Mindful Musings
Copyright © 2007
eMindful
Editor:
Kelley McCabe
Writer:
Richard Mahler
Design:
Alan L. Kosow
Editorial Advisor:
Paul Sugar
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ADDICTION TRANSFER &
MINDFULNESS
Q&A With Dr. Marcy Leavitt
(by Richard Mahler)
California-based Marcy Rosenzweig Leavitt is a Doctor of Psychology and Clinical Director of the Bariatric Evaluation and Support Program of Los Angeles and the South Bay. In addition, she is a registered Psychological Assistant and certified Hypnotherapist in private practice. One of the most important things to know about "Dr. Marcy," as she likes to be called, is that her journey into health care services parallels her history as a recovering food addict and compulsive shopper. In 2003, Dr, Marcy underwent bariatric (gastric bypass) surgery after her weight topped out at 389 pounds. Her height is five feet, one inch. But after losing 230 pounds, (and her job as an social services administrator) she became a "shopaholic" and eventually plunged $40,000 into debt. Even a borrowed credit card from her parents was "maxxed out" on unnecessary purchases. But one addiction had led to another. Such transfers are not unusual among individuals following bariatric surgery. In Dr. Marcy's case, an intervention came two years after the bypass. Recognizing her underlying anxiety disorder and treating it effectively with medication, group meetings, and psychotherapy, Dr. Marcy continued her ongoing graduate coursework in clinical psychology. During this process, she traced her addictive habits back to childhood: "In my child's mind I equated food and shopping as comfort - as highs," she recalls. "Both made me feel good. As I got older it was the same. ... I now feel that being conscious of my addiction and anxiety helps me with my patients. If I am in a place of truth, I can assist them."
Learn more about Dr. Marcy's background and services at www.psychologyconnections.com.
Richard: You have spoken about "consciousness" as a key to resolving addictive behaviors. Tell us more about this approach. Could "mindfulness" be another term that applies here?
Marcy: Yes, I believe they are the same thing. Being aware is key. Eating, as well as shopping and other addictive behaviors, can become unconscious. A person might be putting things in his or her mouth while making dinner, feeding the kids, sitting at a desk, or watching television. It simply becomes robotic: something done without a purpose or thought. Being conscious or mindful means being in the now and being aware of what one is doing at all times.
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NIH Debuts First Annual YOGA WEEK
Natcher Auditorium (45 Center Drive, Bethesda, MD)
Cost: FREE and Open to the Public
Highlighting the science and practice of yoga, this five-day event will serve NIH employees and the public. Participants will not only learn about the benefits of yoga but also experience them first-hand through stretching and practice. Novice and experienced yoga students are encouraged to attend.
NIH Yoga Week events include lectures by current NIH grantees conducting research on yoga and presentations by leading yoga instructors. The kick-off event on Monday, May 19 from 11 A.M.-1 P.M. at the Natcher Auditorium (45 Center Drive, Bethesda, MD) is free and open to the public. Also incorporated into Yoga Week is "Karma Yoga," which is a theme of giving back to the community and those in need. Two charity outreach events will take place during Yoga Week for the NIH Safra Family Lodge and Manna Food Center in Rockville.
For more information on NIH Yoga Week, contact Dr. Rachel Permuth-Levine at levinerac@mail.nih.gov or go to the NIH YOGA WEEK website for schedule information. |
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A Healthier Workplace Through Mindfulness
An Interview with Dr. Rachel Levine, National Heart, Lung, & Blood Institute
(By Richard Mahler)
It will take a lot to change the health of the U.S. population for the better. This is a reality Rachel Permuth-Levine, Ph.D. freely acknowledges. But she is staunchly committed to shifting the mainstream paradigm, even if it only involves a few people at a time.
"Two-thirds of us are overweight or obese," notes this expert in public health education. "Something bad is going on. We're in a climate that promotes obesity."
As head of the Office of Strategic and Innovative Programs for the Washington-area National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Permuth-Levine is in a key position of influence. Through her efforts, programs in yoga, Pilates, reiki, weight-control, and mindful eating have been brought to the workplace for the benefit of thousands of fellow employees. In addition, the latest scientific research findings about the benefits of such practices are circulated regularly to Institute staffers through workshops and other events. Participants are encouraged not only to absorb such information, but to integrate it into their lives at work and home.
"It's a big job," concedes Permuth-Levine, acting director of Strategic and Innovative Programs for the 1600-employee Institute, "but I really enjoy it." Following her academic training in epidemiology, psychology, and health behavior theory, she spent about seven years in various positions at the National Institutes of Health. Through it all, a central question in Permuth-Levine's work has remained constant: "What are the barriers to getting people to live healthier lives - and how can they be overcome?"
