabat-Zinn, 2003). When one first applies these techniques, sufficient energy is required, perhaps even concentration, to bring on mindfulness (Gunaratana, 2002).

We talkin’bout practice

Concentration is a way of restricting breadth of attention while mindfulness expands and heightens the ability to remember (Anālayo, 2003). Anālayo, (2003) explains concentration and mindfulness are not opposed to each other, as mindfulness helps attain a certain level of deep concentration. The Culavedalla Sutta, discourses of questions and answers with the Buddha, says that Satipaṭṭhāna is the “cause” of concentration (Anālayo, 2003). During deep concentration, one loses some of the breadth of attention, but awareness is maintained (Anālayo, 2003). After concentration practice, the mind becomes calm and steady. It becomes more flexible and one can begin mindfulness meditation (Anālayo, 2003; Dhiman, 2008). Meditation is a technique one may employ to enhance the quality of mindfulness.

Mindfulness is sometimes treated as a technique to be learned, especially in the context of mental health counseling (Hayes & Wilson, 2003). Mindfulness meditation is certainly considered a practice to enhance engagement in everyday activities (Baer et al., 2004). The meditation practice would have individuals allow their minds to move through thoughts, emotions, and sensations, with an awareness of the present (Bishop et al., 2004). The practice advances the basic practice of Samtha Meditation (concentration or calm meditation), which is the focus of attention on a single object such as the breath, a word, or a flickering candle, by allowing the mind to wander in an unrestricted manner (Bishop et al., 2004; Chiesa, 2013; Dhiman 2008). Returning to the object of attention allows one to come back to the present moment if the meditator notices the mind wandering too far (Bishop et al., 2004). The mind moves from concentration, to meditation, and culminates in absorption, in distinct stages (Awasthi, 2013).

It is important to recognize the differences in techniques, states produced, and mechanical dynamics underlying the meditation experience (Awasthi, 2013). Focusing on an image is much different from focusing on breath. A state of relaxation is much different from a state of attention. Samatha Meditation tends to have a calming effect on the mind, while Vipassana meditation (mindfulness meditation) is energizing and insightful, culminating in an understanding of the true nature of the universe (Brown & Ryan, 2004; Dhiman, 2008).

The true nature of the universe

There are hundreds of meditation techniques and states produces, with each technique corresponding to different neurophysiological pathways (Awasthi, 2013). It would be interesting to understand how different meditation techniques affect the quality of mindfulness in the individual, as much of the focus in the literature has been specific to mindfulness meditation. Formal meditation practice is not always accessible to individuals from a mental health perspective, but that does not necessarily indicate that one does not have qualities of mindfulness or the capacities to enhance their ability.

Linehan (1993) explains that serious mental ill and unmotivated persons may have a tough time engaging in formal meditation practice, so cultivating a mindful attitude would require a different approach. Mindful eating, driving, reading, among other activities, can all be presented as opportunities to enhance one’s being of mindfulness (Linehan, 1993). Brown and Ryan (2004) define “dispositional mindfulness” as the ability to carry the practice of mindfulness into daily living. Perhaps mindfulness is inherent to everyday living with practice merely enhancing its quality.

Mindfulness as a trait would be something intrinsically within us. It would be unalterable, similar to how extroversion/introversion are unchanging qualities over time, imbedded in the persona. Kabat-Zinn (2003) explains it is something we do all the time to varying degrees. In contrast, Grossman (2011) states that mindfulness has a distinct difference from the everyday consciousness described by Kabat-Zinn. Thompson and Waltz (2007) found that everyday mindfulness and sitting meditation are not related for novice meditators. Having a strong ability to focus mindfully during sitting meditation did not spill over to everyday mindfulness in their study.

References

Anālayo. (2003). Satipaṭṭhāna, the direct path to realization. Windhorse Publications.

Baer, R. A., Smith, G. T., and Allen, K. B. (2004). Assessment of mindfulness by self-report: The Kentucky inventory of mindfulness skills. Assessment, 11, 191-206.

Bishop, S. R., Lau, M., Shapiro, S., Carlson, L., Anderson, N. D., Carmody, J., et al (2004). Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 11, 230-241.

