Core Principles of Meditation for Therapy: Improving the Outcomes for Psychotherapeutic Treatments

270 Pages·2016·5.82 MB·English

by  Annellen M. Simpkins

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Core Principles of
Meditation for Therapy
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Core Principles of
Meditation for Therapy
Improving the Outcomes for
Psychotherapeutic Treatments
Annellen M. Simpkins
C. Alexander Simpkins
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Copyright©byAnnellenM.Simpkins&C.AlexanderSimpkins.Allrightsreserved.
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FIRSTEDITION
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We dedicate Core Principles of Meditation to our wonderful
children, Alura Louise Aguilera and Charles Alexander Simpkins,
who both grew up with meditation long before its time, and trusted us
to embrace these practices. Now as successful professionals in their own
fields, they continue to use meditation in positive ways, as they witness
it coming into its own. We also dedicate this work to their loving
spouses, Anthony Aguilera and Kyongmi Simpkins, and to our
beautiful grandchildren, Kira Aguilera and Kaia Aguilera.
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Contents
Introduction xi
PartI:TheoreticalFoundations 1
1 ReturntoEmptiness 3
◆
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CorePrinciple:LearnfromWhatIsandWhatIsNot.
2 TheChangingSelf 15
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CorePrinciple:AttunetotheNaturalFlowofChange.
PartII:Neuroscience 27
3 TheInnerThread:EffectsofAllFormsofMeditation 29
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CorePrinciple:MeditationHasaDualEffect:CalmAlertness
4 Variations:DifferentFormsofMeditation 39
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CorePrinciple:ThereAreDifferentFormsofMeditation.Pick
theSuitableOneforYourClient.
PartIII:ToolsofMeditation 49
5 Attention 51
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CorePrinciple:TrainAttentiontoEnhanceMeditationand
ImproveTherapyOutcomes.
6 SensoryAwareness 63
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CorePrinciple:AttuneYourSensestoEnhanceSelf-Awareness.
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viii CONTENTS
7 BodyMovementandtheMind–BodyLink 77
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CorePrinciple:TheMindandBodyAreLinked.Meditative
MovementoftheBodyCanElicitaMeditativeStateofMind.
PartIV:MeditationInstructions 109
8 FocusMeditations 111
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CorePrinciple:NarrowYourFocustoCultivateStability,
Regulation,Tranquility,andSelf-Control.
9 Open-FocusMeditation:Mindfulness 119
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CorePrinciple:BeMindfulinthePresentMomenttoAttuneto
Thoughts,Feelings,andBehaviors.
10 No-FocusMeditation:EmptinessandLettingBe 133
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CorePrinciple:ClearYourMind.InvitetheNaturalFree
FlowofPotentialtoEmerge.
PartV:Applications 143
(cid:2) 11 CultivatingHappinessthroughCompassionandGratitude 145 (cid:2)
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CorePrinciple:NurtureHappinessbyPracticingCompassion
andGratitude.
12 IntegratingMeditationintoTherapy 159
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CorePrinciple:IntegrateMeditationintoMostFormsof
TherapyasanAdjunctorStand-aloneMethod.
13 MeditationsforStress 167
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CorePrinciple:MeditationAltersthePhysical,Emotional,
andCognitiveComponentsofStress.PracticeIttoCalm,
Manage,andRelieveStress.
14 MeditativeRegulationofEmotions 173
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CorePrinciple:TheParadoxofMeditativeRegulationIsThat
YouGainControlbyLettingGo.
15 MeditationsforDepression 181
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CorePrinciple:MeditationCanHelptoActivateaDepressed
NervousSystem,TransformingNegativeRuminationinto
BroaderAwarenessandDeeperCompassion.
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Contents ix
16 MeditationsforBipolarDisorder 191
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CorePrinciple:UseMeditationalongwithMedicationto
RebalancetheNervousSystem,StrengthenEmotionalRegulation,
andImproveRelationshipsinClientswithBipolarDisorder.
17 MeditationsforAnxiety 201
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CorePrinciple:CountertheNegativeAnticipationtowardthe
