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mindfulness training/ meditation benefits?

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 3/10/2008 4:51 PM (GMT 0)
Hi,

I'm wondering if any one has experienced reduced symptoms/relapses as a (perceived?) result of mindfulness training and/or meditiation. Thank you for your posts!

Posted 3/11/2008 2:51 AM (GMT 0)
I haven't tried this personally, but am interested if anyone else has. I would like to start doing meditation.
Posted 3/11/2008 7:12 AM (GMT 0)
I do meditation, a great way to start is Jack Kornfield's book Meditation for Beginners. Its helpful and is nice as well as relaxing. If anyone has any other input I would love to see what you all are doing and trying. I'm flaring so I read the boards all the time when I flare it makes me feel better to know other people suffer with this disease. Sometimes its like your the only one.
Posted 3/11/2008 1:26 PM (GMT 0)
I'm actually in remission right now. (1 month after prednisone!) I do research on asthma in kids and am looking into mindfulness training to help them. In the literature, I've seen mindfulness training has helped cancer patients and people with depression. I was just wondering about people's experience with UC and Crohns, too, since it hits close to home. It makes sense that it can help. I haven't begun mindfulness training myself, but am going to start very soon! Hopefully, it can help to keep me in remission.

I agree w/theklep. This forum helps me a lot, too.
Posted 3/11/2008 3:26 PM (GMT 0)
Hi,

I meditate daily and have found that it helps IMMENSELY with managing my disease. A great book is "Full Catastrophe Living" by Jon Kabat Zinn. I attended one of his retreats last summer and it completely changed my life and outlook on having UC. Meditation has helped me realize that although there are difficult times with this disease, I can adjust my perception of what's going on and stay stronger throughout even the worst flare. I would highly recommend mindfulness and meditation to all UC sufferers.

Laura
Posted 3/11/2008 3:58 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you, Laura. Actually, I just got out of a meeting and we talked about that book. It's on my list to read!

It's comforting to me to know that there are non-medication options for managing our illness.
Posted 3/11/2008 4:00 PM (GMT 0)
What was the hardest part of starting/sticking with mindfullness/meditation?
Posted 3/11/2008 4:44 PM (GMT 0)
Hey Laura, How does the Tumeric work? I am enticed by it being in all caps in your signature! Lb
Posted 3/12/2008 1:26 AM (GMT 0)
What is mindfulness training? Is it different than meditation?
Posted 3/12/2008 1:46 PM (GMT 0)
From what I've gathered so far in my lit review, mindfulness is usually defined, "to be fully in the present moment, w/out judging or evaluating it, w/out reflecting backwards on past memories, w/out looking forward to anticipate the future… and w/out attempting to problem solve or otherwise avoid any unpleasant aspects of the present situation."

Mindfulness training is similar to meditation. The difference is that in meditation, the focus is on an object, word or koan (dilema like "what's the sound of one hand claapping"). In mindfulness training, awareness of your body in space and your breath are important. But, the focus is on an awareness of the moment- your own thoughts, external environment right now at this moment in time. Being fully present in the current moment, not thinking about the past or future. Also, if you happen to be uncomfortable, it's the practice of taking away the judgment of the discomfort and just being aware of it. It's been shown to help relieve symptoms of pain.

I hope this info helps :)
Posted 3/12/2008 2:29 PM (GMT 0)

There are many types of meditation but at its core meditation is a deep state of relaxation. The word world drops away and the primordial world which always exists but we are not present to takes its place.  Meditation, like yoga and other practices are part of very old teachings. In this country (USA) they have to some extent been taken away from their original purposes which was for spiritual development and put into a context they were not designed for. They are taught by people without adequate training who learned from other people without adequate training often as self help aids, this is a corruption IMO.  That said I believe there are particularly with UC tangible physical benefits from meditation, from the deep physical relaxation that takes place. 