Brown, K. W., and Ryan, R. M. (2003). The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84, 822-848.

Chiesa, A. (2013). The difficulty of defining mindfulness: Current thought and critical issues. Mindfulness, 4(3), 255-268.

Dhiman, D (2008). Cultivating Mindfulness: The Buddhist art of paying attention to attention. Interbeing, Fall 2008; 2,2, pg. 35.

Grossman, P. (2008). On measuring mindfulness in psychosomatic and        psychological research. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 64, 405–408.

Grossman, P. (2011). Defining mindfulness by how poorly I think I pay attention during everyday awareness and other intractable problems for psychology’s (re)invention of mindfulness: Comment on Brown et al. (2011). Psychological Assessment, 23, 1034–1040.

Gunaratana, H. (2002). Mindfulness in plain English. Boston: Wisdom.

Hayes, S. C., Luoma, J. B., Bond, F. W., Masuda, A., and Lillis, J. (2006). Acceptance and commitment therapy: Model, processes and outcomes. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 44(1), 1-25.

Kabat-Zinn, J. (2003). Mindfulness-based interventions in context: Past, present, and future. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 10, 144-156.

Linehan, M. (1993). Cognitive behavioural treatment of borderline personality disorder. New York: Guilford.

Thompson, B. L., and Waltz, J. (2007). Everyday mindfulness and mindfulness meditation: Overlapping constructs or not? Personality and Individual Differences, 43, 1875–1885.

Mindfulness Based Interventions in Mental Health Counseling

There are multiple approaches used in mental health counseling that incorporating concepts related to mindfulness. Four of the most popular approaches in Western culture include Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR).

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) was developed by Marsha Linehan as a systematic method for treating individuals diagnosed with borderline personality disorder The theoretical orientation includes dialectical philosophy, behavioral therapy, and mindfulness practice, and a focus on acceptance of “what is” to institute change. Clients are encouraged to be present with their emotions and gain an understanding of the dialectic between the poles of emotions. In addition to mindfulness training, clients are also trained in distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal response patterns.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) identifies itself as “third wave behavior therapy”, and from a philosophical standpoint, aims to contextually change the links between thoughts or feelings to behavior.

Third wave of cognitive therapy

Steven Hayes theoretically rooted ACT in Relational Frame Therapy, which understands learned language and cognition as the heart of human behavior. The goal of ACT is to increase psychological flexibility, to become more aware of the present moment, and to reinforce behaviors that serve one well. The six core process include acceptance of an alternative to experiential avoidance, cognitive defusion as a way of understanding relationships between cognitions and behavior, being present in terms of non-judgmental attention to environment, self as context utilizing mindfulness exercises and metaphors to be aware of one’s experience without attachment, values as a chosen life directions, and committed action toward behavior change.

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) was developed as a training program to prevent relapses and recurrence in major depression. The focus is to teach clients to become more aware and detached from their ruminative depressive thought patterns. The approach combines cognitive therapy with mindfulness training. However, the two differ in that MBCT does not aim on changing one’s thoughts, rather, the focus is on changing one’s awareness and relationship to thoughts. The training program is based on a group training intervention as opposed to individual therapy, with guided and unguided exercises focusing on increasing present moment awareness of bodily sensations, thoughts, and feelings. The end goal is for clients to become mindful and consciously aware, as opposed to driving on autopilot. The creators, Zindel Segal, and John Teasdale, use similar meditation techniques to the program developed by Kabat-Zinn and introduce the “three-minute breathing space” to integrate meditation as an informal practice during the day.

Connection

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) was developed by John Kabat-Zinn to train chronic pain patients in self-regulation. The primary activity in this program is mindfulness meditation taught independently from the religious and cultural foundation of the traditional Buddhist teachings. The purpose was to bring a technique to those with chronic illness who have exhausted other treatment methods. Kabat-Zinn used a combination of concentration meditation on the breath, body scanning, hatha yoga postures, and traditional mindfulness meditation in the stress reduction and relaxation program. In addition, didactic material on the psychology of stress was given in the form of psychoeducation in group format.

