mindfulness and jung

Mindfulness and Jung

Colin Thompson Melbourne Mindfulness Centre

www.stillmind.com.auto

Melbourne Jung SocietyAugust 15th 2008

Mindfulness and Jung

• Introduction - Early roots of mindfulness• Modern revival of mindfulness as therapy• My personal approach• The flavour of mindfulness• Connections with Jung’s psychology

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Introduction - Early roots of mindfulness

• Hindu meditation• Buddhism• Satipatthana Sutra–Four foundations of mindfulness–Seven factors of awakening


http://www.ncf.ca/ip/sigs/religion/buddhism/introduction/sutras/4-foundations-mindfulness.html

Satipatthana Sutra

• On whatever occasion a monk breathing in long discerns that he is breathing in long; or breathing out long, discerns that he is breathing out long; or breathing in short discerns that he is breathing in short; or breathing out short, discerns that he is breathing out short; trains himself to breathe in... and... out sensitive to the entire body;


Satipatthana Sutra

• Four foundations of mindfulness–Body (Breath, body, bodily processes)–Feelings (Pleasure)–Mind (Thoughts, confusion)–Mental processes (Equanimity)


Benefits of Mindfulness1. Stability of mind– Alert, clear, balanced.

2. Flexibility of awareness– You choose what to focus on

3. Self awareness– Be present to mental activity and understand how

your mind works4. Non-reactivity – Become less reactive to internal and external

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Modern revival of mindfulness as therapy

• Can we do anything better than just teaching clients to meditate?

• Jon Kabat-Zinn –Mindfully based stress reduction

program (MBSR)•8 week structured program in the

“art of conscious living”–“Full Catastrophe Living”


Mindfully Based Stress ReductionProgram – JK-Z

• Mindfulness of the breath• Body awareness–Body scan– Yoga

• Reflection on the awareness exercise• Foundations of mindfulness– Trust, Non-striving, Acceptance, Letting

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Foundations of mindfulness

• Trust• Non-striving• Acceptance• Letting go


Stillmind Approach

• Hear client’s story• Benefits of mindfulness• Mindfulness of the breath• SOAP (Step out of automatic pilot)• Mindfulness of the body• Minimindfulness exercise.

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Minimindfulness

• Step out of automatic pilot and become aware of what you are doing right now, where you are and what you are thinking.

• Become aware of our breathing for about a minute or half a dozen breaths.

• Expand your awareness to your whole body and then to your environment, if you wish.


Individual approach

• Relate benefits to client’s own story• Dealing with barriers to practice• Finding client’s “favourite” negative thoughts– Just observing “I seem to be having that ... thought”

again– Go to breath or sensation– Breathing technique– Challenging thought– Thought stopping


Individual approach

• Showing how thoughts feed emotions• Not fighting, moving towards the symptom• Connecting up thoughts, emotions and

bodily feelings• Sadness, anger (and happiness!) are

embraced and allowed to evolve• End is achieved by allowing, not by doing


Definitions of Mindfulness

• Paying attention to the present moment, on purpose, non-judgementally

• Acceptance that this is how it is right now, without judgement

• Nowhere to go, nothing to attain• The complete owning of each moment of your

experience, the good the bad the ugly


Being in the presentNon-judgementally

• Ezra Bayder – Zen Heart

• W H Auden– To climb the cross of the moment and watch our

illusions die.

• Thich Nhat Hanh – Peace is Every Step• Washing Dishes Meditation


Mindfulness Therapy

How it works• I have thoughts but I am not my thoughts• I have bodily sensations but I am not my

bodily sensations• I have feelings, but I am not my feelingsFundamentals• To stay in the present (as much as possible)• To not react (as much as possible)


Does Mindfulness Work?

• Controlled program with schizophrenics• DBT - dialectical behavioural therapy• Information can be assimilated faster• Meta-analysis – Ruth Baer


What would Carl have thought?

• Carl’s archetypes, complexes, anima, persona, ego, shadow, self and Self c.f.

• Gotama’s thoughts, feelings, mental processes• The ShadowThe Shadow• The empty centre.• Transpersonal and deeper meditation states


Mindfulness Therapy

• It’s cognitive therapy• Based on acceptance of present moment• Moving towards the symptom– Non fighting

• Self critical thought become just thoughts• Sadness, anger (and happiness!) are embraced

and allowed to evolve• End is achieved by not doing


Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

• Doctor doctor, I can’t sleep!– OK why don’t you count sleep

• That’s cognitive therapy

• Doctor Doctor, I can’t sleep!– OK why don’t you have a glass of milk before bed

• That’s behavioural therapy


Reflection on the awareness exercise

• What was happening?• I couldn’t find time.• It didn’t work, I need to try harder• Sometimes it’s ugly


Related Exercises

• SOAP – Step Out of Automatic Pilot• Mini mindfulness• Use of worksheets.• Pleasant/unpleasant events calendar

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mindfulness and jung

Documents

aumelbourne mindfulness

practicefinding clients

short trains

entire body

ausatipatthana sutraon

automatic pilotmindfulness

jungs psychology

jon kabatzinn