The Psychobiotic Revolution: Mood, Food, and the New Science of the Gut-Brain Connection

160 Pages·2017·1.28 MB·English

by  Scott C. Anderson

“Written with disarming candor and clarity, this book takes the reader on an intimate
journey through mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), the gold standard of mindfulness
training. The author seamlessly reveals both the compassionate heart of MBSR and core
teachings from Buddhist psychology that underlie the program. If you want to understand
mindfulness training more deeply than ever, this wise and generous book should not be
missed!”
—Christopher Germer, PhD, author of The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion, coeditor of
Mindfulness and Psychotherapy, and lecturer on psychiatry at Harvard Medical School
“An invaluable companion for anyone taking a mindfulness-based stress reduction course.
It makes the teachings of MBSR come alive in a deep, meaningful, and easy-to-understand
way. Highly recommended!”
—Kristin Neff, PhD, associate professor in the department of educational psychology at
The University of Texas at Austin, and author of Self-Compassion
“As a medical professional, Zen practitioner, and teacher of mindfulness-based stress
reduction (MBSR), Beth Ann Mulligan is able to weave together different perspectives to
illuminate a path toward greater health, happiness, and freedom. This book has the power to
transform our individual and collective lives.”
—Shauna Shapiro, PhD, professor at Santa Clara University, author, speaker, and
mindfulness consultant
“What a gem of a book! Beth Ann Mulligan leads us, with her many years of experience in
teaching mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and even more years of being a
dedicated Dharma student, intimately through one eight-week MBSR course, chock-full of
wonderful people, stories, and insights. She weaves into this the Dharma teachings as they
show up in the classroom, without ever being mentioned in there. She makes the invisible
visible and understandable for us, so we can teach MBSR and other mindfulness-based classes
from a place of deeper understanding. This is a must-read for all MBSR and mindfulness-
based intervention teachers, and anybody else curious about how the Buddhist teachings are
informing modern mindfulness.”
—Christiane Wolf, MD, PhD, certified MBSR teacher, adjunct faculty of the Center for
Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, director of MBSR programs
and senior teacher at InsightLA, vipassana and mindful self-compassion (MSC) teacher, and
coauthor of A Clinician’s Guide to Teaching Mindfulness
“A wise and openhearted invitation to the teachings of modern mindfulness and Buddhism.
Beth Ann Mulligan tells stories and offers the teachings that arise directly from our human
experience, showing how the path of modern mindfulness parallels the ancient teachings of
Buddhism. Weaving these two streams, Beth offers us a way of finding freedom right in the
middle of the challenge of our lives. Down-to-earth and inclusive, this book is a wonderful
introduction to mindfulness-based stress reduction and the basic teachings of Buddhism.”
—Roshi David Dae An Rynick, author of This Truth Never Fails
“Beth Ann Mulligan’s wise, clear, and compassionate writing brings the ancient teachings
of the Buddha to life as she describes her lived experience of teaching mindfulness-based
stress reduction. The authenticity, integrity, and vulnerability that she shares in her stories
and teachings offer us an intimacy with what it means to be fully human. This beautiful book
has touched my heart deeply and enriched my understanding of the roots of mindfulness-based
programs. It is a true gift, a shining pearl in the growing field of modern mindfulness.”
—Diane Reibel, PhD, director of the Mindfulness Institute at Thomas Jefferson University
Hospital, coauthor of Teaching Mindfulness, and coeditor of Resources for Teaching
Mindfulness
“This beautifully structured, wise, and compassionate book takes us behind the scenes of a
mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) class for an insider’s view. Beth then offers in-
depth teachings from the Buddhist tradition that underlie MBSR. Most importantly, Beth’s
years of personal meditation practice and teaching shine through; the writing is infused with
both theory and a deep experiential knowing. It is sure to be a seminal work for students and
teachers of mindfulness alike.”
—Diana Winston, director of mindfulness education at UCLA’s Mindful Awareness
Research Center, and coauthor of Fully Present
Publisher’s Note
This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information
in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the
publisher is not engaged in rendering psychological, financial, legal, or other
professional services. If expert assistance or counseling is needed, the services
of a competent professional should be sought.
Author’s Note
In the stories of the “participants” in this book, all names and identifying
features have been changed. In many cases they are composites of several
people. The confidentiality of all participants has been honored and maintained.
Distributed in Canada by Raincoast Books
Copyright © 2017 by Beth Ann Mulligan
New Harbinger Publications, Inc.
5674 Shattuck Avenue
Oakland, CA 94609
www.newharbinger.com
Cover design by Amy Shoup
Acquired by Jess O’Brien
Edited by Ken Knabb
All Rights Reserved
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data on file
To Hugh Columba O’NeillYou shine your goodness on everything—like the sun.
And to the peace of all beings everywhere, without any exception.
Contents
Foreword vii
Introduction 1
A Note About the Spirit of This Book 19
1. The Dharma of Suffering: It’s Not Personal 23
2. The Dharma of the Body: What We Resist Persists 37
3. The Dharma of Curiosity: What Is Here Right Now? 55
4. The Dharma of Awareness: Turning Toward Stress 69
5. The Dharma of Choice: Finding a Bigger Container 87
6. The Dharma of Our Speech: The Lessons of Relationship and Community 103
7. The Dharma of the Daylong Retreat: Exploring Our Hindrances as Teachings 121
8. The Dharma of Action and Livelihood: Working with Our Ethical Compass 143
