This website offers information about bringing a Mindful approach to all
aspects of everyday human living, and the work of writer, educator and coach
Suzanne Matthiessen, who, since 1986, has dedicated her life and work to teaching integrated mind/body approaches to well-being and facilitating civil, mindful communication and interaction between all people, regardless of their differences.
Chance favors the prepared mind. - Louis Pasteur
 EACH OF US EXPERIENCES IT, every day - the level of human conflict is rising and the degree of civil behavior is decreasing: in the workplace, within relationships, while driving, on the phone and in the cyber world, just to name a few places where humane treatment toward one another is waning. Stress and anger abound. Entitlement attitudes and self-orientation are becoming epidemic, as the desires and indulgences of the one are usurping the needs of the many. And although most people you ask will agree with this reality, few offer tangible solutions to the fact that divisive, insensitive and disrespectful behavior is ramping up the amount of societal discord, and thereby amplifying its destructive toll upon both individual and collective health and well-being, as well as posing a real threat to sane survival of the species. The costs of unmanaged stress, anger, conflict and communication challenges are staggering, both monetarily and otherwise, whether they are within the workplace, consumer interactions, or our personal relationships.
The growing field of neuroscience and its companion discipline of neuroplasticity is proving that each of us can consciously, intentionally choose to change our brains by how we deliberately use our minds. In addition to our genetic makeup, and the environment we live in, the thoughts, choices, actions and behaviors we engage in play a role in how and what ways our minds (and our brains) can be re-shaped - either in positive and productive ways, or negative and destructive ways. Scientific experiments are constantly demonstrating that by deliberately focusing our mental attention we can constantly fire new neurons in our brains - even in our latter years - and can accelerate humanitarian-based emotions and attitudes such as mutual respect, kindness, patience, healthy self-esteem, non-enablement, appropriate self-control, wise boundaries, positive coping skills, emotional and social intelligence, fearless inner strength, and last but not least, empathy and compassion.
Neuroplasticity is a modern-day scientific term that also reflects the ancient practice of mindfulness, brought into global culture from the Buddhist philosophies. Mindfulness is not a religious practice, it is a technique of re-minding ones self via paying conscious, moment-by-moment deliberate attention to the impact we have upon everyone we come into contact with as well as ourselves, and purposely choosing a way of living each and every day that fosters awareness, courage, compassion, inclusiveness and mutual respect toward the perspectives and needs of others as well as ourselves.
Deliberate mindfulness requires accepting yourself in the now,
while also being proactive about improving that which you have control
over by being informed, paying attention, and being accountable for
the thoughts, choices, actions and behaviors you undertake.
When we bring mindfulness into our interactions with everyone, we demonstrate a level of inner balance, diplomacy, non-reactivity, and calm personal strength. Mindfulness allows us to be aware of how we show up during times of conflict as well as when there is peace, and to maintain fearless, yet empathetic and compassionate centeredness. Our own mindful communications can bring out the best in others by our sheer example, and by connecting with them on an authentic human level regardless of what may appear to separate us, we create opportunities for walls to be transcended and bridges to be forged.
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MINDFULNESS AND NEUROPLASTICITY require focused mental effort and repetition to create new grooves in our neural pathways to reorganize or replace the older, often less-efficient ones. Both have the ability to create both physical and chemical changes in the brain. One must be committed to practicing and paying attention 24/7/365 - but it's neither boring nor constricting; in fact it is the exact opposite. Mindfulness is an enjoyable, empowering, highly grounding, secular practice that can be embraced by all faiths and beliefs, and has nothing to do with "cosmic woo-woo fluff" whatsoever. No sitting cross-legged on pillows and chanting, no cult mentality, no incense required.
In fact, mindfulness is most effectively and transparently
practiced with eyes-wide-open,
in every environment and in every moment.
Please click here to download "The Benefits of Being Present: Mindfulness and Its Role in Psychological Well Being," by Kirk Warren Brown and Richard M. Ryan, University of Rochester.
