Mindfulness and Jung

1. Mindfulness and Jung Colin Thompson Melbourne Mindfulness Centre www.stillmind.com.au to Melbourne Jung Society August 15th 2008

2. 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 Melbourne mindfulness centre stillmind.com.au

3. Introduction - Early roots of mindfulness • Hindu meditation • Buddhism • SatipatthanaSutra • Four foundations of mindfulness • Seven factors of awakening Melbourne mindfulness centre stillmind.com.au

4. 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; Melbourne mindfulness centre stillmind.com.au

5. Satipatthana Sutra • Four foundations of mindfulness • Body (Breath, body, bodily processes) • Feelings (Pleasure) • Mind (Thoughts, confusion) • Mental processes (Equanimity) Melbourne mindfulness centre stillmind.com.au

6. Benefits of Mindfulness • Stability of mind • Alert, clear, balanced. • Flexibility of awareness • You choose what to focus on • Self awareness • Be present to mental activity and understand how your mind works • Non-reactivity • Become less reactive to internal and external world Melbourne mindfulness centre stillmind.com.au

7. 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” Melbourne mindfulness centre stillmind.com.au

8. 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 go Melbourne mindfulness centre stillmind.com.au

9. Foundations of mindfulness • Trust • Non-striving • Acceptance • Letting go Melbourne mindfulness centre stillmind.com.au

10. 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. Melbourne mindfulness centre stillmind.com.au

11. 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. Melbourne mindfulness centre stillmind.com.au

12. 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 Melbourne mindfulness centre stillmind.com.au

13. 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 Melbourne mindfulness centre stillmind.com.au

14. 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 Melbourne mindfulness centre stillmind.com.au

15. 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 Melbourne mindfulness centre stillmind.com.au

16. 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 feelings Fundamentals • To stay in the present (as much as possible) • To not react (as much as possible) Melbourne mindfulness centre stillmind.com.au

17. Does Mindfulness Work? • Controlled program with schizophrenics • DBT - dialectical behavioural therapy • Information can be assimilated faster • Meta-analysis – Ruth Baer Melbourne mindfulness centre stillmind.com.au

18. 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 Shadow • The empty centre. • Transpersonal and deeper meditation states Melbourne mindfulness centre stillmind.com.au

19. Melbourne mindfulness centre stillmind.com.au

20. 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 Melbourne mindfulness centre stillmind.com.au

21. 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 Melbourne mindfulness centre stillmind.com.au

22. 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 Melbourne mindfulness centre stillmind.com.au

23. Related Exercises • SOAP – Step Out of Automatic Pilot • Mini mindfulness • Use of worksheets. • Pleasant/unpleasant events calendar Melbourne mindfulness centre stillmind.com.au