the art of mindfulness, meditation & addiction: innovative ... · here is a mindfulness...

14th Annual IITAP Symposium 3/12/2019

© 2019 IITAP, LLC (All content reprinted with permission of the presenter) 1

The Art of Mindfulness, Meditation & Addiction:

Innovative Tools to Support Mindful Recovery for Addicts & Partners

Founder and Owner of:

• Growth Counseling Services, Glendora, CA.

www.GrowthCounselingServices.com

• The Counselor’s Coach

www.TheCounselorsCoach.com

Author of:

• Facing Heartbreak: Steps to Recovery for

Partners of Sex Addicts

• The Creative Clinician: Exercises & Activities

for Clients and Group Therapy

• Healing Betrayal

MEET YOUR PRESENTERS:

Mari A. Lee, LMFT, CSAT‐S, MBAT‐S

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Founder and Co‐Owner of:

• Sano Center for Recovery,

• Long Beach, Newport Beach, & West LA, CA.

www.sanorecovery.com

• Sano Press, Long Beach, CA

• www.sanopress.com

Author of:

• Transforming the Addictive Mind

• Recovery Coaching Client Handbook

• Awakening to the Addictive Mind (Fall 2019)

MEET YOUR PRESENTERS:

Darrin G. Ford, MA, LMFT, CSAT‐S, MBAT‐S

Please hold your questions, we will allow plenty of time at the end of the presentation.

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There will be two experiential mindfulness exercises; please turn your phone to silent mode now.

The What, Why and How of Incorporating Mindfulness in your Recovery Practice

• What is Mindfulness?

• Why Mindfulness?

• How does one experience Mindfulness?

• Experiential Exercises

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What Mindfulness Meditation is not:

Positive thinking or a particular “religion”

Positive thinking or a particular “religion”

Just another relaxation technique

Just another relaxation technique

Going into a tranceGoing into a trance

Trying to blank your

mind

Trying to blank your

mind

Mindfulness Helps Change Internal Scripts and Negative Self Talk

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The “3 C” Mindfulness Exercise for Sex Addicts in Recovery ©

Cognition Pause: Take a breath, recognize the thought ("She/he/they are/is sexy, nice body part)"

Concentration Shift: I am choosing to shift my concentration in a non selfshaming way ("I choose not to objectify that person, I choose to honorboundaries, I choose to focus on recovery")

Connection to Self: "This new thought helps me feel better connected to..."(mind/body/spirit/) in these ways (list ways).

Connection to Relationship: "This shift helps me feel more connected to(self, spouse/higher power) in these ways (list ways).

By Mari A. Lee, LMFT, CSAT

MINDFULLNESS IS AN IMPORTANT SUPPORT TO THE CSAT TASK MODEL

HELPING CLIENTS STEER THEIR SHIP

TASKS ARE COGNITIVE IN NATURE WHICH PROVIDES A SAFE CONTAINER AND ROAD MAP OF FOCUS FOR ADDICTS IN EARLY THERAPY

HOWEVER, TASKS ALONE ARE NOT ENOUGH,

WE MUST BE WILLING TO GO DEEPER

TEACHING CLIENTS IN RECOVERY MINDFULLNES AND MEDITATION TECHNIQUES HELPS THE CLIENT INCREASE A TOLERANCE TO DISTRESS

INCREASES SELF REGULATION

INCREASES SELF COMPASSION

INCREASES ABILITY TO UNDERSTAND AND COMMUNICATE THE EMOTIONS THAT SURFACE WHEN UTILIZING THE TASK MODEL IN EARLY RECOVERY

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The Key Principals of Mindfulness

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Mindfulness can be defined as paying attention in a particular way, on purpose, in the present moment, and non‐judgmentally(Kabat‐Zinn, 1994, p4)

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Cultivating healthy intimacy with the self

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Becoming more aware, increasing compassion

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Becoming more intentional

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Becoming more participatory in your life and experiences

And

Relationships

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Becoming more present and alive in each moment you live (Australian National University)

Uses of Mindfulness

To support insight and healing for therapy

clients

Health Centres' and Hospitals as an aid to healing and stress

reduction

Bereavement Groups Assisting with Staff Burnout prevention

For sex addiction recovery and partner trauma reduction

An important support to the CSAT and

Partner’s Task Model

University of Wisconsin is now working with a public school district to

begin “Kindness classes”

Medical Schools are beginning to incorporate

compassion training

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Is It Just Distraction?