Fear

Soundtrack

Thinking of death …the matter of switching to something else after accepting it … rather than avoiding the subject … let it be as is …

There is no one really to blame for her irrational behaviors. The neighbors all peer as a flock in unison, a community, as she stands at the front door with the hot coals of asphalt beneath her feet. Second degree burns form, cracked and bloody from the arid desert air. A certain filth had grown over the course of several years in these conditions. A sickness inside her, a nausea that rarely left her throat. It tickles her trachea and formes tumors in her intestinal lining. Hair bleached black from overexposure.

There is no fence separation, so there is always full view of these morning activities. Newspapers continue to stack up in the driveway. What peril they stood in! Outdated information from a random assortment of days. Pulling one from the pile is another age to relive. There is a repetitive nature with a forward flow. And as the cluster continues to mature and sprout its offspring they will amalgamate to a whole. It will be a dusting, dry bone collection … highly valued of course with their antiquity. There the shale of the front yard lays, faded days.

She stands in the yard as a saguaro cactus, seven arms, seven hundred years to form, so little movement and no advancement. This is her land.

She walks over to her mailbox, sits down, and waits for exactly 37 minutes. This is her routine. Same clothes. Every single day. There has not been an interruption in over a year. Today, another neighbor does the exact same thing three houses down. He does not know why he does it, but the unspoken commands seemed to lead him directly here. There was, a uniqueness to this coercion. It was too fantastic to pass on such an opportunity to give in to desire. It was an attempt to make sense of the world.

And this continued after that day. Within a few weeks the entire town was sitting together for 37 minutes a day. The result was abreaction … the apogee of civilization. There was such candor in the expression of these individuals. A beauty that could only be understood when one joined. There was no reason for it, but it was all they had to hold onto in their triviality. Their turnover rate is one hundred percent … that is for certain. It is predictable but not completely determined. There is a freedom in not knowing such a thing, or having the power to make that decision at any moment, a backdoor that allows you to live another day.

He did not eat very much this past year. He has an emaciated appearance, his skin flung over that atrophied veal of a torso. He is tender. One would be solicitous of such a delicious corpse. How grim a circumstance for he to be devoured in isolation! No eyes will fall upon his gaze. It was quizzical for him to make the walk every morning. His legs, twigs, may crumble to a fine powder with the wrong approach. 37 minutes lost in reverie. Where did they all go? He cannot be considered republican nor democrat or any other political affiliation and has abstained from the vote since his 18h birthday.

One can no longer differentiation he and she.

How does one advance the story? Something extraordinary would be the ordinary methodology assuming the proper rules and standards were properly adhered to the situation. A general theme of wonderment for the audience! They were directly involved, of course. It was just a matter of obfuscation of hearts. It is rather … umm …  surreptitiously sadistic, a certain brand of humiliation. There is patience in the air with a humbling of this fortunate community. There is a secret … A knowledge of something momentous. Their expressions are different from the others. There is a distinction from the general populace. Their assembly is by no means a private manner either.

Those eyes are still, focused on him, three houses down. It is a mutual joining, darting neighbor to neighbor, communicating in iris rhythms. There is an idealism working through him at the moment, which is how he found himself in this particularly preposterous situation in the first place.

There was a bit of internal argument the night before. There was refutation as he vacillated between his options. He empathized with her plight and for some reason she enthralled him to the edges of his eyelashes. He considered himself a healer at times and felt there was a way to join her in this chagrin. His silence in the matter was something more noble. Their hand waves would harmonize as those mellifluous melodies of the old jazz hall. The shadow of that corpulent woman with the pipes of a thousand church organs. … it feels good. It was something unexpected, which may be considered important in certain aspects and perspectives.

His behavior was considered waggish at first and clearly a way of engendering her favor. An odd way of courting, one would say. It was a generous gesture nonetheless. He had been working out of his garage and timed her each morning. What a romantic cliché! One day he can strive to put his coat over a puddle so his love may get a sense of his fondness for her. He would miss her, as he already does when he sits in the corner of his kitchen eating soup at 3:12am from a cereal-encrusted spoon. He would proceed to scale the sewer walls so he may find his way to lay in the gutter.

