[Catlovers141]

Can someone explain to me what the reasoning behind mindfulness? We are taught to pay attention to how our bodies feel, etc. when we are experiencing an emotion. But how is that helpful? For example, if you are really anxious about something, what is the purpose of noticing that your stomach hurts?

[struggling2]

i agree! i was way more content being numb! now im all aware of how angry and sad i am....and that is a sign of "progress" really?!?! sounds super...lets keep going forward shall we

[Gently1]

Originally Posted by Catlovers141

Can someone explain to me what the reasoning behind mindfulness? We are taught to pay attention to how our bodies feel, etc. when we are experiencing an emotion. But how is that helpful? For example, if you are really anxious about something, what is the purpose of noticing that your stomach hurts?

What a great question.
I will try to explain what mindfulness means to me.

Paying attention to my body did seem very strange at first.
I have spent so many years ignoring my emotions and physical sensations.

With the help of my therapist I am learning that I am not my emotions or my thoughts.
The first step for me is noticing my physical and emotional states and accepting them as I am (a long time ago there was a very good reason to protect myself with numbness), and being able to ask myself is this 'reality now' is this 'helping me', so now I have a choice. Do I go with the automatic reflex or is there another reflective way?

When I am really anxious I can try with mindful breathing to lower my level of anxiety. Even if I lower my anxiety for just a few seconds, this does help, the hard part is remembering that I can use my breath to create a change in my body.
Then my mind can say 'oh look the body is not stressed so the danger is passed'. This is in some sort of neurotranmitter hormone brain body language.
After reading what I have written I realized I am not sure if I understand what mindfulness really means.

This will be a lifelong practice and most importantly to practice mindfulness when I'm not anxious or stressed. I do not want to associate anxiety with mindfulness.
Quite often I can't identify what is causing the stress then if I remember to take a few deeper breaths I can relax enough to think.
Finally after three years of trying to be mindful I think I'm starting to feel the positive results. (treatment resistant depression)
There are lots of videos online where you can learn about and practice mindfulness. With people that know what they are talking about.

G1

[Catlovers141]

I understand the noticing of the breath, etc., but in some of the mindfulness I have done, we have done body scans where we pay attention to physical pain that we experience when we feel a certain emotion. That is the part I don't understand. Is it maybe supposed to keep you in the present by helping you notice what is going on in your body?

[Gently1]

I still do not understand the physical pain and emotional connection, but I am very practiced at being unaware.

Today was an exception. I was having a crainosacral treatment, and one point I felt an intense feeling of sadness. The right side of my body was sad. As usual I tried to ignore but it returned and noticed it still felt as if the right side of my body was very sad.

I did not feel any physical pain, but clearly sadness centered on the right side of my abdomen and face. As if it was not 'me'.
The massage therapist said that we do not need to know why all the time, and she gave me time to sit with being sad with the right side of my body.
I still would like to see if there is a 'why' and will bring it up with my T next session.

I do know from formal body scans in classes, I usually fall asleep or think about something else. Hopefully someone that has a good understanding of the body scan can give us some information.
G1 is

[mixedup_emotions]

My T tries to get me to be aware of the sensations in my body, to pinpoint the location, describe it somehow....to help me be in touch with those feelings. Ultimately, the goal is to be able to allow my body to communicate. Most of the time, I am only aware of intense physical sensations - like anxiety - and my brain decides what it's about, not allowing my body to have a voice. From what I've learned, feelings are stored in the body - but our brains, which has a role of protector, rationalizes, judges, justifies, etc. Being in touch with our bodies is a step towards being able to finally allow our bodies to tell us what it needs without our brains getting in the way.

[Gently1]

mixedup emotions:
"From what I've learned, feelings are stored in the body - but our brains, which has a role of protector, rationalizes, judges, justifies, etc. Being in touch with our bodies is a step towards being able to finally allow our bodies to tell us what it needs without our brains getting in the way."

My brain has heard this a few times before but does not believe it (yet). I have heard our bodies get the message in less than a second, but our brains are not as quick.

Thanks for the message.
G1

[minneymouse]

For me, the magic of mindful observation is that it puts the tiniest bit of space between me and what I'm experiencing. And in that tiny space I can separate out pain and suffering. Typically, I am stumbling along completely fused with my thoughts and feelings and physical sensations. It is awful, and I am suffering. When I mindfully observe 'I notice I'm having a lot of hopeless thoughts' or 'I notice my head is really loud' I am taking a step back- unfusing from my experiences. And my head clears a bit, and the physical sensation becomes localised pain rather than flooding my head with suffering, and I can start to think meta-thoughts, such as 'yes I sometimes feel like this but I remember that it passes after a while'.

[elliemay]

I have a different take on the purpose of mindfulness and sensations of the body - more akin to minney's. I think by becoming aware of the sensations around us (and not even just our body) we can begin to ground ourselves in the actual moment, and not what is firing away in our heads.

