Mindfulness and Other Mind Games

Trail guy, sounds like you’ve mastered your mind. Very impressive

There is a lot of scientific research on mindfulness - do a google search. The mental heath community, clinical psychology, medical practitioners, and psychiatry have been studying this since at least the 1970s. While most studies I've seen suggest some helpfulness of the methods, the evidence isn't overwhelming, but those who master it claim great improvements in there life as a result. Sadly a few of the studies have flaws.

I personally know many people who've been help with these methods and I don't doubt the effectiveness of it. There are a million stories of where it worked. You want absolute proof?

You're not going to get it. If you don't think it will help you - it won't. Move on.

I practice a form of this in my religious practices (I won't discuss here) and find myself more relaxed and better able to handle the crisis that life through at me.

Even in the absence of unimpeachable scientific evidence, I have found enough in the method to suggest that people look at it and decide for themselves if they could benefit from it.

Andrew

InTheShop said...
There is a lot of scientific research on mindfulness - do a google search. The mental heath community, clinical psychology, medical practitioners, and psychiatry have been studying this since at least the 1970s. While most studies I've seen suggest some helpfulness of the methods, the evidence isn't overwhelming, but those who master it claim great improvements in there life as a result. Sadly a few of the studies have flaws.

I personally know many people who've been help with these methods and I don't doubt the effectiveness of it. There are a million stories of where it worked. You want absolute proof?

You're not going to get it. If you don't think it will help you - it won't. Move on.

I practice a form of this in my religious practices (I won't discuss here) and find myself more relaxed and better able to handle the crisis that life through at me.

Even in the absence of unimpeachable scientific evidence, I have found enough in the method to suggest that people look at it and decide for themselves if they could benefit from it.

Andrew

I'm with you on that. I feel the same way about several different concepts we could discuss, based both on "There is a lot of scientific research" and my personal experiences and observations, my own and those of others I know. It's just that, I'm sure you have observed, very often we hear the equivalent of "it's RCTs or it can not be believed, or can not be called either safe or effective".

I have not seen much of that sort of thinking in this thread. Which is fine with me, I would like to see even more of that approach. After all, it is just discussion.

Redwing,

I'm scratching my head regarding your last post. Buddhists do practice meditation. They also eat. Should we not discuss dieting? I'm not dissing you since you are one of my favorite posters. I'm just surprised you found this topic questionable.

I agree with not pulling this post.

Thanks Paul

The link below is to the website I mentioned in an earlier post. It goes directly to perhaps the best book to be found on Breath Meditation. Breath meditation will facilitate bringing mindfulness to bear.

Also at this site you can search through the short talks listed ( there are thousands ) and listen to any that the title states breath meditation or stress or anxiety...............

For any of you who would like a little more info please feel free to email me directly.

I hope this is helpful
May all beings be well and happy.

https://dhammatalks.org/ebook_index.html#eachandeverybreath

Roger

three 5's and a jack said...
The link below is to the website I mentioned in an earlier post. It goes directly to perhaps the best book to be found on Breath Meditation. Breath meditation will facilitate bringing mindfulness to bear.

Also at this site you can search through the short talks listed ( there are thousands ) and listen to any that the title states breath meditation or stress or anxiety...............

For any of you who would like a little more info please feel free to email me directly.

I hope this is helpful
May all beings be well and happy.

https://dhammatalks.org/ebook_index.html#eachandeverybreath

Roger

"A new breath meditation manual by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu drawing on two sources: the Buddha’s own set of instructions on how to use the breath in training the mind, and Ajaan Lee Dhammadharo’s method of breath meditation — which builds on the Buddha’s instructions, explaining in detail many of the points that the Buddha left in condensed form"

So, then, the teachings of Buddha?

Post Edited (BillyBob@388) : 8/13/2018 10:20:36 AM (GMT-6)

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/1809754

Findings After reviewing 18 753 citations, we included 47 trials with 3515 participants. Mindfulness meditation programs had moderate evidence of improved anxiety (effect size, 0.38 [95% CI, 0.12-0.64] at 8 weeks and 0.22 [0.02-0.43] at 3-6 months), depression (0.30 [0.00-0.59] at 8 weeks and 0.23 [0.05-0.42] at 3-6 months), and pain (0.33 [0.03- 0.62]) and low evidence of improved stress/distress and mental health–related quality of life. We found low evidence of no effect or insufficient evidence of any effect of meditation programs on positive mood, attention, substance use, eating habits, sleep, and weight. We found no evidence that meditation programs were better than any active treatment (ie, drugs, exercise, and other behavioral therapies).