As the acting director sees it, a key challenge in modern-day society is the sense of urgency, and feelings of being overwhelmed, that dominates the lives of many. "People often eat quickly, or binge, or consume meals at their desks," she notes. "And fast food is everywhere." For many Americans, challenging long-held assumptions and confronting basic emotions related to food are part of a complex process that can lead toward positive change.
But worksite wellness does not depend solely on sensible eating habits and adequate nutrition. Maintaining mental, social, and emotional health is important, too. Permuth-Levine, a yoga teacher for the past five years, believes mindful practices can make an enormous difference in this regard.
"Activities such as yoga and meditation help keep us in the present moment," she says, "instead of spending our time worrying, over-planning, and over-analyzing." Mindfulness "allows us to watch negative thought patterns and any tendency toward catastrophic thinking. This, in turn, helps keep stress levels in check and our attitudes realistic yet hopeful."
In her own experience, Permuth-Levine finds yoga helps "slow down" everyday life to a manageable speed: "Yoga is a practice involving non-judgment and, like mindful meditation, focuses awareness on breathing and on compassion for the self. There's a lot of alignment between the two." Permuth-Levine points out that the Institute's introduction of workplace yoga instruction has brought between 150 to200 employees a year to a regular practice of yoga. As part of her work at the Institute, an annual "yoga week" is launching this May 19-23 that will feature networking with local studios and teachers, summaries of yoga-related research, and the actual teaching of asanas (postures).
"I also see a role for on-line [mindfulness-related] classes," Permuth-Levine adds. "As a worker and parent, I can't always get out of the house easily to take a course. And for some people, particularly if eating and weight are involved, it may feel more private and secure to participate in a class on the Internet rather than in-person."
Richard Mahler is a free-lance writer and teacher of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction.
The first annual NIH Yoga Week is taking place May 19-23, 2008. It is being sponsored by the NIH Recreation and Welfare Association along with partner institutes: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the National Cancer Institute, and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
In addition, Weight Watchers International has contributed greatly to this event, as has Thrive Yoga in Rockville, Maryland, and the International Association for Yoga Therapists (IAYT). IAYT supports research and education in Yoga and serves Yoga practitioners, Yoga teachers, Yoga therapists, health care, professionals and researchers worldwide. For more information on Yoga Week, contact Dr. Permuth-Levine at levinerac@mail.nih.gov |
Mindfulness for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: MAPs for ADHD
Class Offered on eMindful
One of our most important qualities is attention. It is a doorway into our experience and a foundational quality of our awareness. Where we place our attention or how other things grab our attention determines our daily experiences, relationships with ourselves and others, and the quality of our lives. This connection between attention and one's well-being is illustrated through a condition called Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and an approach called mindfulness training. In both, the role of attention is crucial to the balance of thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. While ADHD is characterized by difficulties in self-regulation, mindfulness training is a tool to enhance self-regulation.
Mindful Awareness Practices (MAPs) for ADHD* is a program which provides an overview of ADHD and uses mindfulness meditation to enhance the well-being of adults with ADHD.
The class discusses latest scientific understanding of ADHD, meditation's impact on the brain and attention regulation. Mindfulness exercises are taught in a gradual way, suitable for those with attentional difficulties and/or new to meditation. Others who want to know more about mindfulness and ADHD: spouses of ADHD adults, parents, teachers, or clinicians working with ADHD individuals will also benefit from the class by learning basic mindfulness skills for themselves and a mindful and compassionate approach to ADHD.
A 6-week course is offered:
Dates: Tuesdays: July 22nd - August 26th
Time: 12:30-2:00 PM ET (9:30-11:00 AM PT)
Cost: $295.00
Registration: www.emindful.com
MAPs for ADHD is taught by: Lidia Zylowska, M.D., a psychiatrist specializing in adult ADD/ADHD and mindfulness-based approaches. Working with patients in private practice in West LA, Dr. Zylowska is also a co-founder and an Assistant Clinical Professor at the UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center where she led the investigation of the MAPs for ADHD program.
*MAPS for ADHD was co-developed by Zylowska and Smalley with contributions from Diana Winston. See Zylowska, L et al, J of Attention Disorders, 2008
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Mindfulness Interventions For Psychotherapists(by Lisa Dale Miller, MFT)
Mindfulness is now being used in a wide range of clinical programs and psychotherapeutic treatment modalities such as Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression Relapse Prevention (MBCT), or Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention for addiction recovery (MBRP), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). As a long term yogic and vipassana meditator, and a mindfulness-based psychotherapist who regularly teaches meditation practices to my patients, I find the growing interest in mindfulness as a clinical intervention very exciting.
