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SATI: (n) (1) mindfulness (2) present moment awareness

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Let's talk about stress

February 20, 2018 Craig Hase
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(This is the first installation in a six part series on the known benefits of mindfulness and meditation. For the intro, click here.)

I wrote my dissertation about the experiences of people of color in primarily white meditation communities (for a seven part explanation of the findings, click here). Having been involved in meditation communities for my entire adult life, and having been disturbed by the lack of racial and ethnic diversity in said communities, this was a personal and important topic for me.

It seemed natural enough, then, to invite two of my heroes onto my committee. First, the aforementioned Richie Davidson. Second, Ann Gleig, a truly ass kicking Buddhologist at the University of Central Florida (look for her upcoming book, out this summer) who studies just the sorts of things I was writing about.

It seemed natural enough, too, to invite board members from nearly all the major meditation communities in Madison, Wisconsin to my dissertation defense.

In fact, all this seemed like just the thing: get the message out, get folks involved, and let’s all have a good think together.

Or that’s how it looked to me until about 60 minutes before my defense, when I realized that 22 people were coming. All of them really important to me in one way or another. Suddenly, it did not seem like “the thing” at all. I started to sweat. My breathing got tight. I could feel a rising heat in my chest. I was panicking.

Thankfully, I teach mindfulness to people all over the place, and so I thought, maybe this would be a good time to try some.

So I stepped into my office, did some mindful movement, and then quietly counted my breaths for ten minutes. Just like that, the panic passed. I was still energized, but no longer frozen. When it came time to defend my findings against the 90-minute onslaught of tête-à-tête challenges from my committee, I was ready.

*          *          *

As it turns out, my experience with the stress of defending my dissertation lines up pretty well with the research findings.

Novice meditators who undergo an 8-week training in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), show significant decreases in a number of measures related to stress. First off, they self-report lower stress levels and a greater capacity to handle stress. Second, their cortisol levels go down. Third, the amygdala, that almond-shaped cluster of neurons so famous for its role in PTSD and other related syndromes, calms. And that’s just after 30 or so hours of mindfulness training.

After a little more training, participants’ “baseline” state of stress goes down, not only when they are meditating, but when their minds are occupied with something else, showing reductions in amygdala activation of up to 50 percent. Unsurprisingly, more and more practice produces stronger and stronger results.

As Jon Kabat-Zinn found nearly thirty years ago when he began rolling out the MBSR program for chronic pain patients, this development of a non-reactive attention has big effects on participants’ ability to work skillfully with pain. For example, experienced Zen practitioners are both able to withstand higher levels of pain and their brains show less reactivity to the stress of experiencing that pain.

(For an example of how I used mindfulness with an inmate suffering from chronic pain, click here.)

Finally, long-term meditators recover more quickly from real-life stressors (such as the Trier Interview), pointing to the ability to regulate emotions under duress as a skill that can be learned and sustained, rather than just a quirk of the genetically blessed.

*          *          *

However, a question that I get a lot these days is: well, does that mean if I’m not handling my impossibly demanding job, then I’m failing at mindfulness?

In a word: no.

The fact that mindfulness can help people manage stress (which it can) does not mean that we should put people in impossibly stressful situations for years at a time without a break. Which is exactly what is happening to nurses, doctors, therapists, social workers, and many of the other professionals to whom I teach mindfulness.

While there is no room here to unpack the complexities, anyone familiar with these fields knows there are systemic factors that must be addressed. Mindfulness is not a panacea, and it is not a way of avoiding making real changes to crazy-making work environments.

What mindfulness can do, and what it does well, is help us regulate our emotions, direct our attention, and return to our purpose. In the context of genuinely supportive environments -whether corporate, medical, or otherwise – our ability to manage stress with mindfulness can be one part of what helps humans thrive in their careers and in their relationships.

*

Devon and I will be teaching in Kauai, Ashland, Key West, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Denmark, and other places in the next few months. For more info, please click here.

 

