C PTSD - A Way Out

THE HAPPINESS OF A CONCENTRATED MIND:…Focused and Fearless

Marty — Sat, 25 May 2013 14:59:25 +0000

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We must stop searching for gratification through sense spheres if we wish to attain the first jhana. Most people have been conditioned since birth to look toward successful work, home life, and relationships as the strategy for attaining well-being and lasting happiness.
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Most people, too, have discovered that it has never actually worked to do that!
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Whatever success we have attained can quickly be lost. An achievement such as winning in an election, a tournament, or a competition brings only temporary success.
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At another time a different competitor will take the prize. The possessions we value can be lost.
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A cherished home can be destroyed by fire. Our lifestyle could be disrupted by war, famine, or violence. A tidy retirement fund can be eroded by medical costs.
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Anyone can die at any time. Seeing the vulnerability in this familiar cycle of craving, accumulation, change, and loss, a wise person looks elsewhere for happiness.
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It does not matter at this point if you believe that there is a happiness higher than material success. It is enough to know what has not worked in the past.
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We know what has not healed PTSD. So we make an adjustment, add a mindfulness practice and heal.
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Cultivating the Focused Mind, part three!!

Marty — Sat, 25 May 2013 14:45:10 +0000

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“In the Pali language of the early Buddhist scriptures, samadhi is the term that has most often been translated into English as “concentration,” yet samadhi describes something more than the narrow focus implied by “concentration.” It is a calm unification that occurs when the mind is profoundly undistracted.
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Samadhi is the beautiful state of an undistracted mind, described in the Pali texts as “internally steadied, composed, unified, and concentrated.”
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These four qualities indicate that samadhi is not merely focused on a single object. It is a state of profound serenity that encompasses a balanced, joyful composure, expressing the natural settledness of undistracted awareness.”

Excerpt From: Catherine, Shaila. “Focused and Fearless.”
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practice, heal, find happiness, calm and inner peace.
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Cultivating the Focused Mind, part two!!!

Marty — Fri, 24 May 2013 15:42:11 +0000

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CONCENTRATION is a central feature of a contemplative life, cultivated through formal meditation practice and also through any of a variety of other daily activities.
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Concentration brings with it a natural joy that arises as the mind settles and is absent of distraction. A surgeon may love surgery, not because the operating room is a pleasant place to be, but because the task demands such complete attention that the mind is filled with the delight associated with concentration.
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Kayakers are often enveloped in rapture even though their bodies are cramped in little boats and splashed by frigid water. A concentrated mind is focused, unified, and stable, regardless of whether the conditions are uncomfortable or luxurious.
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Amazing power in a concentrated mind.
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This passage is from Shaila Catherine again. She taught me how small emotions and thoughts are compared to our true self. I learned about permanence and impermanence from a lady who has sat seven accumulative years in silent retreat meditating.
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I have adopted many of her teachings since my future does not for see seven years of retreat in the near future. She has been farther than me, so I trust her wisdom to guide and inspire me forward.
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Cultivating the Focused Mind!!!!!

Marty — Fri, 24 May 2013 15:23:13 +0000

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Just as a rocky mountain is not moved by storms, so sights, sounds, tastes, smells, contacts and ideas, whether desirable or undesirable, will never stir one of steady nature, whose mind is firm and free.
—The Buddha
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The mind desires to be focused, uncluttered, unbound to explore the present.
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The mind desires time to repair, recoup, energize and feel free.
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The mind/brain controls most body function, movement and thought.
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Unclog your mind, let thoughts, stories, fears and worries go!
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Importance of letting go! Shaila Catherine!!!!

