EFT and Mindfulness Practice

Earlier this afternoon, I completed the second of six classes devoted to the study of Emotion Focused Family Therapy as part of the Summer II session. Although much of the class (today) was oriented toward a discussion on the presence of emotions and feelings in the context of neurobiology, there were at length verbal citations regarding the benefit of mindfulness practices related to the recognition and regulation of emotion for individuals. Upon the mention of this, I became even more attuned to the course of the class discussion, and was even asked to expound upon my previous and current experiences with mindfulness practice. After a few minutes of sharing, I began to think heavily upon the full connection between the two.

Doesn't mindfulness have more to do with thoughts than it does emotions/feelings?

Are there more connection points to the integration of these two models aside from a focus on "presence?"

These questions continued to linger with me for my entire drive home, and continued to follow me as I took care of the necessary tasks of welcoming my parents for the weekend. A quick Google search was all I needed to begin receiving some answers.

Beckerman, N.L, & Sarracco, M. (2011). Enhancing emotionally focused couple therapy through the practice of mindfulness: A case analysis. Journal of Family Psychotherapy, 22(1), pp. 1-15. DOI: 10.1080/08975353.2011.551082

*Currently able to be viewed for free online here until 12/31/11.

I found this article to be a great example of the attempt at fleshing EFT and Mindfulness practices together to show the benefit of their co-existence. Some of the benefits of the two practices together include:

- Increased openness and acceptance of relationship satisfaction, autonomy, closeness, etc.
- Increased awareness of internal processes to accept other individual's responses
- Incorporation of a non-judgmental stance to experience and note feelings and thoughts of the present moment
- Increased regulation of affective responses
- Ability to maintain increased presence and coping with immediate emotional responses
- Assistance with restoration of attachment relationships
- Increased awareness of physical reactions and emotional distress

The article continued on the provide a case study of a couple who incorporated mindfulness practice together throughout the course of receiving EFCT. The resulting outcome was positive following a 6-month follow-up with a decrease in marital strife and the wife's depressive state.

If there was a specific characteristic that I would cite as the most identifiable connection between the two practices, I would have to say that the ability to maintain increased presence to cope with immediate emotional responses would be the one. Reason? Individually, both mindfulness and EFT utilize great emphasis on presence: that which is occurring within the individual at the moment. Together, their combined emphasis serves a great asset in the course of therapy.

This initial article serves as a good initial exposure to the this concept of integration.

I'll have to read its corresponding reflection sometime soon.

That is, if it's recommended. :)

Sacred Pause

It is (in a way) unfortunate that I am now writing about this practice following a day filled with ongoing stress. From 7am-7pm, I was at the mercy of my work responsibilities. I had little to no time to myself as I worked to finally house the last client of my caseload out of the shelter system. There was no time for me aside for the few moments I would escape in order to use the bathroom. I could have really used a gift today.

I stumbled upon this short-video by Tara Brach while searching for anything dealing with slowing down one's day in order to find presence. There were many other videos that were tied to this idea, but the mentioning of Tara's name throughout our class periods drew to me experiencing her style of influence in the art of mindfulness. I was not disappointed.

One of the first things that I drew from the video was her relation to the idea of busy as "hard killing." Wow! It's very true. I paused the video after that statement, and took several moments to grasp the severity of those words. Our busyness is, in a sense, a form of killing the self. Suicidal, no less. This really does make a lot of sense at how there are so many stress-related illnesses that have jumped to the forefront of medical attention as the past-3o years have progressed, and how it appears that the average American now has increased work/demands placed upon them while having a decrease in chosen recreation/recovery activities. It's not that we necessarily desire to be busy, but that we have come to accept it as a fact of life.

Tara's leading of the "Sacred Pause" was refreshing this evening as I begin to decompress from the frantic pace I took from sunrise to sunset. As I let go of the day through the cycle of breathing deeply, I could sense my physical heart actually returning to its designated cavity instead of feeling as if it protruded through my chest every beat. It is nice to be home, and it is nice to begin to return to the self, and be present of where I was and how I felt. Although my body aches, I can feel myself actually becoming aware of having feeling. I can honestly state that I wasn't very mindful to both my physical and mental states during the day, leading to more damage than I otherwise would prefer. But this day is over, and I must "let go" with the breath that is expelled through my lungs. My shoulders feel relaxed, and in a few short moments, I will cover myself with two blankets: that of a gentle acceptance of this day, and that of the feather variety. With this new experience and exposure to the concept of the sacred pause, I am now equipped with a practice of warding-off the assassin of suffering that comes in the form of busyness. A pause shall not be considered lost time, but seen as the return of one's heart in order to capture a view of the beauty that is one's life and their place in this world.

Sacred Pause = Saving Grace

Tuesday Turnaround

Following a day like Monday, I convinced myself that I needed to be proactive with preparing myself for what may occur later in the day. Following my typical 5am alarm, I used two rounds of snooze alarms to gradually bring myself out of slumber. At the arrival of the third snooze, I was awake enough to be able to lie in bed for the next 10 minutes for a brief time of meditation. I completed a body scan in order to get a reference of how I was feeling. I was tired. My stomach had the subtle feeling that it had not felt sustenance for at least 10 hours and needed to be appeased. My knees and ankles were tight from being used extensively the day before, followed by hours of inactivity. After 5 minutes of lovingkindness meditation, I finally rolled out of bed, made my way to the shower, and then finalized my preparation for my hour commute into DC. The morning was off to a good start.

Upon arrival to the office, the day began a flurry of activity with my brain shifting between emails, phone calls, meetings, and client files. In order to maintain a level of sanity and presence, I focused on utilizing the 4x4x6 breathing method to calm myself and remain focused. This practice is extremely useful in the midst of an office meeting with 10 other individuals. Unless you're gasping for air during its practice, one can practice without disrupting others in public. Extremely beneficial.

