Dr. Marsha Lucas - On the Benefits and Neuroscience of Mindfulness

Cool video from her sight introducing readers to the benefits of mindfulness practice. Dr. Lucas is a neuropsychologist - and a very nice person. If she were in Tucson, I would want to work with her. She has a very excellent website: ReWire Your Brain for Love.

She recently posted an excerpt the newish book from Dr. Ronald Alexander - Wise Mind, Open Mind: Finding Purpose and Meaning in Times of Crisis, Loss, and Change (New Harbinger Publications, 2009) that debunks four common myths of mindfulness.

Four Myths About Mindfulness Meditation

by Marsha Lucas, PhD on August 10, 2010

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Adapted from Dr. Ronald Alexander’s new book, Wise Mind, Open Mind: Finding Purpose and Meaning in Times of Crisis, Loss, and Change (New Harbinger Publications, 2009).

By Dr. Ronald Alexander

The majority of my clients resist mindfulness meditation at first, although the time commitment is small and the payoff is enormous. One insisted that it wasn’t necessary and that she didn’t have enough time in her day to devote to a regular practice. Then she went through the loss of a parent, and had such trouble coping that she couldn’t even drag herself out of bed. After missing work ten days straight, she called me for my advice. I told her to mindfully meditate while in bed. Terrified and bewildered, my client did and, in a few days, found that she could face going to work again. After that, whenever she was in an overwhelming state of grief or so distracted that she couldn’t focus, she would close her door, tell her assistant to hold all her calls and do a five minute meditation. Slowly, her grief lessened.

Typically, those who resist meditation are buying in to one of the following four common myths that create resistance to regular mindfulness meditation practice.

Myth 1: “Practicing mindfulness meditation will conflict with my religious beliefs.” The practice of mindfulness meditation is free of religious and spiritual dogma. In fact, if you believe in turning to God for guidance, you can use mindfulness meditation to set aside distractions and listen to the divine wisdom that can be found only when you tune out the endless chain of thoughts your own mind creates. This form of meditation turns down the volume of the chatter in your mind and allows you to tune in to deeper wisdom and insight. Mindfulness practice is a pathway to discovery that any of us can use, regardless of our religious or spiritual beliefs.

Go read the rest to find out about the other three myths Dr. Alexander discusses.

Tags: Dr. Marsha Lucas, Benefits, Neuroscience, Mindfulness, Psychology, brain, meditation, Four Myths About Mindfulness Meditation, Dr. Ronald Alexander, Wise Mind, Open Mind, Finding Purpose, Meaning, Times of Crisis, Loss, Change, crisis