Mindfulness Anybody?

Mindful or what?

by Richard C. Raynard, Ph.D.

Licensed Clinical Psychologist

 

Too bad Mindfulness can't be patented! It has been so fertile through the ages in its many incarnations. Simply, it means being attentive and open to your inner thoughts and feelings. It's both adventurous and ordinary.

 

Plato asked long ago "Why should we not calmly and patiently review our own thoughts...and see what these appearances really are?"

 

 Buddhist meditation formed a spiritual practice of detachment from all worldly concerns (Maya) to attain compassion for the whole of life: Enlightment.

 

Surprisingly, some philosophers of the Enlightment were critical: Hume said introspection changes the awareness itself; Kant saying it only hints are all that goes on inside.
 

Early 20th century, introspection became a widely used method in science, the "self-report", to discover your conscious thoughts and feelings.

Soon, the behaviorists in early psychology objected to introspection as unreliable and subjective, and therefore had little scientific reliability.

 

In meditation methods in psychotherapy, some focused on a specific object, others were unfocused  In the 60's and 70's, some saw is as just relaxation, others as a powerful liberation of the mind.

 

"Mindfulness" was coined by Kabat-Zinn as a meditation technique to reduce stress and free the mind to be positive and healthy.

 

Mindfulness is associated strongly today with the ancient disciplines of Yoga and Tai Chi, so that it is quite trendy in health clubs and community centers.

There are many more terms for mindfulness in literature, Here is a sample: sacred stillness, inner calm, space of quiet, contemplate in prayer, inmost stillness, centering, time of reflection and peace, quiet and spiritual safety, inner shrine, stillness, and much more.

 

Self-compassion is a late incarnation of mindfulness and is said to support spiritual virtue in the method called "The Now Moment".

 

Mindfulness has helped the mind-body techniques go viral. Body-awareness is part of nutritional and exercise counseling, somatic focusing, energy techniques, movement, guided imagery, and more.

 

Rumination now has a positive focus, seen a necessary review of loss and goals, and mark of resilience in depression, whereas before it was a pessimistic trap of depression.

 

Finally, we have day-dreaming. The research of Kaufman, Singer and others argue that being attentive to thoughts and openness in daydreaming leads to optimal learning, creativity and well-being. Others found that such time allows compassion for your self and positive life planning.

 

What do you get out of all this?  They all point to the value of your very own thoughts and feelings, so I would go with the approach you have most taste for. 

 

You may have to meditate on this!

 

About Dr. Raynard

Dr. Richard Raynard is a licensed clinical psychologist with 35 years experience resolving a broad range of emotional problems. As a cognitive-behavioral therapist who has specialized in anxiety and phobic disorders since 1980, he has spent the last 35 years fulfilling his life-long desire to explore and define the true purpose of emotions and how people can easily use emotions to create meaning and satisfaction in their lives. Dr. Raynard's series of books on emotions can be found on Amazon.com. His other books include Don't Panic, and Anxiety & Panic Medications.

From Envy to Opporunity - for Growth

by Richard C. Raynard, Ph.D.

Licensed Clinical Psychologist

 

Why am I attracted to the most horrific, misbegotten tales of our time?  Everyone asks. Because I like solutions, and behind the worst problems are often the best solutions.

 

Opportunity for all

Arthur C. Brooks, president of the American Enterprise Institute (NY Times, 3-2-14), documents with admirable clarity and evidence the growth of envy since 2000.  "The root cause of increasing envy is a belief that opportunity is in decline". Even more, he offers solutions: increase opportunity via education, tax and safety net reform and offer leaders who can inspire optimism. "Only a shared, joyful mission of freedom, opportunity and enterprise for all will cure us of envy - and remind us of who we truly are."

 

This conclusion is solid and inspirational, but doesn't go far enough. My solution would add that everyone not only let go of envy, but also embrace your vital interests and who/what you truly love. For systemic change I offer here common-sense solutions to a major cause of the decline of opportunity - the corporate world, the Incubator of Envy. Corporate barriers to opportunity - and promotion of envy - are seen in wage scales, income distribution, health hazards, market monopoly, media control, work hours, hiring practices, overseas job loss, and much more.

 

-  Corporations are only chartered by the US; no Delaware Corporation loopholes.

-  Amendment: corporations are not persons, not entitled to privacy; money not speech.