Marty — Fri, 24 May 2013 13:51:20 +0000

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THE WISE UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE of letting go—even letting go of the things we strive for and attain. Developing wisdom demands that we courageously abandon anything harmful and diligently cultivate wholesome states. Development and relinquishment together carry one systematically through the jhanas, strengthening the wholesome forces and distilling the mind to its essence.
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At each level of absorption new perceptions are discovered as others are abandoned. We use the deep happiness of jhana to encourage our practice of letting go. As we release control over body and mind to absorb into the peace of jhana, we let go into the cradle of jhanic bliss.
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Meditative training is more about letting go than it is about attaining levels of absorption. Spiritual life invites you to relinquish all that binds you, whether that is your cherished fantasies, destructive attitudes, assumptions, views, or treasured roles, beliefs, and ideals.
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Relinquishment is not a weak conceptual thought; it registers very deeply in the purity of a concentrated mind. In fact, the guiding principle of jhana practice is relinquishment, and release is both the method and aim of concentration. “If you don’t want to suffer, don’t cling” could summarize the main thrust of all the Buddha’s instructions.
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But if you can’t follow that simple instruction completely and need (as so of many us do) more complex approaches to help you or keep you busy until you finally tire of clinging, an extensive array of meditation tools have been devised by generations of Buddhist practitioners.
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And yet, if at any point you are unsure what to do in this practice, just let go.
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Teaching the Brain to Calm Itself By Maria Esposito, MA!!!!!

Marty — Thu, 23 May 2013 14:35:19 +0000

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Estimates of combat-related Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in U.S. veterans since the Vietnam War ranges from approximately 2& to 17%. Additional studies of combat veterans of more recent wars places the range of Iraq War returnees who suffer from PTSD between 4% and 17%. Currently, there is no one form of treatment that has been found effective in combating this disorder, but can the brain somehow be encouraged to calm itself down?
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PTSD is classified as an anxiety disorder brought on as the result of witnessing a life-threatening event. The individual repeatedly re-experiences distressing memories of the event and this constant repetition eventually alters the composition of the neural networks which process traumatic memories. This memory repetition also initiates:
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Iterative learning – learning through repetition to fear the traumatic event
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Top-down activation – expecting to find a certain pattern, the brain focuses attention on finding evidence of that pattern and not processing what is actually there
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Pruning – eliminating tiny connections between neurons called synapses that don’t receive a lot of activity, further changing the structure of neural networks
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Eventually, the PTSD patient is unable to distinguish between similar experiences. Minor threats to their personal safety are perceived as being on the same level as major ones which causes heightened anxiety responses.
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Researchers from the Columbia University Medical Center have been experimenting with activating the dentate gyrus – a part of the hippocampus – to relieve stress in PTSD patients and those with similar anxiety disorders. The researchers inserted light-sensitive proteins called opsins into the dentate gyrus of mice models. They used light from a fiber optic strand to alternately activate and silence both portions of the dentate gyrus for three minute intervals while the mice took part in two anxiety tests.
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The researchers found that stimulating the dorsal dentate gyrus – the area involved in learning – caused the mice to be more interested in investigating their surroundings, but it inhibited their ability to learn. However, when they stimulated the ventral portion – which is involved in anxiety – the animals’ anxiety levels were decreased without interfering with their ability to learn new things. The researchers also discovered that the effects could be reversed. When the they stopped activating the dentate gyrus, the mice returned to their previous states of anxiety.
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From these results, the researchers concluded that there is potential for alleviating anxiety in individuals with anxiety disorders by targeting the ventral dentate gyrus with medication or deep-brain stimulation. The advantage to this kind of targeted therapy is that it makes an immediate impact on behavior and so it could work much faster than current courses of treatment.
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Mindfulness does the same thing naturally and more, much, much, more.
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Shaila Catherine:…There is the thought, and then there is the knowing of the thought.

Marty — Thu, 23 May 2013 13:58:45 +0000

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The primary challenge in developing awareness of our thoughts is not recognizing that they are thoughts.You do not need to get rid of thoughts, just cease to believe them. If you are not seduced by the story that they represent, the thoughts will not disturb your mind. Tenzin Palmo, a nun in the Tibetan tradition wrote:

There is the thought, and then there is the knowing of the thought. And the difference between being aware of the thought and just thinking is immense. Normally we are so identified with our thoughts and emotions, that we are them.We are the happiness, we are the anger, we are the fear. We have to learn to step back and know our thoughts and emotions are just thoughts and emotions. They’re just mental states. They’re not solid, they’re transparent.
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A well-settled mind is not devoid of thought, but at the same time it is not seduced by the stories.You needn’t buy into the storyline just because you thought it.
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Pysch Central:..How Mindfulness Can Mitigate the Cognitive Symptoms of Depression By MARGARITA TARTAKOVSKY, M.S.!!!!!