9. The Dharma of Wisdom: Practice, Practice, Practice161
10. The Dharma of Four Good Gardens: Cultivating Attitudes 177
Acknowledgments 195
Glossary 201
Recommended Readings and Resources 205
Foreword
Beth Mulligan lives in three worlds. As a medical professional, she functions as
a healer and companion to people in physical distress. As a Zen practitioner, she
has committed herself to discovering the illuminating truth that lies hidden in the
midst of this mysterious life of birth, suffering, and death. And as a teacher of
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), she teaches ordinary people to
find a new relationship to their physical, mental, and emotional suffering.
In this book, Beth finds a way to show us how her three worlds interconnect.
Through stories and teachings, she brings us all into her own heart-mind as she
teaches an eight-week MBSR program, all the while living her life in the
mountains and desert and working as a physician assistant in a busy medical
clinic. Like all MBSR teachers, she avoids the use of explicit Buddhist teachings
and language in her guidance of her MBSR students. But in her writing, she lets
us see her mind and helps us understand one of the primary roots of MBSR—the
classical teachings of Buddhism.
I first met Jon Kabat-Zinn in 1992, when I was a young mother and wife, a
psychotherapist, and a student of Zen. I hadn’t been able to find a way to
combine these different aspects of my life up until that point. Sitting in Jon’s
MBSR class at the Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts in
Worcester, Massachusetts, I found myself in tears. He had discovered a way to
touch the hearts of all the people in the class who had come seeking some kind
of a fix for their troubles, which were many and varied. I was lucky to find a
home at the Clinic, teaching MBSR classes. Under Jon’s successor as executive
director of the Center for Mindfulness, Saki Santorelli, I eventually became
assistant director of the Clinic and a director of the professional training
program, guiding professionals to learn to teach MBSR.
When Beth came to the Center to take one of these teacher trainings, I
immediately recognized the depth of her practice, her capacity to bring
everything to her learning, and her endearing lack of pretense. Beth doesn’t put
on airs or act like she is anything but a regular person. This quality comes
through vividly in her book.
After twenty amazing years, I left the University to focus on my Zen practice
and teaching. But what I learned from Jon, Saki, and my many mentors and
friends at the Center has strongly influenced how I teach Zen: a deep respect for
people just as they are, and the capacity to use ordinary language to
communicate the teachings of Zen and Buddhism without relying on jargon or
foreign words.
It feels important to repeat that Buddhism—Buddhist words and teachings—
are never mentioned in an MBSR class. But for a teacher of MBSR, knowing
something about these classic teachings is quite important. As Beth says, Jon
Kabat-Zinn didn’t invent mindfulness. No one did. The capacity to be present in
each moment is something that everyone has from the beginning. The Buddha
was just a person who discovered what it was like to live in this awakened way.
Jon created a program that combines these ancient teachings with modern
discoveries in psychology, neuroscience, stress physiology, and medicine—and
in a plain, uncluttered language. And now Beth has given us the gift of this book,
so that you can experience these teachings for yourself. Enjoy!
—M M B , R
ELISSA YOZEN LACKER OSHI
Abbot and Guiding Teacher, Boundless Way Zen
Introduction
Many Streams, One River
A group of people of diverse ages and cultural backgrounds sit in a circle in a
hospital conference room together. Some are on chairs, one is in a wheelchair,
and some sit on round cushions on the floor. They are very still and quiet. It’s
almost as if they are breathing together like a single organism. What are they
doing? Or not doing? Is anyone the leader or teacher? It’s hard to tell. A siren
wails outside, no one stirs. A few minutes later the distinctive rhythmic sound of
a “Medivac” helicopter is heard overhead. Someone will soon be taken to the
E.R. and surrounded by busy focused people. Just a few hours ago I was one of
those busy people, rushing down the hospital corridor to attend to a patient in the
ICU. What you can’t see is that in the silence of this circle, we are radiating our
good will: wishing well to ourselves, each other, the people in the hospital, our
friends and families, and all living beings.
After thirty minutes I ring a bell. Eyes open, arms lift to stretch, and there are
some smiles as the people look around the room and catch each other’s eyes.
This is the final class—the final moments of an eight-week Mindfulness-Based
Stress Reduction program (hereafter referred to as MBSR). These thirty people
have been on a journey together, even an adventure. These folks have been
through something together, it’s palpable. Just a short while ago many words of
appreciation were spoken, and stories of transformation were told, and now we
sit for a few lingering minutes acknowledging our shared journey, though in an
unusual way—without words, simply basking in quiet gratitude for each other.
At the beginning of this eight-week program, you would have known right
away that I was the teacher. I had a clipboard and I checked folks in as they
entered. I welcomed them and handed them class materials. I led us in an
opening meditation. Then I talked—quite a lot. I described the MBSR program
to them (as I soon will for you, dear reader). However, as each of the eight
weeks has gone by, I speak less and less and the teachings come from anywhere
and everywhere in the circle. This is the quintessential form of MBSR: what the
founder of this program, Jon Kabat-Zinn, calls “inside-out” or experiential
learning. This mode of learning is found also at places where Buddhist teachings
are shared. Everyone becomes their own and each other’s teacher, as we practice
this stillness and silence, called meditation, together. Even though I am the