“Meditation is not an escape from life … but preparation for really being in life.”

-Thich Nhat Han

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What the Eastern Origins Teach

MINDFULNESS OF THE BREATH

MINDFULNESS OF THE BODY, IN STILLNESS AND IN MOVEMENT

MINDFULNESS OF THOUGHTS

MINDFULNESS OF EVERYDAY

EXPERIENCES

COMPASSION, ACCEPTANCE

1 Million Thailand School Children Meditating for World Peace

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Origins of mindfulness

Westernised and popularized by several teachers including those in our clinical field: Westernised and popularized by several teachers including those in our clinical field:

Jon Kabat‐ZinnJon Kabat‐Zinn

PemaPema

Richie DavidsonRichie Davidson

Daniel SiegalDaniel Siegal

Tisdale Tisdale

Peter LevinePeter Levine

Tara BrachTara Brach

Deepak Chopra Deepak Chopra

As the Zen Buddhist monk Thích Nhất Hạnh so wisely states, “Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.”

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The Use of Mindfulness in Group Therapy

Exercise from Mari’s SA Groups

Let’s Practice! Breath Exercises

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The 4‐7‐8 (or Relaxing Breath) Exercise by Dr. Andrew Weil

The 4‐7‐8 breathing exercise is a simple meditation that take very little time, requires no equipment and can be done anywhere by anyone.

Although you can do the exercise in any position, sit with your back straight while learning the exercise. Place the tip of your tongue against the ridge of tissue just behind your upper front teeth, and keep it there through the entire exercise. You will be exhaling through your mouth around your tongue; try pursing your lips slightly if this seems awkward.

• Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound.• Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of four.• Hold your breath for a count of seven.• Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of eight.

This is one breath. Now inhale again and repeat the cycle three more times for a total of four breaths. Do not do more than four breaths at one time for the first month of practice.

Benefits of the 4‐7‐8 Relaxing Breath

• This breathing exercise is a natural “tranquilizer” for the nervous system, and gains in power with repetition and practice.

• It is portable. You cannot do it too frequently. Once you develop this technique by practicing it every day, it will be a very useful tool that you will always have with you.

• Use it with triggers – before you act or react. Use it whenever you are aware of internal tension or stress. Use it to help you fall asleep.

• Adults and children can benefit from it.

• If you feel a little lightheaded when you first breathe this way, slow down, it will pass.

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Here is a mindfulness exercise, called a Yoni Mudra, for you to try with clients:

1. Sit comfortably, placing items near you, turn off phone, and remove glasses.

2.Open both hands and use each finger to close your ears, eyes, and mouth. Both thumbs will gently close your ears. Your pointer finger will gently close your eyelids. Your middle finger will be placed on near your nostrils. And your ring and little fingers will be placed on your closed lips.

3. Inhale deeply with everything closed except your nostrils.

3. Press your nostrils closed and hold your breath for a count of 3.

4. Release your nostrils and HUM on the exhale mimicking the sound of bees buzzing in your head.

5. Repeat 10 times until you feel you have really gone inward, only focusing on your breath and the HUM.

6. Notice the calm and centeredness of your body, mind and spirit.

7. Your body is now in a parasympathetic state where the restoration and healing takes place.

Shared with permission: Eva Inglizian, L.Achttps://www.sagradawellness.com

I am sorry your brain is hurting

Why is Mindfulness

Helpful for Addicts & Partners?

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First things first:

Defining the

“Mind”

“The Mind is a hypothesizing making

machine that reflects on the past and

spits out a hypothesis about the future.

The reason that we as humans suffer in

general, is because we over identify with

the hypothesis as being accurate, rather

than reflecting on the hypothesis and

determining whether it is in line with

reality or not.”

‐DARRIN FORD

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Why Mindfulness?