Mindfulness interventions fit into two basic categories: skills-oriented / cognitive behavioral (DBT, ACT) or mindfulness-based interventions, which involve teaching mindfulness meditation and/or mindful movement practices (MBCT, MBRP). It is clear that the continuing trend in mental health toward brief, CBT methods may make it seem more desirable and practical in clinical settings to deliver a mindfulness skill-set rather than teach mindfulness meditation practices. However, I believe it is important for psychotherapists who want to include mindfulness in their work to study and make use of both meditative and skills-oriented interventions.
Due to the overwhelming amount of research showing dramatic physical, emotional and neurobiological benefits of mindfulness meditation, it is important to ask what might be lost in clinical practice if mindfulness meditation is not taught to patients. The following list is my attempt to answer this question:
1. The long and short-term stress-reducing physical effects of meditation.
2. The plethora of profoundly positive neural changes evidenced in the brains of long-term mindfulness meditators.
3. The emotional healing that comes from lovingkindness / forgiveness / compassion practices.
4. The benefits of setting aside time in our busy lives for silence, meditation and contemplation.
5. The cultivation of peacefulness.
6. The deepening of connection with and respect for our planet and all living things upon it, which arises naturally from sustained meditation practice.
I have seen patients experience radical change from incorporating mindfulness meditation and mindfulness skills into their daily lives. I am excited to be offering the Mindfulness Interventions for Psychotherapists training through eMindful.com.
Lisa Dale Miller, MFT is offering this workshop on mindfulness interventions for psychotherapists. Mindfulness is now being used in a wide range of clinical programs and psychotherapeutic treatment modalities such as DBT, ACT, MBCT, and MBRP, Mindfulness interventions fit into two basic categories: skills-oriented/cognitive behavioral or mindfulness-based interventions, which involve teaching mindfulness meditation and/or mindful movement practices.
The course will include formal and informal mindfulness meditation practices for opening into the present moment, and teach practical applications of mindfulness for use with psychotherapy clients. This experiential workshop is given in two three-hour sections, one week apart, to allow participants time to apply techniques from the first class in their clinical settings.
This workshop is primarily for MD's, PhD's, MFT's, LCSW's, & PhD/MFT/LCSW interns:
Fridays - June 20th and 27th, 2008
1 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET
Cost: $150
Click here to register
6 CEUs available for CA MFTs and LCSWs
Authorized by CABS as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences
Provider No. PCE 4036
eMindfulLisa Dale Miller, MFT is a mindfulness-based psychotherapist in private practice in Los Gatos, CA . Lisa teaches MBSR, MBCT, MBRP and has created a Mindfulness-Based Dialectical Behavior Therapy (MBDBT) program which integrates mindfulness meditation practices with DBT's cognitive-behavioral emotion regulation skills. Lisa has been a yogic and vipassana meditation practitioner for more than 30 years. |
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ADDICTION TRANSFER
Q&A With Dr. Marcy Leavitt
Richard: When you were eating and shopping to excess, what was going through your mind? How are things different now?
Marcy: When I was in the midst of my addiction I felt contented, comforted or happy during and directly after eating or shopping. Much like the high of being on a drug. My dopamine receptors - the pleasure receptors of the brain - were cranked up. Unfortunately, several hours later the "high" wore off and I was left feeling shame, guilt, and anxiety. It's a cycle. Richard: What can you say to encourage people to become more aware of their addictive behaviors? Do you believe any particular strategies are helpful?
Marcy: I tell people that if they find themselves hiding, being secretive, or feeling shame and guilt, they might have a problem. Our subconscious always will find a way to break through and let us know that we are doing something self-destructive. It is necessary to listen to your own body and mind.If you are feeling that you are using a substance - or an unhealthy activity like excessive shopping, gambling, sex - as a replacement for real feelings, both good and bad, you probably have a problem. I was replacing the emotion of anxiety with shopping and eating. In the end, both caused me more stress and pain than I would have just sitting with the original feeling.Addiction of any kind is very destructive and a very real problem. People should not be ashamed to ask for help from a family member, clergy, health-care professional, or support group leader. I have a list of support and 12-step programs on my website that offer 24-hour services for anyone needing assistance. Richard: Meditation is used often as a way to get more in touch with thoughts, bodies, and emotions. Has this practice been useful to you?
Marcy: I love meditation. I use it to become more centered. Many times I put on some relaxation CDs, light candles, and use progressive relaxation techniques to bring myself back into my body. I am great in my head. As my therapist says, I'm very cognitive. However, I am out of touch with my body. I think this is common among those who are and who have been morbidly obese. Meditation is a wonderful way to join mind and body together. I often use guided meditation techniques with my patients and in my bariatric support groups. Children are great at meditation because they have terrific imaginations.Richard: Do you believe interactive Internet courses have a place in treating addictions such as those you've experienced?