Overall, the day was considerably less hectic than the previous, but it made no sense to change the course of practice at this point. Following lunch with my coworkers, I took 15 minutes prior to my next home visit to sit for a period of meditation in my car. With only the air conditioner running, I used it as an anchor for the period, focusing on the constant whir of the internal fan. This session focused on the idea of wind and the refreshing breeze that it brings. Sitting in the car with a light movement of air across my face added to feeling of refreshment. By also focusing on sensations moving throughout my body that were "alarmed" from the 95 degree weather and sleepiness that was beginning to creep in, I began to reassure myself that all was well, and that I would be refreshed. For the next 4 hours of client contact, I was at peace, relaxed, and maintained it throughout the time at home.

I found the above quote when I was looking for an image to best represent the experience of peace that I held this day. It defines my experiences of this day. Aside from the few moments of meditation that I brought into this day, I found myself possessing this peace within the work, noise, and difficulties of my encounters. I felt that time with my clients was richer, and I was able to be even more present and aware of details. It was a good day. A total turnaround.

Monday Moments

I'm not going to break any molds here by saying this: I severely DISLIKE Mondays!

Now that I have that off my chest...

Today was an incredibly difficult Monday. Maybe it was because it's the start to my new 4x10hour work week. Maybe it was due to my new work computer not working properly. Maybe it was from eating leftover pasta for the third meal, or that it was 96 degrees, or that my last client gave me a lecture on the downfall of America, or that traffic was really bad. Whatever it was, today was a day where I wished moments to be done away with, eliminated, or to have the opportunity for a do-over. Overall, I was more concerned with what I needed to do tonight, than what was happening during the day. Today was not a day to celebrate moments.

Thankfully, there are very few days where this is the norm. In most cases, I'm able to enjoy the majority of my daily experiences. The key, however, is in learning how to live and experience those moments with depth. The thing about depth is that you have to get dirty doing it. You have to place yourself in the thick of things, surrounding yourself with the sensory experiences that bring a full-body awareness to your movements, interactions, emotions, and thoughts. The pure thought of doing all this makes me want to run away from it all. The key to it all is to know that moving toward depth doesn't come with a single plunge. Depth comes in the form of learning to breathe deeper and to expand the lungs in order to reach greater depths. So it is with the practice of mindfulness: expanding ones interactions and openness into the mysterious abyss of experience. One never knows the full-extent of what they may find, but they will venture forward when in possession of mindfulness and a courageous heart.

As I've now been removed from these tough moments of the day by a couple hours now, I find myself regretting the chance to fully experience myself and my surroundings as the day unfurled. By being more aware of the moment, would I have been able to see an opportunity for joy? I'm not certain, but hindsight is always an atmosphere to present possibilities.

As I complete this entry, the clock on the wall is hitting 9pm, and I see that this day is coming to a close. What can I do tomorrow to become more aware of the day? What will my responses be?

Hopefully tomorrow will serve as a return to greater mindful practice. Stay tuned to find out.

Video Meditation #2: Sacred Chants

I have always been fascinated by the amazing sound projection, clarity, and power of sacred chanting. During my undergraduate days at Houghton College, my exposure to this style of chanting began with an initial exposure through coursework in religion and theology as an example of spiritual practices exercised by the church throughout the Dark Ages and rise of Catholicism. At that time, I thought very little of it, and credited it as simply a form that a particular group found to beneficial to their community. The following year, the Fransican Friars of the Renewal (Bronx, NY) came to campus and conducted not only discussion on practice, but also guided mini-retreats dedicated to prayer and meditation. Chanting was a key part of the retreat experience.

During my final semester at Houghton, I participated in a 12-day excursion to Israel for study, and had first-hand experience of group chants in an Armenian Church located within the walls of the Old City. The church was built from stone, and was filled with the scent of candles and incsnes as the choir stood in a horeshoe in the center of the room. Numbering close to 20, the choir chanted for nearly 40 minutes, echoing throughout the expansive catherdral ceiling. The sound (and experience) was nothing short of breath taking. Since that time, I believe the only form of chanting I allowed to come back to my ears was that from the Monty Python Group.

I sat down this afternoon after doing a search for meditation in YouTube, and this video was one of the first to be displayed in the que. Just out of curiosity, I decided to try it as the form of background for my meditation time. I began the meditation without the use of the video in order to bring myself to a place of relaxation before engaging with the sound of voices. By focusing on the breath for approximately 5 minutes, I came to a place where my body was able to be relaxed. I noticed that areas of discomfort throughout my body began to drift away, and that many of the concerns that I held regarding them drifted away. After that time, I engaged the video chant, and sat through its duration, focusing on the clarity of voice that came forth. It was beautiful, enchanting, and refreshing.

During the meditation time, I focused on a concept that was cited by Rick Hanson in the "Buddah's Brain" text. On pgs. 93-94, Hanson talks about the concept of "finding refuge" as a means of finding a place of peace and security. In Hanson's words, "Taking refuge pulls you away from reactivating situations and concerns, and then fills you with positive influences" (p. 94). This is something that I desperately sought as I prepared for entry into the upcoming week. My meditation time centered around this concept and brought a deep sense of refreshment and power that I was safe from what would occur in the upcoming days. The use of this sacred chant was related to the spiritual community that I find myself linked with, as well as referencing my chosen refuge. The chanting flooded back memories of the that time I spent within the Armenian Church. Recognizing this memory, I focused upong the emotional state that I was presently feeling, and allowed that to bring me to my place of peace. I felt safe in the presence of my refuge, and it's a place that I will continue to seek in the coming days through many different forms. Sacred chants will play a role in the facilitation of that journey.