Mindful Happiness

Anthony Quintiliani, Ph.D, LADC

  • Home
  • Dr. Anthony Quintiliani
    • About
  • Mindful Happiness
  • Mindful Expressions Meditation CD
  • Contact

September 8, 2014 By Admin Leave a Comment

Total Human Experience in Brain Habits

Brain Habits –  Helpful Vs Unhelpful

Nora Volkow, MD, Director, National Institute on Drug Abuse ( video below)  has noted that people suffering from addictions may experience some dysfunction in in brain areas related to personal motivation, reward recognition, and inhibitory controls.  Neuroscientists have utilized various brain imaging techniques to document this possibility in addicted individuals.  These finding bring us to a new look at ALL addicted behaviors as possible forms of brain-based disease (brain area, neuronal, neurotransmitter  malfunctions, habitual behaviors, and their related plasticity).  This more scientific research on addiction as disease moves well beyond common views noted in AA/12 Steps (it is a disease so it is not your fault); this more scientific research is specific to the brain’s role in developing and maintaining unhelpful, addictive habits.  Such habits often follow the escape from pain and approach to pleasure principles so well established in scientific psychology.  Core research has focused mainly on alcohol-drug addictions; however, a reinforced habit is a reinforced habit as far as brain functioning is concerned.  It is true that chemical addictions add specific molecular realities to addicted behaviors – molecular basis for instrumental and classical conditioning of habitual behaviors  leading to recognized changes in the brain’s reward centers.  All addictive behaviors – all unhelpful habits – narrow personal motivation to the rewarding effects, enhance craving for the rewarding effects, increase fear of being without the rewarding effects, and reduce one’s ability to slow or stop the habitual behavior itself.  Because people are self-medicating their moods and emotions, they tend NOT to learn more effective life coping skills (mindfulness, etc.), thus becoming even more dependent on the unhelpful habit for short-term relief of suffering and, perhaps, some intermittent joy.  It is quite common for depression, anxiety, fear, trauma, and other serious life challenges to be the emotional bases for initial self-medicating behaviors.

To assist readers in their personal efforts to attain mindful, wise mind skills – thus reducing the impact and probability of unhelpful habits and wise-mindaddictions – I am expanding this post to include more on my conceptual process about CABS-VAKGO-IS-Rels.  These letters represent: Cognition, Affect, Behavior, Sensorimotor, Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic, Gustatory, Olfactory, Intuitive, Spiritual, and Relational REALITIES on how humans function emotionally inside and outside of their own brain-mind and body.   This is the reality in human functioning, both helpful and unhelpful.  By focusing your attention on the various categories of human emotional experience (CABS-VAKGO-IS-Rels), you may be able to identify the areas of your brain that are helping you to maintain health and happiness AND the the areas that are moving you into poor health and more suffering.  Try to problem solve by noting what areas are your working allies to remain safe, productive, and happy as well as what areas serve as your ENEMIES.

Yes, even if you derive some brief pleasure or respite from suffering  from an unhelpful or addictive habit (via self-medication), this short-term emotional strategy ALWAYS leads to more suffering in both the original “thing” you are trying to escape AND in future addictions that simply add to your suffering and stress load. This is not difficult: find out which areas help you and which areas harm you; do more in the areas that help you, and do less in the areas that harm you.  Obtain qualified, licensed professional help as needed.

This formula may be helpful:

 Internal/External Cues/Stimuli (people, places, things, experiences) – LEAD TO } Thoughts, Beliefs, Emotions, Behaviors – LEAD TO } Consequences of the Selected Behaviors

If the consequences of the behavior are reinforcing (releasing dopamine in the brain’s reward centers) – you got what you wanted and the behavior is far more apt to continue until it becomes just about automatic (no other skills, neuronal sensitization, and brain plasticity).

Unhelpful Behaviors LEAD TO more suffering AND Helpful Behaviors LEAD TO less suffering/more happiness.

I hope you are able to use this information and wise mind skills to improve your emotional life – starting right now!

By Anthony R. Quintiliani, PhD., LADC

From the Eleanor R. Liebman Center for Secular Meditation in Monkton, VermontChiYinYang_EleanorRLiebmanCenter

Author of Mindful Happiness

CLICK HERE to Order!