Marty — Wed, 22 May 2013 14:37:32 +0000

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Mindfulness, or paying full attention to the present moment, can be very helpful in improving the cognitive symptoms of depression. These debilitating symptoms include distorted thinking, difficulty concentrating and forgetfulness. Cognitive symptoms can impair all areas of a person’s life. For instance, poor concentration can interfere with your job or schoolwork. Negative thoughts can lead to negative emotions, deepening depression.

Focusing on the here and now helps individuals become aware of their negative thoughts, acknowledge them without judgment and realize they’re not accurate reflections of reality, writes author William Marchand, M.D., in his comprehensive book Depression and Bipolar Disorder: Your Guide to Recovery. In it, Dr. Marchand recounts the benefits of mindfulness interventions and provides in-depth information about other psychotherapeutic and pharmacological treatments.

Through mindfulness, individuals start to see their thoughts as less powerful. These distorted thoughts – such as “I always make mistakes” or “I’m a horrible person” – start to hold less weight. In his book Marchand describes it as “watching ourselves think. We ‘experience’ thoughts and other sensations, but we aren’t carried away by them. We just watch them come and go.”

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is a group therapy that combines mindfulness principles with cognitive therapy to help prevent relapse in depression. It’s based on mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), a program developed by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn. MBSR includes mindfulness tools, such as meditation, a body scan and hatha yoga, along with education about stress and assertiveness, according to Marchand. (Learn more here.)

MBCT teaches individuals to detach from distorted and negative thinking patterns, which can trigger the return of depression. (Learn more here.)

Studies have suggested that MBCT is a valuable intervention for depression. This recent meta-analysis found that MBCT was highly effective in reducing relapse for major depression. This study found that it was beneficial for individuals currently struggling with depression.

Getting professional treatment for depression is vital. But there are complementary mindfulness practices readers can try on their own. Marchand shared his suggestions below.
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Continued in responses:………….…;

Fear:…PTSD and fear are coupled in this disorder!!!!!

Marty — Wed, 22 May 2013 13:43:39 +0000

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Fear is the by product of triggers firing, erupting in panic and anxiety, forcing us to avoid and run. Our defense mechanism, the amygdala picks up dangerous threats linked to our trauma and fires the adrenal stress response for protection.
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We feel fear at this moment in our mind and body. The chemical reactions and pumping of blood to the extremities are real as can be.
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Tunnel vision, loss of fine motor skills, loss of hearing and cognitive confusion follow quickly. Some of us are almost paralyzed with fear at this point, numb and terrified.
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This whole process does not harm us, poses no danger to our organism physically but mentally or emotionally it can be devastating.
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This is the pattern of PTSD arousal and growth. Run away, avoid, dissociate and trauma grows in strength and power.
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Every time we run, PTSD grows stronger, brings more fear to our doorstep.
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Somehow, someway healing happens when we face and navigate this space with awareness.
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Healing is no more than staying present without grasping at this explosion of trauma. Observing this phenomena with awareness, integrates it.
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Using mindfulness as our vehicle, we can stay present and calm as we explore our internal world. Life is so much more than we ever thought, and it is waiting for us to explore, to live freely.
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Fear can change and be our friend, our protector not our enemy.
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We can learn to be friendly with our fear, our adrenal stress response.
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Start today and practice, reclaim life and living fully.
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Words have enormous impact on self image!!!!

Marty — Wed, 22 May 2013 13:24:48 +0000

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The cognitive portion of the mind/brain reads words literally for content and meaning.
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A world of difference lies between saying a phrase such as, I am not worthy or I am having the feeling of not being worthy enough.
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Initially, I am not worthy gets judged and filed neatly away in the memory bank. It has life, has been analyzed and filed for future activity and growth.
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This is negative energy and emotion we are creating and nurturing. Be aware.
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Stating, we are having a feeling like unworthiness, is to abstract to file or save.
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It is just a feeling, nothing more, a sensation we correlate into feeling.
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Create this space, name strong emotions as feeling scared.
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