Ever put your key in the door and realize you cannot recall a single detail about the commute home? It is easy to slip into autopilot after a long day. When the stresses of life pile up. Or, as in my case, when you happen to find yourself driving a car full of teenagers who insist on singing along with Lady Gaga.
When something feels uncomfortable, we want to escape. Daydreaming is often the first option. However, an increasing body of research is finding that the happiest of people are those who do not let their minds wander. They stay focused on the present moment and notice their responses without judgement. It is something called mindfulness. According to Meredith McEver (photo, below), a therapist who teaches Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) courses in Arlington, just about anyone can do it. “I’ve never had a client who hasn’t benefitted in some way from the program,” she notes.
What is MBSR?
While there are a number of ways to learn mindfulness, MBSR is the most widely used training program for cultivating this skill. The MBSR curriculum, which is rooted in Eastern philosophy, was developed at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in 1979 by Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D. The program has evolved over the years, but Kabat-Zinn’s teachings form the core of most mindfulness training programs offered today.
Class participants meet for eight weeks. During this time they learn and practice a range of meditative techniques, including breath awareness, body awareness, walking and movement meditations, and some gentle yoga. They even practice an eating meditation.
Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), on the other hand, is a variation on this program. It teaches mindfulness just like MBSR does, but there is a special emphasis on mindfulness of thoughts and disengaging from unproductive ones. Researchers have shown this approach to overcoming negative thinking significantly reduces the relapse rate for those who have experienced a major depressive episode. It is also being used by people with other issues, including addiction. McEver notes that in her MBCT groups, participants are often surprised to learn that there is a difference between thoughts and emotions. They realize that emotions are felt in their bodies, not their minds. “This approach helps people recognize that their emotional upset may have been caused by unproductive thoughts that are not necessarily true,” she says.
Mutual support figures largely into the success of both types of groups. Relationships form as people share their insights with one another. Friendships grow. McEver notes that many of her groups continue to meditate together once the formal training is complete.
Benefits of Mindfulness Training
Meditation is an ancient practice. Only in the past few decades, however, has Western science been able to document the benefits of meditation. Several studies found that MBSR improves sleep quality and duration. One of these studies, conducted with transplant recipients, found MBSR improved sleep, and reduced the anxiety and depression that can beleaguer those taking immune suppression medication. Another study of 59 cancer patients in Alberta, Canada, found that those who practiced mindfulness experienced reduced cortisol levels, lower blood pressure and improved immune function as compared to the control group. Moreover, no negative side effects were identified in any of the studies.
In healthy populations, the benefits of MBSR included a reduction in the perception of “daily hassles,” a significant reduction in emotional distress, and a 46 percent reduction in medical symptoms immediately following the group. These benefits were still in evidence at a three month follow up.
Thanks to recent advances in medical imaging of the brain, researchers now know that meditation can positively alter brain structure. In a recent study, published in the March issue of Psychiatry Research Neuroimaging, participation in eight weeks of MBSR “led to increases in grey matter concentration within the areas of the brain involved in learning and memory processes, emotion regulation, self-referential processing and perspective taking.” (Credit for photo above, Clay McLachlan at www.Claypix.com).
Local Mindfulness Resources
At A New Perspective in Arlington, Va., Meredith McEver, L.C.S.W., offers six combination MBSR/MBCT courses per year. Class sizes are small, the setting is intimate, and the content is tailored to the needs of students. The $585 fee covers eight weeks of MBSR/MBCT training, a one day meditation retreat and a meditation CD. In some cases, participants receive partial reimbursement by their medical insurance for the cost of this program. To learn more, visit the website, A New Perspective.
At Insight Life Services in Vienna, Va., mindfulness classes are taught by Trisha Stotler, a graduate of the MBSR teacher training program led by Jon Kabat-Zinn at the University of Massachusetts. The price of this eight week MBSR program is $400. Insight Life Services also offers a range of mini-mindfulness programs, including one called “Mindfulness & Motherhood.” (Who doesn’t need that?) Some classes meet in Falls Church. Visit the website, Insight Life Services.
The Insight Meditation Community Of Greater Washington in Bethesda, offers numerous mindfulness workshops, classes and retreats. Some classes are taught by MBSR-certified instructors and closely follow the Kabat-Zinn model. Other instructors offer courses in the ancient Buddhist traditions of mindfulness. Some of these classes meet for a few sessions. Others, such as Jonathan Foust’s “Year of Living Mindfully,” involve significantly more time. There is something for everyone here. To learn more, visit the website, Insight Meditation Community of Greater Washington. Prices vary.
Nancy Brutsche, a psychotherapist and mindfulness teacher who is also a clinical nurse specialist in mental health nursing, offers seasonal Integrative Mindfulness Courses at River Road Unitarian Universalist Church in Bethesda. The program is a blend of MBSR, MBCT and “additional mindfulness concepts.” The $425 fee includes eight classes, a one day retreat, workbook and mindfulness mediation CDs. A portion of the costs of this program may be reimbursable by health insurance. To learn more contact Brutsche at mindfulresources@yahoo.com or 301-793-8715.
Hugh Bryne, Ph.D. (left), co-founded the Mindfulness Training Institute of Washington. He teaches MBSR classes at Blue Heron Wellness in Silver Spring, with Rebecca Hines, M.H.S, a certified holistic health counselor and yoga teacher. Their eight week course costs $525. To learn more, visit Mindfulness Training Institute.
Within the District, MBSR classes are more difficult to come by. Several yoga studios offer weekly mindfulness meditations. The George Washington University Counseling Center offers several mindfulness programs for college students. For everyone else, however, attending mindfulness training will likely involve a trip to the suburbs.
Besides going to the classes, MBSR does involve a significant commitment of time. McEver warns prospective students to expect daily “homework” of 45 minutes to one hour of cumulative meditation and breathing. These formal and informal exercises strengthen the mindfulness practice.
If all this seems like just too much commitment right now, Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Mindfulness for Beginners on CD provides an easy starting point for learning to turn off the auto-pilot.
Who knows? Listening to a mindfulness audiobook may be enough to help you stay in the moment next you find yourself trapped in a car full of singing kids. With a little practice, you may discover what McEver describes as “the beauty in the moment.”
You might even decide to sing along.