She is the string through a rock necklace. She kept them in order. Her pattern is remarkable. Sure, one could break and fall off on its own, but it would generally take a flame to the string to cut through this particular fabric. She was a joiner although very foreign from anyone in view. Perhaps she was a goddess? It would be no less strange to find three consecutive quarters from the same year and a trail to the wishing well.

In the grand scheme of things this will certainly be of importance. Perhaps not remembered, but everything is eventually forgotten when the universe has lost its entropy. There will at some point be no evidence of anything from these moments. A dramatic thought with a bit of a mocking tone. Who is to say this has all been inanity? It brought them together and it seems to be happening at the present moment.

There are some voices in the distance …

“Stop being so toxic to your body? Tell me why that is so. I demand an explanation!” 

“It is a long story friend”

“Good advice I hear. Look it up.”

 “That is quite alright. Thank you for the suggestion.”

 “The pleasure was mine. Until tomorrow.”

He is more terrified than usual on this morning. He was trying so hard to impress her, be adored, and feel loved. He wanted be absorbed into her comfort. He wanted her to save him. It was a bit selfish considering the context. Such was his innate nature of manipulation and neediness. His personality did not have a choice in these matters. Today, however, is his greatest moment ever … this particular moment, in fact. It is the only one he has left to cling onto. There is nowhere else he could be. He made a conscious and free choice to walk out and see for himself.

They grinned at the sun together. It was a catalyst for change. There was a secure feeling in their companionship. He finally recognized the façade, the cape over the unexplainable emptiness of the box. There was never anything in there to be found!

His expectations may not have been reasonable … they are generally high of anything. On this occasion he was not searching for anything because he cannot define what has not yet come into existence. He is despondent but not hopeless. The word hopeless is like a knife across the eyes. He can only hope to never be utterly hopeless. Hopeless has finality to it. His demeanor had gone unrecognized due to his lack of self-awareness.

What was she advertising anyway? What manipulation is brewing? What is this 7:28am brooding all about? There seems to be a confused state of mind. Rather, that state may in fact be a trait, for it meets the criteria. She will never abandon her post. The anticipation mounts, a grip on her from behind, a bear trap around the anklebones. Shattered in stasis awaiting some reaper to bring her to the leather tanner.

He thought he was sitting still but soon found an awareness of a triplet coming from his pointer, middle, and ring fingers. He was keeping time. His thumb is the accent … highly necessary to maintain any stability. The moment is serendipitous as his expectations had been shameful and rotten. This is an ordinary man.

A dramatic turn of events! Full cover is taken by the emergence of foliage. Such are the evolving methods of nature, caring for its delicate creatures. The sun can be a harmful menace. A handsome face, no doubt, yet caustic and blinding with his luminosity … someone really should have thought this through.

Origins of Mindfulness and Western Interpretations

The following are excerpts from my literature review on mindfulness based interventions in clinical psychology. A lot of this information is superfluous and was unnecessary for my study, but I consider it too valuable to leave out as it gives a firm background of mindfulness. I left in the citations and will provide hyperlinks to their abstracts in the near future.

Origins of Mindfulness Theory

The concept of mindfulness is a long-standing tradition and practice in Eastern culture described by the Buddha, with its foundations outlined in two venerated discourses, the Anapanasati Sutta, mindfulness of breathing, and the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutra (Kabat-Zinn, 2003). The Satipaṭṭhāna is the direct path to Nibbana, the final liberation of the mind from suffering and desire, and the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta gives the process to freeing the mind (Anālayo, 2003). In the Buddhist view, the ordinary person is said to live in the state of consciousness called samsara, “cycling endlessly through fantasy words in which his supposed but illusory self-strives to obtain objects of desire, to avoid or destroy objects of fear, and to remain ignorant of its true nature and condition” (Rapgay & Bystrisky, 2009, p. 259). The goal of mindfulness is to free one from suffering through enlightened awareness (Dimidjan & Linehan, 2003; Rapgay & Bystrisky, 2009). The mindful individual is free from the normal preoccupations of lust and desire (Weick & Putnam, 2006). A review of the etymology of Satipaṭṭhāna will provide insight into the practice.