Mindful Happiness cover designs.indd

Filed Under: Featured, MIndfulness, Neuroscience, Practices, Self Medication, Sensory Awareness, Training, Wise Mind Tagged With: ADDICTIVE BEHAVIORS, ANTHONY QUINTILIANI, BRAIN HABITS, BURLINGTON, ELEANOR R LIEBMAN CENTER, MONKTON, SELF MEDICATION, VERMONT, WISE MIND SKILLS

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

Twitter

Mindful Happiness -Currently in Production

Mindful Happiness Posts

Consciousness, Emptiness, and Well Being

Consciousness, Emptiness, and Well Being This is an advanced post on the complex relationship among consciousness (awareness), emptiness, and well being. Readers with advanced understanding of Buddhist Psychology will recognize the inherent relationships among consciousness, emptiness, and well being and interactions with core Buddhist concepts and experiences such as happiness and suffering, impermanence, non-dual nature, […]

Can We Return to Grace in America?

Mindfulness Can Activate More Grace in Our Lives Today we all need to be cultivating more and deeper grace.  Grace needs to be activated. Given so many of our cultural problems (murders and mass murders by gunfire, rampant personal and corporate greed, ego-entitlement, chronic stress, feelings of insecurity, technological advances that do not ADVANCE us, […]

Mastering Your Own Ego’s Impulsivity: Being Tolerant

  Tolerance: Mastering Your Egos Impulses It is reported that Ajahn Chah said: “Buddhism is a religion of the heart. Only this. One who practices to develop the heart is one who practices Buddhism.”  This statement has merit in today’s highly competitive society. The 14th Dalai Lama  and Thich Nhat Hanh have made similar statements. […]

Joy is Within Reach – It is Up to You

Mindful Happiness:   Joy is Within Reach – It is Up to You to Choose It! We all live in a very troubled world with lots of greed, hate, warfare, and danger. Many of us use distractions (addictions, cell phone habits, eating, gathering, games, etc.) to make it through the days. This is true!  However, […]

Compassion Fatigue: Risks and Solutions

Risks and Solutions for Compassion Fatigue Perhaps nothing more than compassion fatigue causes more helpers to prematurely exit their fields.  First responders are generally seen as the most at risk for compassion fatigue (and possibly PTSD), followed by emergency room medical staff. A third group, medical and clinical staff working with high risk terminally-prone patients is […]

Meditations on Emptiness

An Advanced View on Meditations on Emptiness An earlier post on the Dalai Lama’s book, Meditations on the Nature of Mind, ended with suggested meditations (my own personal contemplation’s) about emptiness.  I will first review those contemplations.  Contemplate deeply on what emptiness means personally to you.  Contemplate about a time when you received a glimpse of personal emptiness. […]

Self-Reality Checks in Mindful Clinical Practice

Self-Reality Checks Are Needed in Your Mindful Clinical Practice It is highly important for helpers working in the co-occurring conditions field to become keenly aware of their own realities in practice and life that impact clinical effectiveness.  Below I have listed four areas that show up in clinical surveys and added four more that I […]

The “I AM THAT” Meditation

The “I AM THAT” Meditation Elena Brower’s new book, Practice You: A Journal (Sounds True, 2017) has many thoughtful suggestions on how to connect with the true inner self, and – more importantly – how to improve your self-views and the experience of your deep inner self. Below I have modified her presentation of the “I Am […]

Using Cognitive Defusion in Mindfulness Psychotherapy

Cognitive Defusion in Mindfulness Psychotherapy A well-meaning therapist might ask: What is cognitive defusion. Well this practice, as used in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, is beyond cognitive restructuring of cognitive distortions and automatic negative thoughts ( I call “Red Ants”). The practice concretely de-literalizes the personal truth and meaning of unhelpful, repetitive thoughts and words. […]

Happiness and the Mountain Metaphor

 Mindful Happiness – Mountain Metaphor The mountain journey metaphor has often been used for mindfulness practice (J. Kabat-Zinn) and spiritual experience of inner clearing and healing (L. V. Andrews).  Here I will paraphrase and modify both of these approaches into brief versions for your practice.  Practice this and find your center of true inner happiness […]

Dangers of Smartphone Abuse

Psychological Research on the Dangers of Smartphone Abuse There is no doubt that smartphone technology bring us a great deal of advanced technological access to a world of information and communication. There is a downside. Recent research published by The American Psychological Association in March, 2017, and opinions in The Atlantic warn of potential and actual biopsychosocial […]