Posted 3/12/2008 7:43 PM (GMT 0)
I think Traci summed up mindfulness very well. In terms of my UC, I've learned how to just be present with whatever is happening and not let my mind spiral out of control and invent stories about how horrible things are going to be in the future if the flare continues. It's funny how if you just keep your attention in the present moment, things suddenly don't seem quite as bad. I've realized that I only add to my own suffering by feeling a sensation in my body, deciding I don't like it, and then having a dialogue with myself about what it "means" to be sick, etc. It's a challenge and seems counterintuitive, but just staying with the pain instead of rejecting and hating it actually helps.
Posted 3/12/2008 9:36 PM (GMT 0)
I found meditation to be helpful in managing the stress and mental anxiety of a flare which, perhaps in a roundabout way, eased physical symptoms. I also found a regular yoga practice to be beneficial.
Posted 3/12/2008 10:31 PM (GMT 0)
well, I've been going to Reiki the past couple months, which runs in the same vein as meditation/mindfulness. While I do enjoy the sessions immensely & leave relaxed & serene, I honestly don't think it's helped with my UC symptoms. Only in the sense that when one is less stressed, one tends to feel better. But in a strictly physiological sense- nah, they've been about the same! But I do enjoy the Reiki.

Posted 3/13/2008 2:41 AM (GMT 0)

When I think of meditation, I think of talking to God. The Bible says that he is the great physician, and that with him, all things are possible. Do any of you pray to God about your conditions? I do. As hard as it is for me to accept, I know that I am going through this UC horror for a reason, but I pray every day that God would take it away and heal me. That to me, gives me hope, and hope is all that we have knowing that there is no known cure to date. We place our hope in the meds that GI's prescribe, but in my case, none of the meds are working. I will be starting Remicade this next week.

Anyways, I didn't mean to preach, but you have nothing to lose by asking Jesus to heal you, he just might.

Posted 3/14/2008 3:31 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you for explaining that for me, Traci and rdm. =)
Posted 5/31/2011 7:34 PM (GMT 0)
I have just recently practiced meditation for mindfulness, as I have friends that have been practicing and found that they have changed in their perspective and way of life. I'd like to know how that happens, when it happens. I hope that experts in this forum will be able to share their insights on how a newbie like me can gain "inner peace" and continue meditation on a daily basis. I feel that I am always on autopilot mode, merely following routines when I get up in the morning and go to work. I hope that I find more depth into being in this world. Hope you can help me out!
Posted 6/1/2011 9:10 PM (GMT 0)
Strictly speaking Mindfulness is the process of observing, as a witness, all the activities of your mind, feelings, and perceptions as the day goes on. It is a form of meditation (but meditation is more focused and intense). Mindfulness is an awareness technique to "be in the moment" observing what it is happening without any judgement...just observing.

This process cultivates equanimity and separates your mind reactions / body aches into a Witness that sees it all without accepting or rejecting what comes on your observation. The most powerful example of Mindfulness is the Satipathana Sutra which is how the Buddha obtain enlightened. The books recommended above are excellent, just go to a library catalog and type Vipassana or Mindfulness and you will get dozens of books.

Mindfulness has helped me observe the pain without losing myself in it. You will realize that your essence, the Witness, is not the pain itself. It has helped me give myself injections, cope with illness and so on.

The mindfulness process itself is not Buddhist and you can apply it while you practice your own religion !

It is a mind clearing, centering attitude that you will have out of life...
Posted 6/3/2011 5:21 PM (GMT 0)
Something I should put aside time to do daily. At times it has REALLY helped my mental clarity, almost an invincible feeling

check out this recent article

web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2011/meditation-0505.html

Message:
The benefits of meditation MIT and Harvard neuroscientists explain why the practice helps tune out distractions and relieve pain
Posted 6/4/2011 1:15 AM (GMT 0)
Dr. Sam Benjamin in Scottsdale is the one who told me first about LDN and prescribed it for me. He is an MD, Homeopath and an acupuncturist. He asked me if I had much stress and I told him I deal with stress in a problem solving environment that can be stressful but did not feel as though I was living in stress. He asked me if I meditated and strongly suggested that I do this.

He was willing to refer me to someone to help teach me how to meditate. I mentioned to him that I do pray. He said that prayer was good and could be a similar experience. (Suns Fan...and anyone else of this mind.. When I pray I try to focus on Him, He knows what I need and I just trust He will put me were He needs me and submit to that Will). I didn't totally blow off meditation but kept it in the back of my mind as something else to try if things did not get better. Dr. Benjamin has success stories for meditation and success is success. Probably my laziness kept me from this path more than anything. If things had gotten worse than the 20+ times a day to the bathroom or not better I would have pushed aside my laziness and tried his meditation program. Fortunately things got way better and I have been symptom free for 6 months.
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