Fantastic overview for beginners

Satipaṭṭhāna is derived from the terms sati, meaning mindfulness, and upatthana, which means, “placing near” (Anālayo, 2003; Weick & Putnam, 2006). Awasthi (2013) describes the Pali (the language of Buddhist texts) word sati as remembering to be aware. Thera’s (1973) work, the basis for most English translations and contemporary Western Buddhism, originally translated sati as mindfulness, relating to bare attention. When translated, Satipaṭṭhāna literally means that one is “attending with mindfulness” (Anālayo, 2003). Satipaṭṭhāna is an attitude of being fully aware, and is the “cause” for establishing sati (Anālayo, 2003). The Buddha describes the development of sati, or mindfulness, as something that can lead to an awareness of the breadth of objects and reality (Nhất Hanh, 1999). Nhất Hanh (1999) tells us that mindfulness comes from the Sanskrit word smriti, which means, “remembering’” It is clear that central to mindfulness are awareness and attention.

Nhat Hanh provides an excellent introduction to Buddhism

Bodhi (2011) describes mindfulness as a clear awareness of what is occurring in the perceptual field. It is a focus on the present moment to the object of consciousness with a clear mental focus (Rosch, 2007; Thera, 1973). One must remember to come back to the present moment or there would be no existence. It would be a depressed and anxious reality living in memories and undetermined future events. Mindfulness is a way of allowing the mind to wander through thoughts, emotions, and sensations, yet able to bring oneself back into focus (Bodhi, 2011). Mindfulness is a way of watching experience rise and fall through consciousness (Bodhi, 2011). It is a manner of observing with calm, relaxation, and from a distance (Anālayo, 2003). In other words, it is an objective view without judgment on the thoughts, feelings, and sensations that arise and fall. It is a sense of detachment from what comes through the field of processing. Central to the concept of detachment is the recognition that there is an impermanent quality to all in existence.

Impermanence is essential to mindfulness training, as one must recognize the transient nature of experience and objects, including the contemplation of corpses (Gunaratana, 2002; Rosch, 2007). There is no stable existence and it should be known that physical death is constantly lurking (Anālayo, 2003). Everything is temporary, including thoughts, feelings, and sensations (Gunaratana, 2002). It is not viewed as a negative in contrast to the existential anxiety associated with Western views of death. There is a sense of freedom in detachment from impermanent objects. It is important for one to contemplate the nature of the impermanent nature of existence during mindfulness training.

Understanding our impermanent nature

The contemplation during mindfulness training also moves from internal to external contemplation (Anālayo, 2003). In general, one begins by contemplating their subjective, internal stimuli, and emanates toward an understanding of their surroundings and the true nature of the universe from an objective standpoint (Anālayo, 2003). Mindfulness is described as the ability to gather information (Anālayo, 2003). The wise mind would access knowledge beyond basic consciousness (Rapgay & Bystrisky, 2009). Mindfulness presupposes wisdom, allowing for clear insight and the illumination of knowledge (Anālayo, 2003). As a specific example of clear insight, Rosch (2007) describes the emotion of anger as reverting to a “peaceful mirror-like wisdom” and habits becoming “the wisdom of enlightened all-accomplishing actions” (p. 260). Inherent to wisdom is the understanding and compassionate experiencing of the external world.

Mindfulness requires the subjective, empathic experiencing of the self and others (Anālayo, 2003). One becomes selfless by focusing externally on others while in their presence. The Buddha would directly face speakers during conversation, intensely focused on what they have to say (Anālayo, 2003). He would be able to recognize changes in facial expressions, tone of voice, posture, and other non-verbal communication (Anālayo, 2003). In practice, one begins by focusing internally and emanating externally. Once an individual is able to understand and process their own thoughts, feelings, and reactions, they can begin to observe and understand others. Without the focus on external stimuli, one would become self-absorbed and submit to excess desires.

Mindfulness is able to balance and supervise the mental factors to prevent this self-absorption and excess desire (Anālayo, 2003). It has a protective role in that it prevents unwholesome thoughts from entering. It “guards the mind” as it controls outside influences, stabilizing and preventing one from being distracted by excess desire (Anālayo, 2003). It guides one to be of service to others and to help express qualities such as patience, harmlessness, loving kindness, and compassion (Chiesa, 2011).