Marcy: Yes, but it is important to have professionals attached to the organization, as eMindful does. Many times people prefer on-line courses and support groups because they feel more comfortable on the Internet. It is hoped that these on-line courses will lead those with addictions to venture "out" into the world after they've become mindful.Richard: Tell us more about hypnotherapy and its application in your psychotherapy practice?
Marcy: Hypnotherapy is a great tool. I use it with those who have weight, anxiety, smoking, ADHD, and pain issues. When a patient really seeks change and is seeking to access his or her subconscious, hypnotherapy is a great choice. But the patient must really want the change to happen. If he or she is doing it for a spouse, lover, family, or doctor, the person will not succeed. The subconscious must be ready to accept the hypnotic suggestions given. Hypnotherapy is a way for a person to access the subconscious mind and allow it to take over. That is where the change happens. All sessions are personalized to the patient; there are not "stock" or "prewritten" scripts and this is why it works so well. Richard: On your website, you describe your practice as a bit eclectic. Please explain what you mean by this.
Marcy: I like to say I use a toolbox approach to therapy. I use several therapeutic modalities, including cognitive behavioral, relational, and transpersonal. I also use hypnotherapy, emotional freedom techniques (EFT), guided imagery, journal writing, art and play, and holistic therapies. I don't stick to one thing. Every person is an individual and should be treated as such. So when I say "eclectic," I mean "a little bit of everything." Richard: Is there anything else you'd like to add?
Marcy: It took me a long time, physically and mentally, to find myself. I went back to school at age 35 and received my degree at 39. I recently finished my "hours" and am studying to take my state boards. I have had some complications along the way. Just when I think I am on a straight path I hit a bump in the road. The latest is a 50-pound weight gain. This happened over the two years that I have been working on my spending habits, which knocked me off my eating. But I got back on track and saw my surgeon, nutritionist and psychiatrist, from whom I received some good food advice and new medications.I believe that life is a journey and I continue to try and push myself to explore new places, even though they may be scary and dark. I encourage everyone to do the same.
eMindful is sponsoring a pilot study of the online course, Mindful Eating for Bariatric Patients, created by researchers from Duke Integrative Medicine. If you would like more information about this study, please email info@emindful.com
Richard Mahler lives in New Mexico, where he is a free-lance writer and a teacher of Mindfuness-Based Stress Reduction.
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Dr. Roger Jahnke Teaches
Mind-Body MAX on eMindful...
Dr. Jahnke, author of the bestselling book The Healer Within, offers tools for practical, applied mindfulness - a moment to moment portal to presence. Learn and practice the shared foundation of meditation, visualization and presence as well as Yoga, Tai Chi and Qigong - The Three Treasures of Mind-Body Practice.
In this recurring 5-week online gathering, Dr. Jahnke will introduce Mind-Body MAX. Learn to use The Three Treasures in a day to day, moment to moment, stress mastery context as well. As a doctor of oriental medicine, Dr. Jahnke will teach from the perspective of Chinese medicine and philosophy, physiological functionality and from the quantum view. Most importantly, you will practice the Three Mindful Intentions many times to create a new habit for response-ability in life's multitude of ways of presenting.
May 13 - Jun 10, 2008
5 sessions
Tuesdays
7:30 p.m. ET
Click for 5-week Class: $65
Click here for more details on Mind Body MAX...
If you are interested in how you can bring Dr. Roger Jahnke into your workplace for stress-reducing yoga and qigong "mini-breaks", please write to info@emindful.com |
Chef Michelle Sugiyama Teaches How to Enjoy Chocolate Mindfully!
A lot has been written lately regarding the health benefits of chocolate. Chef Michelle Sugiyama will show you how to enjoy this wonderful treat in a whole new way.
Michelle is a top honors graduate of Le Cordon Bleu and interned under a Master Chef in Avignon, France. Her class has been enormously popular in the Minneapolis area, and why not? It includes a secret taste test of 3 famous types of gourmet chocolate.
In this class, you will discover why you eat when you are not really hungry and ways to curb your cravings and over-indulgences. The best part is that you will learn this while savoring and learning about chocolate.
The class costs $39.95 (this is included in the price of the monthly subscription) and includes shipping of individually wrapped slices of chocolate marked "A", "B", and "C". You will find out about the chocolates you tasted at the end of class!
Chocolate and Mindfulness!?
$39.95 - May 17 or June 14, 2008 - Saturday
9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time
12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m Eastern Time
Click to Register for CMS5 or CMS6 | |
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Warm Regards,
Kelley McCabe
Founder/CEO
eMindful | 1022 Near Ocean Dr. | Vero Beach | FL | 32963
eMindful |
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