Mindful Meditation Practice and Scientific Theory Part 1 Sharon M. Theroux, PhD
Disclosures Sharon M. Theroux, PhD Licensed Psychologist Board Certified Clinical Neuropsychologist Certified MBSR instructor Mindful Eating Teacher Board member, TCME Program Director, International Seminars Group (ISG) CP
Learning Objectives Part 1: Describe the Body Scan meditation practice Summarize the benefits of a body scan meditation in enhancing mindful eating behaviors Part 2: Describe a Mindful Sitting Meditation Practice Summarize the neurological underpinnings of the sitting meditation that can enhance mindful eating CP
William James, 1842-1910 Father of American Psychology The faculty of voluntarily bringing back a wandering attention, over and over again, is the very root of judgment, character, and will. An education to improve this faculty would be THE education, par excellence. But it is easier to define this idea, then to teach it. CP
Mindfulness The awareness that arises when we pay attention: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally. Dr Jon Kabat-Zinn Founder Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program CP
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Created in 1979 by JKZ as an outpatient program to help patients with chronic pain 8-week program (2.5 hours weekly) found in hospitals and private clinical practices worldwide Formal meditation practices Mindful eating Body Scan Mindful Walking Sitting meditation All day silent retreat
Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs) have been found effective in treating the following: Medical Conditions chronic pain high blood pressure fibromyalgia cancer heart disease asthma GI distress skin disorders (Psoriasis) Autoimmune disorders
Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs) have been found effective in treating the following: Psychological Conditions anxiety panic depression fatigue sleep disturbance CP
Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs) have been found effective in treating the following: Stress work, school, and family stressors financial Illness and aging grief uncertainty about the future. CP
Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs) have been found effective in treating the following: Prevention and Wellness: Learning how to take good care of yourself Feeling a greater sense of balance Boosting creativity
Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs) have been found effective in treating the following: Disordered eating: Meta-Analysis of 13 mindfulness-based interventions for problematic eating MBIs helped to reduce Binge eating behaviors Emotional Eating Behaviors Katterman et al, 2014
Typical Meditation practices used in Mindfulness-Based Interventions Body Scan Mindful Eating Gentle stretching yoga Mindful Walking Sitting meditation
Body Scan Attention is sequentially guided through the entire body, Observing with nonjudgmental awareness the sensations in each region, Ending with an awareness of the body as a complete whole.
CP Practice
Inquiry What did you notice?
How does the Body Scan Affect your brain?
1950 Neurosurgeon Wilder Penfield Surgeries of patients with intractable epilepsy Stimulation of certain parts of the motor strip always elicited movement of a particular body part Mapped the motor, and then sensory strip of the brain Size of various regions of the body is related to number of sensory or motor neurons devoted to it Penfield et al (1950), The Cerebral Cortex of Man.
1995 Alvaro Pascual-Leone Examined brains of volunteers practicing the piano for 2 hours daily X 5 days After practice, the motor cortex devoted to fingers stretched to surrounding brain regions Another group merely thought about practicing Mere thought can alter the physical structure and function of our brain SMT Pascual-Leone et al, (1995)
Neuroplasticity The brain s ability to adapt and change in response to thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and our environment SMT
The Body Scan and Mindful Breathing Among Veterans with PTSD: Type of Intervention Moderates the Relationship Between Changes in Mindfulness and Post-Treatment Depression 2016 102 Veterans with PTSD Randomly assigned to 4 groups Body scan meditation Mindful Breathing Slow Breathing Sitting Quietly Groups met weekly for 6 weeks for 20-minute practice Daily home practice recommended SMT Colgan, et al, 2016
Measures 3 Self-report questionnaires given pre and post treatment Beck Depression Inventory II PTSD checklist Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire
Baer, et al (2008), Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and non Meditating Samples. Assessment, 15 (3), 329-342
Results: 1. Those in Body Scan and Mindful Breathing groups were less depressed post treatment, compared to Slow Breathing or Sitting Quietly groups. 2. Reductions in depression in the Body Scan group was associated with increases in the Acting with Awareness facet of FFMQ 3. Reductions in depression in the Body scan group was predicted by the Observing facet of FFMQ Colgan, et al, 2016
Can the Body Scan help with Mindful Eating?
Body Scan may reduce depressive symptoms that lead to emotional eating Colgan, et al, 2016
Body Scan may reduce depressive symptoms by increasing our ability to Act with Awareness I am easily distracted I find it difficult to stay focused on what s happening in the present I rush through activities without being really attentive to them
Body Scan may reduce depressive symptoms by increasing our ability to Observe our Surroundings When I m walking, I deliberately notice the sensations of my body moving When I take a shower or bath, I stay alert to the sensations of water on my body I notice how foods and drinks affect my thoughts, bodily sensations, and emotions
Home Practice: Body Scan Meditation 12-minutes daily
Thank you!
Bibliography Baer, et al (2008), Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and non Meditating Samples. Assessment, 15 (3), 329-342 Bush, H., Rossy, L., Mintz, L., & Schopp, L. (2014). Eat for Life: A work site feasibility study of a Novel Mindfulness-Based Intuitive Eating Intervention. American Journal of Health Promotion, 28 (6), 380-388. Colgan, D. D., Christopher, M., Michael, P., & Wahbeh, H (2016). The Body Scan and Mindful Breathing Among Veterans with PTSD: Type of Intervention Moderates the Relationship Between Changes in Mindfulness and Post-Treatment Depression, Mindfulness, 4, 372-383. Katterman, S.N., Kleinman, B.M., Hood, M.M., Nackers, L.M., Corsica, J. (2014). Mindfulness Meditation as an intervention for binge eating, emotional eating and weight loss: A systematic review. Eating Behaviors, 15, 197-204. Pascual-Leone, A., Nguyet, D., Cohen, L. G., Brasil-Neto, J. P., Cammarota, A., Hallett, M. (1995). Modulation of muscle responses evoked by transcranial magnetic stimulation during the acquisition of new fine motor skills. Journal of Neurophysiology, 74 (3), 1037-1045. Penfield, W. & Rasmussen, T. (1950). The cerebral cortex of man : a clinical study of localization of function. New York : Macmillan.