FutureFoundinAnxietyDisorders.CentertheClientinthe
PresentMoment.
18 MeditationsforTrauma 211
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CorePrinciple:TraintheMindandBrainafterTraumato
ElicitCalm,BuildResilience,andRediscoverWell-being.
19 MeditationsforSubstanceAbuse 221
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CorePrinciple:RewiretheRewardPathwayoftheBrainto
GobeyondPleasureandPainandFindMeaninginLifewithout
Drugs.
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20 Conclusions 229
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CorePrinciple:SculptYourOwnLifethroughRegular
MeditationasYouDiscoverthatEnlightenedWell-beingIsHere
andNow.
References 231
AbouttheAuthors 241
AuthorIndex 243
SubjectIndex 247
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Introduction
T
he psychotherapy world is excited about meditation and
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mindfulness. Many therapists are becoming enthusiastic to try it and
wonder how to use it in therapy with clients. Research supports this
enthusiasm. Studies show that meditation can improve outcomes with
many psychological disorders because of the way it changes the brain. For
example, many researchers have found that meditating increases feelings of
well-being and happiness. These are qualities that most clients are seeking
from therapy. Meditation also enhances emotional and self-regulation,
abilities that psychotherapy strives to foster. In addition, meditation helps
practitioners to be both calm and alert, thereby facilitating achievement in
life without anxiety and stress. And efficacy research described throughout
the book shows that outcomes are improved by adding meditation into
therapy.Thus,thereisscientificevidencethattheveryqualitieswhichmed-
itationdevelopsareparticularlywellsuitedtoenhanceyourpsychotherapy,
blendingwellwithmethodsthatyouarealreadydoingwithyourclients.
ABOUTTHISPACKAGE
This book/DVD/CD package gives you the tools you need to bring many
meditation methods, including mindfulness, into your psychotherapy
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xii INTRODUCTION
work with clients. You can access these resources at www.wiley.com/go/
meditatione.Wecreateditinmultiplemediatohelpmaketheexperience
more vivid and learnable. After all, meditation is an experience. If you are
planning to use it with clients, you must first experience it for yourself. By
providing varied media, our hope is that you will get your own felt sense
alongwithaclearunderstandingofwhatmeditationisandhowitcanhelp,
as you also learn a wide variety of meditative techniques to use in your
therapywork.
AbouttheBook
The book is divided into  chapters, each illustrating a core principle of
meditation. Most chapters include exercises. We have written the exercise
as if speaking to a client. You can use the text directly as a script to read to
yourclient,butwesuggestthatasyoubecomemorefamiliarwiththerapeu-
tic meditation, you vary the scripts to suit the unique individuality of your
client. Also, be yourself! You will develop your own ways of introducing
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meditation and applying it that fit your therapeutic style and personality.
Sincerity is one of the hallmarks of good therapist. Be the great therapist
that you already are, who now is adding meditation to your therapeutic
approaches.
In Part I, you will learn about the rich philosophical background from
whichmeditationandmindfulnessspring.Notonlyarethetraditionsfasci-
natingandbeautiful,theyalsoofferwaystolookatrealitythroughadifferent
lens. These unique perspectives turn some of our commonly held assump-
tionsupsidedown.Fromadifferentpointofview,newsolutionsemerge.
PartIIprovidestheneuroscienceofmeditationforyourunderstanding.
There are distinct ways that meditation changes the brain and nervous sys-
tem, and these alterations can be a corrective for nervous system patterns
foundinpsychologicalproblems.Neurosciencealsoshowsthattherearedif-
ferenttypesofmeditation,soyoudon’thavetousethesamemeditationfor
everyclientandeverysituation.Throughoutthispackage,youwillbeguided
in when to use the various types for working with different psychological
problems.
Part III provides tools for learning meditation. People sometimes fear
that meditation is a strange and foreign practice that is far beyond them.
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