Mindfulness Skills - VIDEO 4 - QUIZ

Introduction to Mindfulness and DBT Skills

• Charlie is introducing a new venture of going through the DBT skills in depth over the next year, skill by skill, to help people understand and use them effectively.

• This is not only for DBT therapists, patients, or family members, but for anyone who wants to learn the skills.

• Today's topic is mindfulness, which is a solution to unpredictable anxiety-ridden lives and catastrophes people have.

• Charlie will discuss the qualities that mindfulness brings to one's life and how it helps with life problems.

• He will also explain what mindfulness is, including its various forms, and how it can be practiced in small moments throughout the day.

• Charlie uses the metaphor of Pac-Man to describe how small moments of mindfulness can accumulate and create a resilient outer layer between oneself and the world.

• DBT is a treatment developed by Marsha Linehan in the 1970s to treat people who harm themselves or try to kill themselves due to out-of-control emotions.

• The core of the problem is emotions, and the skills are the treatment for it, which can help people with various issues, such as substance abuse, eating disorders, and domestic abuse.

• Mindfulness is a set of concepts that promote awareness and acceptance in life, which requires effortful practice to get back to the present moment.

• DBT mindfulness skills lay the foundation for the entire 100-plus skills training package and are practical things that can change oneself for the better in 30 seconds.

• Charlie will use a song to explain mindfulness and its benefits in a relatable and memorable way.

• Eye contact is awkward in this Zoom session, but Charlie will do his best to convey his thoughts and answer questions from the chat during the last 20 minutes.Dealing with Adversity: Understanding Mindfulness and Discomfort

• Mindfulness is a practice of being aware and present in the current moment, allowing one's perception to be in contact with reality.

• Mindfulness can have a cumulative effect and can change a person in a moment.

• Mindfulness involves observing or participating in an experience or phenomenon.

• Mindfulness requires bringing one's perception in absolute contact with reality, such as focusing on the details of breathing.

• Mindfulness is often used to deal with discomfort, including physical pain, mental anguish, worry, anxiety, grief, humiliation, and shame.

• Acceptance is a key component of mindfulness, including accepting physical pain and discomfort in order to be present in the moment.

• The opposite of mindfulness is a practice of being non-aware, non-accepting, and delusional, refusing to see and accept reality.

• The author shares a personal story of running the Boston Marathon and sacrificing mindfulness in order to push through pain and discomfort.

• Multitasking and pushing through discomfort can have long-term physical consequences, such as osteoarthritis.

• Mindfulness can help individuals cope with discomfort by accepting the reality of the situation and being present in the moment.

• Mindfulness can also help individuals cultivate compassion and self-compassion towards themselves and others during times of adversity.

• Mindfulness is a deceptively simple concept that requires practice and patience, but can have profound effects on one's well-being and ability to cope with adversity.The Anti-Mindfulness Package: Rejecting Reality, Avoiding Discomfort, and Suppressing Natural Responses

• The author reflects on his personal experience of going to the races, which involves rejecting reality, avoiding discomfort, and controlling situations.

• Going to the races is the opposite of mindfulness, which involves accepting reality, approaching experiences, and letting go of control.

• Mindfulness is a wake-up call to the fine-grained nature of reality and helps individuals become more resilient.

• Discomfort is a natural part of life and keeps coming, but mindfulness allows individuals to be with their pain.

• Substance abuse, addiction, and depression can be treated with mindfulness-based practices, such as mindfulness-based cognitive therapy and mindfulness-based relapse prevention.

• Mindfulness involves being alert to waves of discomfort and urges, and learning to ride them without being carried away by them.

• The metaphor of waves can be applied to all walks of life, and mindfulness helps individuals disconnect misery from their natural responses.

• Mindfulness involves opening up to the reality of the moment, approaching experiences, allowing perceptions and sensations, and relaxing into the present.

• The acronym SOAR summarizes the outcomes of practicing mindfulness: see what's happening, approach what's going on, allow perceptions and sensations, and relax into reality.

• Mindfulness is the opposite of the anti-mindfulness package, which includes rejection, avoidance, control, escape, and suppression.

• Mindfulness helps individuals become more resilient and accept discomfort as a natural part of life.

• Mindfulness-based practices can be used to treat addiction, depression, and other mental health conditions.The Role of Mindfulness in Daily Life

• Mindfulness grows from what's real in one's life, not from a monk from India.

• Mindfulness can be used to address intense emotional reactivity triggered by past experiences.

• Mindfulness does not necessarily require being quiet or still.

• The benefits of mindfulness may not be immediately apparent or desirable to everyone.

• Mindfulness can be compared to a surfer noticing a wave and coping ahead.

• Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy can help individuals recognize early signs of negative emotions and thoughts.

• Mindfulness is not synonymous with being passive and can be used to cultivate courage.

• Mindfulness can help individuals address unresolved issues and have difficult conversations.

• Mindfulness can be practiced in various ways, including through sports and other activities.

• Mindfulness practices will be further explored in upcoming sessions of the discussion.

• The discussion is open to anyone who may find it useful, including patients and non-patients.

• Feedback and input on the discussion are welcome.