Mindfulness, the Brain, and Education – The Benefits are Many! Current research on mindfulness, brain science, and education suggests that mindfulness-wise application of neuroscience in the classroom may improve social-emotional and educational outcomes for students.  Here I will simply review current scientific information about how the human brain learns. Hopefully, this information will be applicable […]

Using Breath as Your Object of Meditation

Breath as the Object of Meditation  A Deeper Understanding In the Satipatthana Sutra the Buddha noted that meditation practice was necessary for success on the path to liberation and enlightenment.  He noted that it could take many, many years of practice to achieve this experiential goal.  The good news is that Buddha also noted it could take […]

How to Improve Client/Patient Collaboration

Improving Client/Patient Collaboration  in Treatment To improve collaboration between you and your clients/patients, simply practice the following behaviors as your norms.  See the list below, and practice, practice, practice. Present with an attitude of helpfulness and authentic caring. Empathy and authentic concern are required. Recognize the reality that clients/patients are at different levels of readiness […]

Using Mindfulness and Contemplation in Education and Therapy

Using Mindfulness and Contemplation in Education and Therapy During the past few months I have been engaged with four small groups regarding how to use mindfulness and contemplation in education and/or therapy.  The groups have  variations: two groups are university faculty members meeting to discuss specific books related to these topics; one group is in […]

Ideas about Attitudes of Gratitude – M. J. Ryan

Attitudes of Gratitude Thoughts and Applications M. J. Ryan presents some interesting practices in the book, Attitudes of Gratitude (1999).  Here are some ideas. Hope you will practice some of them soon. As The 14th Dalai Lama and Thich Nhat Hanh suggest, we should always appreciate the preciousness and miracle of human life – our own life no matter what […]

Clinical “Gems” in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy

 Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy “gems” In my opinion there are about eleven such “gems” in psychoanalytic psychotherapy.  Use of these interventions in various types of psychotherapy may improve clinical outcomes beyond insight. Although these curative interventions have often been associated with treatment of psychological trauma, object loss, and inner conflict, they may also be useful in the […]

What is Interoception and Why is it Important?

About Interoception and It’s Importance Interoception (some may also call it neuroception) is the conscious detection and perception of sensory signals in the body and on the skin. Most often these signals are processed as sensations.  Sensation, as the foundation of emotional experience, is always there in our bodies; however, we are not always fully […]

Relational Suffering and Buddhist Practice

Relational Suffering and Buddhist Practice Recently I experienced a deep, sudden, afflictive emotional experience. This sudden and profound sense of loss was due to temporary heartbreak; the temporary heartbreak dealt with rejection from a younger woman I found to be interesting and attractive (inside and outside). My “lost” person seemed to possess all the attachment […]

Mindful Approaches for Enhanced Emotion Regulation

Practice Approaches to for Mindful and  Enhanced Emotion Regulation Brought to us by way of  The Eleanor R. Liebman Center for Secular Meditation in Monkton, Vermont Mindful Approaches for Enhanced Emotion Regulation; here are some approaches to practice. 1)In some ways you could understand the progression from auto-pilot mind to greater stability and equanimity of […]

Mindful Happiness Tags

MINDFUL MEDITATION ACTIVITY NATURE HAPPINESS COMPASSION VIPASSANA ANTHONY QUINTILIANI BREATHING BUDDHISM BRAIN DEEPAK CHOPRA ELEANOR R LIEBMAN CENTER PRACTICES MINDFUL ACTIVITIES VIPASSANA MEDITATION MINDFULNESS DR ANTHONY QUINTILIANI. TRAINING THERAPY. ACTIVITIES VERMONT EXERCISES SELF MEDICATION CONSCIOUSNESS DR ANTHONY QUINTILIANI EMPTINESS PSYCHOTHERAPY PRACTICE MEDITATION D.W.WINNICOTT MINDFUL HAPPINESS TRAINING MEDIATION MBSR SELF COMPASSION SUFFERING RITUALS ADDICTION MINDFUL TRAINING MEDITATION PRACTICE THICH NHAT HANH WIND RIDGE BOOKS WALKING MEDITATION MINDFULNESS TRAINING BOOK REVIEW WISE MIND

Mindful Categories

Mindful Happiness Pages

  • About
  • Contact
  • Dr. Anthony Quintiliani
  • Mindful Expressions Meditation CD
  • Mindful Happiness
  • Site Map

Copyright © 2018 · Mindful Happiness