Impact of Stress on Neuroplasticity

(Davidson & McEwen, 2012, Nature Neuroscience)

•Neuroplasticity: Brains ability to physically adapt to environmental stimuli for better or worse•Hippocampus: Primary function is memory, regulation•Dendritic Connections: Neuronal connectors in the brain•Amygdala: Primarily responsible for Fear and arousal (other emotions as well)

VAPASSANA MEDITATION EFFECTON RECOVERY

Non Meditative Group

Meditative Group

Addicts have a challenge with regulating intense

emotions and this is highly correlated with PTSD, ADHD, Trauma.

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Relations between amygdala activity and recovery and lifetime hours of practice

RecoveryReactivity

Schulyer et al., study under review

How Mindfulness Helps Networks for Attention

Hey, what’s that!!

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Darrin’s Personal Meditation Story

The Heart of Compassion

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The Destructive Compassion Dance

Linked to both the craving/wanting motivational limbic system as well as a threat to the motivational system.

Dance Step 1: Addict attempts to bargain for their addiction with partner (only a beer, only a porn magazine, only one more time, etc.) by using threats, denial, gas lighting, shame, guilt, silence. Tension increases.

Dance Step 2: Partner experiences a trauma response (fear, anger, confusion, shame) to the pressure or deception. In order to gain relief and false control, may step in to the dance with the addict and attempt to manage the addict’s behavior and choices in order to mitigate outcomes.

Dance Step 3: Reinforces a false sense of control for the partner.

“Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded.It's a relationship between equals." ‐ Pema Chorden

The Constructive Compassion Dance Linked to the caring system which grows compassion, connection, empathy, executive functioning, insight. Part of the prefrontal Cortex and Limbic System.

Dance Step 1: Addict attempts to bargain or bully for their addiction with partner (only a beer; only a porn magazine, only one more time, etc.). Tension increases.

Dance Step 2: Partner feels a threat/fear however, over time, with support, trauma healing, tools, and practice, is willing to bear witness to the struggle without managing outcomes, or placing addict as being all good or all bad, and is better able to regulate emotions and not allow for a boundary collapse.

Dance Step 3: The partner accepts they have no control over the addict. The addict can choose to make a decision to feel better momentarily with their drug of choice, or to get better for the long haul. The partner is able to put the focus on their own healing.

Only when we know our own darkness well can we be present with the darkness of others. Compassion becomes real when we recognize our shared humanity.”‐ Pema Chorden

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Neurocardiac Coupling

Lutz et al., 2009, Neuroimage

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Heart rate during compassion practice

vs. non compassion

practice . Lutz et al, 2009, Neuroimage

Mari’s Case Example: Teaching a client that mindfulness is

essentially experiential – we practice it…

Formal practice – meditation e.g. body scan, mindful

movement, sitting practice, breathing space

Informal Practice – awareness of body sensations, thoughts, emotions and sensory input during daily life. Practiced in ordinary activities like eating,

washing, brushing teeth

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Human Motivational Systems Mind and Life XXVI, 2013. Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences

Connection + Trust = Compassion

The role of the caring system, the

compassion system, heart/brain, and

neuropeptides and hormones such as

oxytocin for trust and compassion.

Let’s Practice!

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TMAATT.COM

Mindfulness Certification Training for Clinical Addiction Professionals

Resources

Brantley, J. (2003) Calming your anxious mind. New Harbinger Publications.

Eckhart, T. (2002) Practicing the power of now. Hodder & Stoughton

Kabat‐Zin, J. (2005) Wherever you go there you are. Hyperion

Santoreli, S. (1999) Heal thyself. Bell Tower.

Kumar, S. (2005) Grieving Mindfully. New harbinger

Centre for Mindfulness Research & Practice: University of Wales www.bangor.ac.uk/mindfulness

Sano Center for Recovery: WWW.SANORECOVERY.COMSano Press: WWW.SANOPRESS.COM or you can call us at 562‐356‐8686

Contact Darrin directly at 562‐284‐7077 /Email: [email protected]

Mari A. Lee, LMFT, CSAT‐S ,WWW.THECOUNSELORSCOACH.COM, (818) 521‐4370CSAT SUPERVISION • BUSINESS COACHING • FORMAL DISCLOSURE PACKETS • FORMS & MATERIALS FOR THERAPISTS

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Questions? Thank you for your time!

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