But I know it works for me and zillions of others... and the founder of this website.

Somewhat OT, but has Pratoman ever started a thread that didn't go multiple pages?

CuriousCharles' posting of a version of the 1967 hit "Live For Today" (which seems an appropriate song for this thread's topic, BTW) got me to wondering. What role does listening to music play in any of these mindfulness approaches?

Does background music help, or should it be music more central to the process, or is listening to music (or chanting mantras for that matter) considered a distraction, when attempting to achieve the kind of mindfulness we are discussing? If anyone knows or has experience here, please feel free to comment.

But I imagine that there are a few of us (me, for example) who see music itself as a mindfulness tool. Not simply as something to hear while wearing earbuds when mowing the grass, or washing the car, but something listened to in a total and enveloping state of relaxation.

For example, frequently when it's two or three in the morning, after having spent a few hours websurfing, I will retire to my room, and go into full relaxation mode as follows. I will turn off the lights, even pull the curtains, making the room as dark as possible. Then I lay down in bed, put on the earbuds, close my eyes, start the music, and sort of mentally drift away in the darkness for a while, listening to the music, becoming totally relaxed, until the need for sleep comes, at which time I stop the music, take off the earbuds, and fall asleep.

So I would think that something as simple, but as immediately doable, as just listening to music, especially under the kind of controlled relaxation setting such as I have just described, in total darkness for example, can also be a great mindfulness tool.

So what kind of music is good for this purpose? Well, any kind one likes, and can relax to. In my case, most of the time I want to become deeply relaxed, so I listen to something like

/www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LXl4y6D-QI

But sometimes a little stimulation is good, but stimulation that's still along the line of producing a pleasantly distracted feeling, even an almost hypnotic state, so I listen to something like

/www.bing.com/search?q=light+my+fire+youtube&qs=n&form=QBRE&sp=-1&pq=light+my+fire+youtube&sc=6-21&sk=&cvid=1FB9C291F2564849B0D087126CA76200

I should think that listening to relaxing music in a relaxed setting, as described, is something that, for mindfulness purposes, could be of benefit.

81GyGuy said...
... What role does listening to music play in any of these mindfulness approaches?

If anyone knows or has experience here, please feel free to comment.

But I imagine that there are a few of us (me, for example) who see music itself as a mindfulness tool...
something listened to in a total and enveloping state of relaxation.

So what kind of music is good for this purpose? Well, any kind one likes, and can relax to.

I should think that listening to relaxing music in a relaxed setting, as described,
is something that, for mindfulness purposes, could be of benefit.

This is something that I do all the time. But no earbuds... I value my sense of hearing.

I am an audiophile, with more invested in audio equipment than most invest in an automobile.

And always have. It's a taste I inherited from my father. I enjoyed the classics for decades.

But for me now it is New Age music... not electronica, but relaxing Enya-esque music. I veg out on the sofa with my music until I can't stay up any longer, then retire to the bedroom, with a slightly smaller sound system (but comparable in quality) and set the sleep timer to 45-60 minutes. Sometimes I reset it four or five times a night, if I'm having a lot of trouble.

Anymore, the TV just bothers me. Used to be I watched news and late night comedians all the time. But now all the strife just gets me upset. I don't need that in my life. My wife says my music is boring, and that I need to get out more. There is nothing out there that I need.

I'm not sure how much of this newfound "mindlessness" is Lupron-induced. I'm hoping that eventually all that's been going on in my life will finally settle down. Until then I thoroughly enjoy each and every Moment of Peace

garyi said...

Pratoman said...


Thats because the topics i start threads on, are of interest to a broad set of the population. My fears are lurking in everyone. I just talk about them more.

LOL

Entertaining and drawn out, for sure; enlightening, not so much IMHO.

You’re an idiot. And I say that in the spirit of tough love to a brother, so it’s not a rules violation, 😉

You know I’m joking. But you get the point I’m sure

Well I see that unless you get a study with upteen participants and at least 27 pages in length it doesn't seem to be valid around here.

I have but one question, just one. When we are laying on our death bed, as all beings will some day do, will we be asking for a study about what is to come. Or just maybe we will be alone with our minds....Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm what a novel thought!! Alone with one's minds.

I will leave it there.

May all beings be well, always free from animosity and oppression.

Roger

RobLee,

I'm a little bit on your wife's side on the "get out more" thing. I mean, meditation is all very well, but how are you going to know if you've found the center if you've lost track of your edges?

I've bumped the GFMPH New York thread for your consideration.

Sitting around a fire and listening to people talk and laugh has its own kind of Zen.