I agree, knowing that you are upset AND your stomach is hurting is not really going to help you that much, but being aware that your stomach is hurting, or that the carpet feels good under your feet, or that there is a dog barking 2 blocks away, will ground you in the here and now.

The key to mindfulness is to actually get out of your mind and into the world - not necessarily to understand what is going on in your mind. In order to get out of your mind you have to be aware of the world around you. So you focus and observe the world right then, as it is.

No it's not numbing, but opening to a different feeling - distinct from emotion.

I've found it quite effective.

[Dreamy01]

Mindfulness doesn't just relate to the body. Like Elliemay said, it's a way of grounding in the here and now. But also, it's about being aware of yourself and aware of the choices you make in your life. Once you re-connect to yourself in the present you are in control of your life and what you want from it. You become aware of what's happening inside you - whether that's in your body, mind or emotions.

For instance, some months ago I was in a state of terrible conflict. Part of me wanted to move on and let go of the past and part of me did not. I was afraid to. I was mindful of my fear and this conflict. I felt awful because I was torn in two. But then I sat back a bit and thought 'Hey, this is where I am right now. I'm in a state of conflict. That's okay. It's my truth.' Once I was mindful of the conflict and ACCEPTED it, I felt some peace because there was space between me and the conflict. The conflict did not change but I accepted that was where I was in the present.

Connecting to the present moment connects you to life. Because if you think about it, life is an endless NOW. Past and future only exist as memories and as as expectations. Real life takes place in the present time. Flashbacks and the like are the body's way of trying to get you to heal those memories and re-connect to life, as horrid as they are.

Once you reconnect to life you become conscious of what you do and feel. It is a long process but an empowering one.

[ECHOES]

I think it is about noticing and feeling, without judging. That it is the judging (good, bad, placing blame, etc) that induces so much agony. The feelings are real and honored, and accepted as they are.

[pachyderm]

Originally Posted by elliemay

The key to mindfulness is to actually get out of your mind and into the world - not necessarily to understand what is going on in your mind.

I have exactly the opposite idea of what mindfulness is -- at least what is effective for me. That is, to be aware of whatever is in my mind, and not censor it or shut it off. I have a major tendency to deny feelings of fear, for instance -- I think that is because in our family the expression of fear was intolerable to my mother, who would then punish us or ridicule us for expressing it, thus causing more fear. Being able to admit to the "bad" feeling is liberating (in spite of the fact that it can be still fearsome).

[eskielover]

Mindfulness is also about being aware of your thoughts as they come & go........& tying them to the things that are happening around you so you know where those thoughts & emotions are coming from.......I think mindfulness & awareness go hand in hand from my experience.

I went for year without really being able to tie an emotion with what outside thing was causing it.....so obviously, I didn't know how to deal with it appropriately.....so mostly, I would just deny that I was feeling the emotion unless it was anger when I blew up after having my anger pushed to overflowing.

When we are mindful of the emotions we are feeling & what is really causing them......then we can do what we need to calm down that emotion which comes from the lymbic system internal to our brain (our action/urge center)......so that our pre-frontal lobe (our logical brain)can give it's 2 cents worth to our analyzing the problem & help us determine what action we really NEED to take.

Without the mindfull awareness, it's impossible to really figure out any of what we are going through in our life. Yes, looking at those things we see with a non-judgmental view is of utmost importance.....we need to see everything for WHAT IT IS (nothing more or less).

I think mindfulness is the most difficult part of my therapy.....for most of my 59 years, I was oblivious to what was going on around me.....I knew that things bothered me, but didn't know exactly what or why. I would get into a fight with my mother & as soon as it was over, I couldn't even remember what the fight was about while my mother held onto it for days, weeks, sometimes longer. Being mindful gives us a much better understanding of ourselves & the world around us & how we react to it......not by judgment, but by observance.

[elliemay]

Originally Posted by pachyderm

I have exactly the opposite idea of what mindfulness is -- at least what is effective for me. That is, to be aware of whatever is in my mind, and not censor it or shut it off. I have a major tendency to deny feelings of fear, for instance -- I think that is because in our family the expression of fear was intolerable to my mother, who would then punish us or ridicule us for expressing it, thus causing more fear. Being able to admit to the "bad" feeling is liberating (in spite of the fact that it can be still fearsome).

If you had read on in my post you would have encountered this:

Originally Posted by elliemay

No it's not numbing, but opening to a different feeling - distinct from emotion.

Perhaps I should have elaborated. We're saying the same thing.

[critterlady]

Mindfulness for me is about being present. Open to whatever emotion I'm feeling, aware of physical sensations and being present in the moment. When I'm mindful, I'm not thinking about what I'm doing that night, or worrying about tomorrow or stewing over my past. I'm aware of what's going on around me and it fills me. I can notice everything about the present.