Clinical mindfulness-based interventions appear to incorporate the cognitive constructs of awareness, attention, and acceptance in the present moment, but disregard some of the more ethereal aspects of wisdom, freedom from desire, and loving kindness. Measurement instruments have been written for clinical research, so it is important to understand what psychological changes researchers have been purporting to measure in the context of these interventions.

Mindfulness Based Interventions

Dimidjan and Linehan (2003) alert to the ambiguity in the clinical field of mindfulness, especially considering the differences in intervention style, as some look to meditation while others look from a cognitive perspective. The purpose of mindfulness using meditation appears to be as a relaxation technique with the purpose of reducing stress (Kabat-Zinn, 1982; Segal et al., 2002). A cognitive restructuring method will focus on reframing the way one views their subjective experience (Hayes et al., 2006; Linehan, 1993). Considering the various approaches incorporating distinctive concepts of mindfulness, it is important to develop a consensus for the operational definition of mindfulness to empirically assess the relationship between the different factors of mindfulness and reduction in specific areas of psychological distress (Dimidjan & Linehan, 2003)

Operational Definitions of Mindfulness in Clinical Psychology

Clinical Psychology has taken the concept of mindfulness and attempted to break it into several constructs. The literature points to fundamental concept areas of mindfulness including: 1) Awareness and attention to the present moment 2) Acceptance and openness to the present moment 3) Curiosity and knowledge of internal and external experience. Defining mindfulness also incorporates a discussion of how one achieves mindfulness, with perspectives on mindfulness as an intrinsic trait yet also as a skill, which may be practiced and developed.

Awareness and attention. One of the central themes has been focusing the individual on the present moment or immediate experience (Bishop, Lau, Shapiro, Carlson, Anderson, & Carmody, 2004; Kabat-Zinn, 2003; Thompson & Waltz, 2007). Brown and Ryan (2004) describe it as attention to and awareness of our present consciousness. There is an observational focus on thoughts, feelings, and sensations, although it is not a metacognition since it not subjectively biased (Brown & Ryan, 2004). It is akin to watching yourself through a screen without the ability to interrupt the flow of action and script. Feldman et al. (2007) differentiates between attention and awareness, with the former being a cognitive faculty and the latter a more ethereal aspect of consciousness. Brown and Ryan (2003) describe awareness as a sort of background, sub-consciousness, with attention the focusing of awareness. In particular, attention is a focus on the immediately observable, such as the feeling of rain splashing against the skin, while awareness is an understanding of the nature of rain as temporary to the current moment. Bishop et al. (2004) describes attention as the ability to concentrate on a particular object, such as breath. The opposite of attention would be divided attention, someone engaged in multiple tasks at the same time (Brown & Ryan, 2003). This person would be distracted from the present moment.

Bishop et al. (2004) describes this type of self-observation as reflective as opposed to reflexive. It is a patient approach, allowing events to unfold on their own accord (Kabat-Zinn, 2003). Impulsivity, the psychological opposite, would be an automatic and reflexive reaction (Brown & Ryan, 2003). When describing a reflexive approach, Brown and Ryan (2003) differentiate thought from consciousness, as consciousness is not a cognitive faculty. Thoughts, feelings, and sensations are merely contents of consciousness (Brown & Ryan, 2004). However, Bishop et al. (2004) describes the deautomization as a mental activity that attends to the details of one’s perceptions.

Acceptance and openness to the present moment. Inherently attached to observation is acceptance and openness to the present moment (Bishop, 2004; Dimidjan & Linehan, 2003; Kabat-Zinn, 1990; Segal et al., 2002; Teasdale 2002). When observing the self in a non-judgmental and open stance, the individual does not attempt to alter their situation. The person allows thoughts, feelings, and sensations to exist uninterrupted (Bishop et al., 2004). There is no evaluation of the present moment (Hayes & Wilson, 2003). The avoidant person constricts their way of living by avoiding difficult events instead of incorporating the total experience (Brown & Ryan, 2003; Chiesa, 2013; Hayes & Wilson, 2003). As one becomes fully accepting, attention relaxes, and more distinct feelings, thoughts, and sensations come to the mind (Chiesa, 2013). There is true freedom in that there are no attachments to subjective and impermanent experiences.