← Attention, the Key to EverythingWhat We Really Know (About Mindfulness) →

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The Archives

  • February 2019
    • Feb 14, 2019 Next Steps Feb 14, 2019
    • Feb 6, 2019 Trouble in Paradise Feb 6, 2019
  • January 2019
    • Jan 29, 2019 Shambhala Decides Jan 29, 2019
    • Jan 23, 2019 The Luncheon (Part 2 in the Book Chronicles) Jan 23, 2019
    • Jan 16, 2019 This Book Thing (Part 1 in the Book Chronicles) Jan 16, 2019
  • October 2018
    • Oct 7, 2018 Joy! Oct 7, 2018
    • Oct 4, 2018 Doubts (Continued) Oct 4, 2018
  • September 2018
    • Sep 30, 2018 Let's talk doubts (re: compassion) Sep 30, 2018
    • Sep 20, 2018 A few more thoughts on the topic of stable compassion Sep 20, 2018
    • Sep 10, 2018 Empathy v. Compassion. Yup, There's a Difference. Sep 10, 2018
  • August 2018
    • Aug 27, 2018 Remembering Cheri Maples Aug 27, 2018
  • July 2018
    • Jul 27, 2018 Resting is an act of service Jul 27, 2018
    • Jul 20, 2018 Could we do other things by donation too? Jul 20, 2018
    • Jul 15, 2018 On Why We Coach By Donation Jul 15, 2018
    • Jul 10, 2018 A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to This Blog Post Jul 10, 2018
    • Jul 7, 2018 Mindfulness Is Boring Jul 7, 2018
  • April 2018
    • Apr 18, 2018 Some thoughts on all this stuff we’ve been doing Apr 18, 2018
    • Apr 10, 2018 On a More Personal Note Apr 10, 2018
    • Apr 3, 2018 Mindfulness, Iceland, and the Art of Transformational Travel (Take II) Apr 3, 2018
  • March 2018
    • Mar 28, 2018 Crazy Little Thing Called Love Mar 28, 2018
    • Mar 21, 2018 Listening to Mindfulness (The Depression & Anxiety Edition) Mar 21, 2018
    • Mar 13, 2018 I Heart Biomarkers (How Mindfulness Decreases Inflammation)  Mar 13, 2018
    • Mar 6, 2018 Just How Exactly Does Mindfulness Improve Our Mood? Mar 6, 2018
  • February 2018
    • Feb 27, 2018 Attention, the Key to Everything Feb 27, 2018
    • Feb 20, 2018 Let's talk about stress Feb 20, 2018
    • Feb 13, 2018 What We Really Know (About Mindfulness) Feb 13, 2018
  • August 2017
    • Aug 25, 2017 On the Curious Benefits of Long Meditation Retreat Aug 25, 2017
    • Aug 19, 2017 What is the difference between mindfulness and meditation? Aug 19, 2017
  • April 2017
    • Apr 26, 2017 Can Mindfulness Help Nurses? Apr 26, 2017
    • Apr 18, 2017 Richie Davidson Will Save the World (with Mindfulness) Apr 18, 2017
    • Apr 10, 2017 Every Month, More Mindfulness Research! Apr 10, 2017
  • March 2017
    • Mar 18, 2017 Key West, Mindfulness, and the Practice of Sustained Intimacy Mar 18, 2017
    • Mar 7, 2017 Mindfulness, Iceland, and Some Thoughts on Transformational Travel Mar 7, 2017
    • Mar 3, 2017 How Mindfulness Saved My A$# This Week Mar 3, 2017
  • February 2017
    • Feb 23, 2017 Mindfulness and a Few Closing Thoughts on the Problem of Whiteness (Entry VIII) Feb 23, 2017
    • Feb 19, 2017 Mindfulness and Promoting Equity and Inclusion (Entry VII) Feb 19, 2017
    • Feb 14, 2017 Mindfulness and Failures of Leadership Support for People of Color (Entry VI) Feb 14, 2017
    • Feb 10, 2017 Mindfulness and the Range of POC Experiences (Entry V) Feb 10, 2017
    • Feb 6, 2017 Mindfulness and Strategies for Coping with Racialized Exclusion (Entry IV) Feb 6, 2017
    • Feb 3, 2017 Mindfulness and Institutional Barriers to Full Participation (Entry III) Feb 3, 2017
  • January 2017
    • Jan 31, 2017 Mindfulness and Interpersonal Barriers to Full Participation (Entry II) Jan 31, 2017
    • Jan 24, 2017 Mindfulness and the Problem of Whiteness (Entry I) Jan 24, 2017
    • Jan 15, 2017 Mindfulness and Undoing Racism Jan 15, 2017
    • Jan 9, 2017 Mindfulness Will Not Save the World Jan 9, 2017
  • December 2016
    • Dec 30, 2016 Looking for the Best Synthesis of the Latest Mindfulness Research? Look Here. Dec 30, 2016
    • Dec 16, 2016 Simple Habit, Mindfulness, and the Golden Age of Meditation Apps Dec 16, 2016
    • Dec 9, 2016 Mindfulness and Pain Management Dec 9, 2016
    • Dec 3, 2016 La Sarmiento, Belonging, and a Challenge to the False Boundaries of the Mindfulness Movement Dec 3, 2016
  • November 2016
    • Nov 18, 2016 Rhonda Magee, Racial Justice, and the Future of Mindfulness Nov 18, 2016
    • Nov 4, 2016 Joan Halifax, Mindfulness, and the Most Important Thing Nov 4, 2016
  • October 2016
    • Oct 28, 2016 James Baraz, Mindfulness, and the Awakening of Joy Oct 28, 2016
    • Oct 21, 2016 Mindfulness: Authenticity, Non-reactivity, and the Curious Pleasures of Being Electrocuted for Science Oct 21, 2016
    • Oct 14, 2016 Mindfulness: Embrace the Awkward Oct 14, 2016
    • Oct 7, 2016 Mindfulness is about getting real with yourself Oct 7, 2016
  • September 2016
    • Sep 28, 2016 Mindfulness (Still) Works Sep 28, 2016
    • Sep 23, 2016 Can Mindfulness Cure Prejudice? Sep 23, 2016
    • Sep 16, 2016 Soma Stout, Radical Compassion, and Next Steps for the Mindfulness Movement Sep 16, 2016
    • Sep 9, 2016 Mindfulness and My Attention Mini-Miracle Sep 9, 2016
    • Sep 2, 2016 Mindfulness and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Fight Sep 2, 2016
  • August 2016
    • Aug 26, 2016 Mindfulness and Your Mood Aug 26, 2016

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