Neuroplasticity-focused brain exercises are being used to successfully rehabilitate stoke victims and help attain increased mental functioning as we age. Besides aiding us in areas of conflict, mindfulness touches all corners of our lives and contributes to greater overall health and well-being by reducing stress levels and developing strong coping skills, both priceless allies in our complex, high-pressure lives. Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is successfully being used to treat chronic depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder, and Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention (MBRP) helps those in addiction recovery to remain sober by incorporating deliberate, mindful practices. Mindfulness-Based meditation has been scientifically studied and found to create both short- and long term neural changes and is being used to treat adults and teens with ADD/ADHD.
In an article titled "Quantum physics in neuroscience and psychology: a neurophysical model of mind–brain interaction," Jeffrey M. Schwartz, M.D., Henry P. Stapp and Mario Beauregard state:
"The mental act of clear-minded introspection and observation, variously known as mindfulness, mindful awareness, bare attention, the impartial spectator, etc., is a well-described psychological phenomenon with a long and distinguished history in the description of human mental states (Nyanaponika 2000). The most systematic and extensive exposition is in the canonical texts of classic Buddhism preserved in the Pali language, a dialect of Sanskrit. Because of the critical importance of this type of close attentiveness in the practice of Buddhist meditation, some of its most refined descriptions in English are in texts concerned with meditative practice (although it is of critical importance to realize that the mindful mental state does not require any specific meditative practice to acquire, and is certainly not in any sense a ‘trance-like’ state)." |
The authors of this piece go on to say:
"When people practice self-directed activities for the purpose of systematically altering patterns of cerebral activation they are attending to their mental and emotional experiences, not merely their limbic or hypothalamic brain mechanisms. And although no scientifically oriented person denies that those brain mechanisms play a critical role in generating those experiences, precisely what the person is training him or herself to do is to willfully change how those brain mechanisms operate - and to do that requires attending to mental experience per se. It is, in fact, the basic thesis of self-directed neuroplasticity research that the way in which a person directs their attention (e.g. mindfully or unmindfully) will affect both the experiential state of the person and the state of his/her brain." |
An excerpt from the excellent University of California - San Diego Center for Mindfulness Website FAQs page written by Jeff Brantley, MD of the Duke Center for Integrative Medicine:
WHY IS MEDITATION NOW OFFERED IN HEALTH CARE SETTINGS AND FOR STRESS REDUCTION?
The use of meditation in health care settings, and for stress reduction is related to discoveries about the mind-body connection in health and illness, which have been made in Western medicine over the last 25 to 30 years. In that time, researchers have discovered that the mind and the body are intimately connected. It is now known that thoughts, beliefs, emotions, and stress all have a great impact on health and illness. Meditation is one of a variety of so-called "self-regulatory practices" which individuals can learn to do for themselves to promote their own health and well-being. Research has shown that individuals who learn and practice these skills are likely to have a better health outcome than those who do not. In particular, research has shown that the ability to concentrate attention can promote deep relaxation in the body, and that the ability to be more mindful in each situation can help break the destructive habitual reactions to stress.
Other examples of self-regulatory practices besides meditation are biofeedback, clinical hypnosis, and progressive relaxation exercises. |
I COMBINE THE TOOLS OF DELIBERATE, PROACTIVE, SECULAR MINDFULNESS, SELF-DIRECTED NEUROPLASTICITY AND HYPNOSIS to educate and inspire my students, clients and readers of my work to explore mindful and humane ways of treating their fellow human beings, and to challenge them to move from mere platitudes about what is possible into tangible action with real results. By living and leading impeccably, compassionately and transparently in all our thoughts, choices, behaviors and activities we can consciously and purposefully work to reduce individual stress and interpersonal conflicts, increase understanding and civility, and positively influence the course of our collective future.
Thank you for visiting this website, and for all that you do
to make the world a better place.
With gratitude,
Suzanne Matthiessen
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