Mindfulness Meditation

I've been doing Mindfulness for a few months now. I failed to launch for a while but I'm really getting the hang of it now. I felt like a twit doing this with my therapist but really need to work on stress reduction so have been practising a lot at home. I try to meditate twice a day now and believe me I'm not the meditation type - whatever that is.

I've been looking at buying a CD so I can do some guided meditation. I found this website with meditations of varying lengths if you would like to try them.

Good luck! Some days I really look forward to the peace and quiet. It certainly stops the voices crowding in

http://marc.ucla.edu/body.cfm?id=22

And if you want to buy some downloads there are plenty to chose from - listen to the preview on this one.

http://www.soundstrue.com/shop/Mindfulness-Meditation-for-Pain-Relief/2117.productdetails;jsessionid=LIR6RZEpcmPo74mfHWl1.32

thanx for posting... will check out the list

Cheers,

Sue

I've just reread some of Ending Female Pain by Isa Herrera and at the back there's a section on the mind body connection. Basically she says being depressed, stressed out or feeling negative doesn't cause the problem but it can contribute to it remaining as the body releases stress hormones and tenses up the muscles ready for the "flight or fight" response so taking some time out to destress every day is important. She also says her patients who believe they are going to get better and follow her program do alot better than the ones who don't think they will recover so there's something to be said for meditation etc.

Hi Sarah,

That's really good to know. I twitch a bit and my doc says that's because my body is on full alert because of the constant pain.

Mindfulness teaches you how to be in the present moment... translated that's as simple as taking a deep breath to acknowledge and let go of negative thoughts. I'm pretty keen on that

Vicki

thanks for the post Mouse Ive only just seen it, dont know how i missed that one! Im looking for meditation cds etc. Im trying to come over all spiritual...ooooo eeerrrrrr!

figured if the medical profession arent helping me with my physical stuff ive gota focus on the mental....as am literally turning a bit mental

It's interesting you mention the link with mindful meditation. My GP is taking a really holistic approach with my vulvodynia and associated mild depression, which basically comes from having a chronic pain condition which affects my relationships etc etc (most of you would know what I'm talking about!)

She suggested a book called 'The Mindful Way Through Depression' by Mark Williams, John Teasdale, Zindel Segal and Jon Kabat-Zinn, which includes a cd and teaches you step-by-step about mindful meditation. I don't think you need to have serious depression to get something out of it. It's just a very practical form of meditation that I think a lot of people can benefit from, even just to deal with everyday stresses - and my vulval physiotherapist is also encouraging me to consider it part of my vulvodynia treatment. It seems a good and practical way to improve the mind-body connection with tense muscles and pain responses. I still have a way to go in being 'cured' but I figure it's worth trying everything!

Oh will deff look at the links and download sum onto my ipod..I need stress reduction big time! thanks for posting this

I've just bought Mindfulness Meditation for Pain Relief CD by Jon Kabat-Zinn. I did about 30 minutes yesterday, had a kip and then yelled at my daughter. I might need another session =)

These are guided practices for reclaiming your body and your life. I'm trying to do it every day.

Hello! I'm glad you posted this topic. I have recently started reading and researching about mindfulness and meditation and have been keen on actually practicing it in my daily activities. I have been practicing a little bit of meditation but not yet on a daily basis. I understand that mindfulness allows you to actively experience things as they happen, and thus provides a means to be neutral and free of judgment and negativity. I currently have Mindfulness for Dummies as a material and have learned through different blogs and forums like these. I'd like to ask though if you have experienced you mind wandering off while meditating and aside from re-focusing on your breath, are there any other tips that can help? Thank you!

Hey peanutbutter, I think the key with a wandering mind is to acknowledge the thought and then let it go. It makes sense that the mind wanders so gently bring it back. By acknowledging the thought and letting it go you're not forcing your mind to concentrate.

Good luck!

Hey Vicki,

Thanks so much for the link !!

It really resonated with me when he said learn to live with your pain.
Healing words.

I know we all want to beat this, but I think that if our mindset was such that we didnt focus on getting better, now, soon...then healing could come easier.

Its a path that we are on...and I think its unique to each os us...but there is definetly hope for all of us.

I think Mouse is right about acknowledging the thought then letting it go, that's how I calm my constantly chattering brain when I try to and it does work.

I'm trying to start to practice mindfulness meditation more regularly, too. One interesting thing our therapist told us is that this Dr. who heads a vulva clinic in Vancouver has all the v. patients attend a 4-6 week course on mindfulness meditation before they prescribe them any meds. Apparently, the studies show that it doesn't cure the pain, of course, but it dramatically improves the ability to live with the pain and the perception of the pain - which can itself reduce the intensity of the pain experienced.

Kind of amazing!

I have this really good book called "Manage your pain before it manages you" and the author says that if people who experience chronic pain can regularly elicit the "relaxation response", then their pain will become less intensified over time. Basically, the more pain you experience chronically, the more you can actually "sensitize" your nervous system to become more sensitive to pain. On the other hand, if you can deeply relax (through meditation) then you can calm your nervous system (through actual physical changes) to reverse/reduce this process. The book has some great tips for meditating too.

Hope that's helpful!

A while ago I came across & downloaded this guided meditation specifically for those with vulvodynia (I think the lady who developed it suffers):

http://www.nomatchfilms.com/vulvo/page2/page2.html

I find it helpful to listen to while having a flare up because it feels as if the person talking to you understands. I don't tend to listen to it when I'm having a good day, though, because it just brings my mind back to the previous pain!

I think meditation is a great thing and have been going to local classes, plus I'm off on a retreat this weekend. I do find it difficult, though, to stop my thoughts for any length of time. I heard of an online mindfulness course (www.bemindfulonline.com) and am thinking of giving it a go to try and bring a sense of calm to more of my day to day life, too.