Brown and Ryan (2004) argue that acceptance is a redundant construct, subsumed within the framework of awareness and attention. An individual who does not accept something will inherently limit their awareness and redirect their attention through avoidance. However, there does appear a sequence of events that can be used to illuminate the difference between observation and acceptance as separate constructs. Thoughts, feelings, and sensations arise in the field of attention and may be recognized for their bare essence. Prior to judgment is existence of the essence. The next moment is the ability to judge, whether it is acceptance or non-acceptance. Judgment with an accepting quality is an essential component of a wise mind.

Curiosity and knowledge of internal and external experience. Kabat-Zinn (1990) describes wisdom as knowledge of the self. There is an open curiosity about the present moment (Bishop et al., 2004; Thompson & Waltz, 2007). The individual investigates the flow of information as it enters and leaves the field of attention (Bishop et al., 2004). The individual is able to understand meaning and provide complex descriptions, as he becomes more understanding of the information and processes in his consciousness (Segal et al., 2002). The purpose of such knowledge is to remove delusions and ignorance from the mind (Kabat-Zinn, 2003). One of the primary concepts of a wise mind is impermanence, which can be gained through an approach of non-attachment (Kabat-Zinn, 1990). The mindful individual develops their wisdom through contemplation of their observation of thoughts, feelings, and sensations of external and internal stimuli (Anālayo, 2003). However, mindfulness is not merely an intellectual effort one can simply study in text, but a maturing process through confrontation of experience (Thera, 1973). Contemplation is a patient experience requiring subjective understanding of the phenomena of the universe.

Understanding the origins of the Universe

Dimidjan and Linehan (2003) suggest the construct of wisdom is tied to compassion, and it must be defined to fully understand mindfulness. Compassion and empathy for the self and others is another tenet of mindfulness (Kabat-Zinn, 1990). Kraus and Sears (2008) describe the attitudes of individuals have being open with loving kindness, joy, and compassion toward the self and others. In the path toward freedom from suffering and full Nibbana, the right mindfulness demonstrates an ethical approach and judgment of what is wholesome (Chiesa, 2013; Dhiman, 2008). Inherent to ethical behavior is the concept of doing no harm (Gunaratana 2002; Thera, 1973). The ethical individual emanates warmth and compassion toward all persons and experiences in the world (Rapgay & Bystrisky, 2009).

Compassion and Ethical Behavior. Kraus and Sears (2008) call for new measures to emphasize the positive aspects of loving kindness and compassion, as existing measures of mindfulness do not address these elements. Mindfulness requires the subjective, empathic experiencing of the self and others (Anālayo, 2003). Kabat-Zinn (1990) describes compassion and empathy for the self and others as essential to mindfulness training. Kraus and Sears (2008) describe this attitude as being open with loving kindness, joy, and compassion toward the self and others. Hoffman, Grossman, and Hinton (2011) describe loving compassion as a foundation for achieving a state of mindfulness, as one would be trapped in rumination without it. Loving compassion involves the directing of unconditional love toward the self, good friends, neutral parties, and enemies (Hoffman, Grossman, & Hinton, 2011; Pace et al. 2008), through meditative practice. The common theme for compassion is love superseding judgment for the self and others. In the path toward freedom from suffering, the right mindfulness also demonstrates an ethical approach and judgment of what is wholesome (Chiesa, 2013; Dhiman, 2008). Inherent to ethical behavior is the concept of doing no harm (Gunaratana, 2002; Thera, 1973). The ethical individual emanates warmth and compassion toward all persons and experiences in the world (Rapgay & Bystrisky, 2009).

