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Anthony Quintiliani, Ph.D, LADC

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May 19, 2018 By Admin

Interoception and Your Inner Self-Helper

Interoception and Your Inner Self-Helper

Interoception (sometimes called neuroception) is a sensory experience, in which you feel sensations in your body (viscera, heart, throat, etc.) that may be warning signs of limbic surveillance or inner continuity of your inner self-helper – that part of you and your brain that hopes to help you in whatever the situation you are experiencing. Interoceptive awareness is one of the most important mindfulness skills to practice.  In the following meditation, we will visit your interoceptive self and augment its power by repeated the practice. In neuroscience a common understanding is that the larger number of neurons activated in more and more brain areas implies the variant of power (potentiation); more neuron firing in more brain areas results in a more significant life experience. This is one reason why PTSD is such a devastating disorder, and why it is NOT easy to treat successfully. Also, let us not forget the ultimate power of LOVE; people gives their lives for it, and people kill others over it. Let’s get into the practice.

  1.  Sit in a comfortable meditation posture, and close your eyes if you prefer to. If you like you eyes open, gently fix attention downward toward the floor and hold a gentle gaze.
  2.  Now take a few very deep and very slow breaths, in and out. Track the feelings/sensations of the movement of your  breath into and out of the body. Focus attention on this for a few more deep, slow breaths.
  3. Now fully engage your imagination and follow the next few steps. Try to think less, and try to just BE more so.
  4. Focus full attention into your heart area and the viscera below it. See if you feel any form of sensations – even the most tiny sense of kinesthetics. Be with that feeling, and try to keep your mind on it without lots of thinking.
  5. Please do your best to accept that this inner feeling (no matter how slight) is the home of your inner self-helper. it is your intuitive area.
  6. Now our work begins: Using your mind’s eyes, is there a color to this feeling? Focus on it.
  7. Does the feeling inside your body have  any shape? If so, what shape is it? See it, and feel it.
  8. How large or small is the area you feel it in?
  9. How about texture? Is there a discernable texture to your inner sensations?
  10. Is your feeling more hard or more softer?
  11. Does your inner feeling produce a memory of any sound or sounds?
  12. Now focus your energies on making that inner feeling stronger so it can have power to protect you.
  13. Now focus on making that feeling larger – feel your self-helper power This is your self-protector.
  14. Stay with the experience for a few minutes of silence. See what happens.
  15. Become aware, really aware of this feeling. Befriend it fully!

Anthony R. Quintiliani, PhD., LADC

From the Eleanor R. Liebman Center for Secular Meditation in Monkton, Vermont and the Home of The Monkton SanghaChiYinYang_EleanorRLiebmanCenter

Author of Mindful Happiness  

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New Edition of Mindful Happiness in Production…Coming soon!

Filed Under: Featured, Inner Peace, Interoception, Meditation, MIndfulness, Self -Kindness, Self Care Tagged With: INNER PEACE, INTEROCEPTION, MEDITATION, MINDFULNESS SKILLS, PTSD, SELF-HELP

January 11, 2018 By Admin

Self-Help in Mind-Body Medicine

Self-Help in Mind-Body Medicine

In this brief post we will review several specific ways that may improve your psychological and physical health. The post will be short, sweet, and simple to encourage participation. Here it is.

  1. Affirmation – “I am learning to love myself just the way I am.” Repeat this mantra sub vocally over and over again.
  2. Meditate using the mantra.  Do your best to sit for at least 20 minutes.
  3. Practice a basic body scan, and at each part of the body repeat your mantra. The most basic body scanning process requires that you pay strong attention to sequential parts of your body from top of the head to tips of the toes. At each location, say your mantra.
  4. Get out your journal. If you do not journal now, this is a great opportunity to begin to do so. In your journal list several of your best attributes. Be generous but not narcissistic.
  5. Now ask yourself in your journal: “Why do I suffer so much?” Use free association and write down the first thoughts you become conscious of. Ask the same questions several times and see what comes up. Do so even if the thoughts make no sense to you at this time.  Now write your mantra several times in your journal. Read it all.
  6. Now check into your energy system (the chakras), and learn on your own the associations between each energy center and various characteristics of life experience. Stop at the chakra that most corresponds to your current problem/s. Some common and emotional centers are at the crown of the head, the third eye area, the throat, the heart, and the lower belly. Now meditate on one area at a time, and repeat your mantra several times. If you locate an energy center that is more directly related to your problem/s, focus your meditative attention and mantra on that one area.  Repeat your mantra many times.
  7. To develop a better chance of improving your health make sure you are DOING all the below interventions to the best of your abilities and at the same time: medical treatment, psychological treatment, intuitive treatment, affirmative self-care, meditation, yoga, daily exercise, and relationship repair or replacement.  Keep these self-care practices highly active. Monitor your improvements. Write only improvements in your journal.

For more information refer to Schulz, M.L. and Hay, L. (2016). Heal Your Mind…Carlsbad, CA: Hay House Publications, introduction and appendix A.

Anthony R. Quintiliani, PhD., LADC

From the Eleanor R. Liebman Center for Secular Meditation in Monkton, Vermont and the Home of The Monkton SanghaChiYinYang_EleanorRLiebmanCenter

Author of Mindful Happiness  

Mindful Happiness cover designs.indd

New Edition of Mindful Happiness in Production…Coming soon!

Filed Under: Featured, Mind-Body Medicine, MIndfulness, MIndfulness Activities Tagged With: MIND BODY MEDICINE, MINDFUL HAPPINESS, MINDFULNESS, SELF-HELP

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