-  In the Uniform Charter, workers have 50% representation on Boards of Directors.

-  Each corporation proves yearly its social benefit and harmlessness, or charter revoked.

-  All harm arising from corporate practices are subject to criminal and civic penalties.

-  Corporations cannot raise private armies, write laws, make overseas trade agreements.

-  Corporations cannot shelter compensation/profits in overseas accounts or in any way.

-  All tax havens are illegal; taxes are paid concurrently, in full.

-  Minimum wages will support a 2 person family, tied to the cost of living index.

-  Maximum corporate compensation is 100 times minimum wage; over that, an 80% tax.

-  Corporations must assist schools in vocational training, paid internships, curriculum.

-  A World of Work channel informs the public about job opportunity and growth.

 

No doubt the cost of all this would be mightily resisted. However, there are even more gains from worker productivity, good health, fair taxes, meaningful education, jobs return to USA, fair elections, consumer demand, less welfare costs, and more. Just THE COST OF DOING BUSINESS!

 

These proposals may seem impossibly ideal.  On the other hand, they seem obvious, too. Suffering and the passage of time may make them seem very practical.

 

About Dr. Raynard

Dr. Richard Raynard is a licensed clinical psychologist with 35 years experience resolving a broad range of emotional problems. As a cognitive-behavioral therapist who has specialized in anxiety and phobic disorders since 1980, he has spent the last 35 years fulfilling his life-long desire to explore and define the true purpose of emotions and how people can easily use emotions to create meaning and satisfaction in their lives. Dr. Raynard's series of books on emotions can be found on Amazon.com. His other books include Don't Panic, and Anxiety & Panic Medications.

An Oscar for the Parenting Channel

by Richard C. Raynard, Ph.D.

Licensed Clinical Psychologist



Caring

President Obama just announced the "My Brother's Keeper" program and  white house task force to look into help for parents.

A huge territory.  Parenting is as different, from family to family, as different countries. Each family raises real differences in their children in happiness, competence, and personal fulfillment.

The evidence is in. If you have been raised in neglect, as an adult you may have cold relations, seething anger, and disillusionment. If your parents were very critical and punitive, you may grow up to feel defective and burdened with shame. If you were always pushed and compared to others, you could grow up with failure on you mind, or even become perfectionistic, to compensate. If you had to be responsible for the care of your brother, sister, or even a parent, you can become self-sacrificing as an adult, an "enabler", with anger underneath. For more, see Young & Klasko (1994).

Yet good parenting is never taught in schools or the media. We are more apt to see weird, dysfunctional families in the serials or in programing, like Wife Swap, etc. The raising of children doesn't make the news. A common path is to raise our children as we were raised. In any case, new parents are mostly on their own.

Think of the odds. Now, 50% or more newborn are to unmarried mothers, often in teenage years. Families themselves have become more scattered; neighborhoods are less like communities; families often have both parents working. You can fill in the rest.

I propose a publicly owned Parenting Channel that would reach everyone, at small relative cost, when they need it. The content should be public-driven, not sponsor-driven, and determined by a board of media professionals and citizens. The production values should have the intrinsically interesting features of todays best TV - personal stories, dramatic series, on-site documentaries, relevant biography, graphic design, breaking news, discussion panels, and more. Never boring. This programming is supplemented by links to developed websites and streamed on line. Commercials are limited to a 5 minute segment at hour's end.

 

The cost? My guess is about $60 million a year. PBS's budget was $200 million in 2012; staff costs about $3 million. About the cost of two fighter jets.

No kidding. The airwaves belong to the public, leased through its agencies and representatives to determine the content of most benefit to the public. Why should TV remain the most irrelevant and pernicious media? The benefit of the Parenting Channel is incalculable and positive. By every measure - good health, less violence, graduation rates, adult income, drug addiction - good parenting works.

Are you ready to tune in?

About Dr. Raynard

Dr. Richard Raynard is a licensed clinical psychologist with 35 years experience resolving a broad range of emotional problems. As a cognitive-behavioral therapist who has specialized in anxiety and phobic disorders since 1980, he has spent the last 35 years fulfilling his life-long desire to explore and define the true purpose of emotions and how people can easily use emotions to create meaning and satisfaction in their lives. Dr. Raynard's series of books on emotions can be found on Amazon.com. His other books include Don't Panic, and Anxiety & Panic Medications.