The Reduction in the Breadth of the Construct of Mindfulness. One of the criticisms of mindfulness as a construct in Western culture is the dichotomization of meditation as a technique from its spiritual origins (Dimidjan & Linehan, 2003). Dimidjan and Linehan (2003) suggest the concept has been watered down to fit a particular scientific and measurable outcome. The original meaning of mindfulness is not just an understanding of mental states as suggested by the current self-report questionnaire; it is something more ethereal, requiring rigorous training and contemplation (Grossman, 2008; Van Dam, Earleywine, & Borders, 2010). The original concept connects attention and awareness to kindness, compassion, ethical behavior, and wisdom (Grossman, 2008). These concepts are often ignored in the mindfulness-based therapies in Western culture (Bergomi , Tschacher, & Kupper, 2012). While present focus is a key concept in mindfulness, it appears to be oversimplified in the Western context. The purpose of mindfulness is to aid one on their path toward enlightenment, not specifically as a stress reduction technique (Rosch, 2007). The mental states produced are a byproduct of mindfulness but not explicitly set as goals, which would be counterproductive to the training (Christopher, Charoensuk, Gilbert, Neary, & Pearce, 2009; Kabat-Zinn, 2003).

The result has been a construct that narrows the breadth and sacredness of the Satipaṭṭhāna. It is culturally insensitive to tear aspects of a spiritual tradition and repackage it under the same name. It becomes ethnocentric and is no longer “mindfulness”. Separating certain factors destroys the inherent interrelationship among these concepts as they cannot exist interdependently and still be labeled as measures of mindfulness (Ivanovski & Malhi 2007). Grossman (2011) warns that mindfulness may become known by its new definition based on the current questionnaires, stripping it of its rich history. Considering there are no external validation methods to verify mindfulness meditation practices, it is important to conceptually maintain the tradition philosophical understanding (Awasthi, 2013; Grossman, 2008). Chiesa (2011) argues that current clinical operational definitions have failed to produce a definition that accounts for the complex nature of the traditional definition of mindfulness. The reality, language, and environment of different cultures will impact the way in which the concept is understood.

Mindful Thoughts Script

The purpose of letting go of the past means not forming an attachment to it – although it can sometimes be difficult to entirely forget. We have intrusive thoughts that just seem to surreptitiously creep up on us. So it is our responsibility to be aware of these thoughts in an objective manner, or as objective as you can be about yourself using unbiased evidence around you, and allow them to exist within. However, when they come up, do not hold them or try to push away. Observe, notice it, and find a new thought as it enters your consciousness. Since Time moves forward, always, there is always a new opportunity to notice something new and different.

How exciting?

In cognitive behavior therapy, we may try to stop that particular thought from occurring and replace it with a different one. The alternative would be choosing your own. CBT is a directive approach, while acceptance of impermanence and allowing thoughts to unfold, blossom, and die as a spring orchid, is non-directive and more in line with a mindfulness-based approach. Both appear valid and moral and have their place. Thoughts are learned processes. They can be unlearned. The trouble with choosing thoughts to start and to stop depends upon a value judgment. The question being “is this a good or bad thought, a positive or negative one, a rational or irrational one”, and you make the choice based on what will make you feel better. Now we are talking about thoughts that makes you feel a certain way, which may lead you to believe this proves thoughts come before emotions. However, thoughts are influenced by the chemical reactions that produce those positive vibes. The chemical reactions are caused by electrical differentials.

Everything you put into your body becomes a part of you. Your body consumes the molecules of substances and disperses it throughout. The water that comprises most of your body is changed out. It is important to consume water and useful foods. I say useful, because there are a lot of “empty” foods that are pretty much a waste of time. Eating should be efficient. Ok, maybe it doesn’t have to be efficient. The important part is to pay attention to the food as it enters your body.

Do not limit the concept to food. Exposure to anything can have an effect on your structure. Pay attention to your place in the environment and how you interact with it, and of course, how it interacts with you. Use your senses to understand your surroundings. It is important to stay connected with your environment, understand that you are made of the same atoms, merely a vessel, carrying those atoms into new forms, previously existing in another form. You came from a fertilized egg. The egg and sperm came from organic material, cells, spermatozoon, eukarya, cells. These cells came from various processes in the body, mostly from what we is consume. The food we eat is the building blocks of our organic structure.

Food Chain as taught by Princess Bubblegum