Mindfulness works from a Catholic standpoint because we are, in fact, safe. This is my favorite part: Mindfulness is about reminding the mind that danger is perceived and that we are safe. Buddhists have their own theories, and as Catholics, we have our own specific way of understanding why mindfulness helps us. Trying to answer the ultimate “why” brings us into spiritual territory. One does not necessarily need to know why it works in order to benefit from its effects. We know it works to relieve anxiety and lessen chronic pain due to scientific studies. Mindfulness is simply paying attention to the present moment without judgment or criticism. Greg describes mindfulness as a psychological practice, not an inherently spiritual one. I accept I likely still have a long journey until I see a significant reduction in my daily pain, but the book, The Mindful Catholic and this introduction course is really helping me fill in the gaps of what I know about the mind-body connection.ĭr. And best of all, there are practical exercises we can perform daily in order to learn how to do so. We can acknowledge and then choose to turn away from untrue thoughts if we wish. For anyone like myself, who suffers from excessive worrying, this truth- that we do not have to be slaves to our thoughts- means the hope of a freedom we didn’t think was possible. The exercises are a “pause” button from racing, negative thought patterns.īetter yet, I enjoy how Dr. I was already at a low place at that doctor’s appointment (hence, the tears), but suddenly, after fully believing these negative thought patterns, I had a whole host of other problems that also needed to be solved: I needed to be tougher- and less of an idiot- and never show my vulnerability because everyone would know I was crazy! But seeing how I wasn’t actually in any physical danger, this only hurt me more. Adrenaline and cortisone would be helpful if instead of sitting at a doctor’s office, I was being chased by a ravenous lion. And is it any surprise? I’m sure I had an abundance of stress chemicals being released at my every thought. Part 2 of this particular day was a nasty migraine that very night. For instance, when I sat in that doctor’s office nearly 5 years ago, my mind was rapid-firing negative thought patterns, “I’m so pathetic for crying right now. While these filters have a practical use in living our day-to-day lives, they can often culminate in repetitive, unhealthy thought patterns that are not reflective of God’s reality. Greg Bottaro discusses how we often don’t respond to reality, but reality through our own developed filters or “a veil of interpretation.” (I’m now taking the Introduction to Catholic Mindfulness course while re-listening to each chapter and actually implementing the practices in my life, week by week.) I’m truly learning and benefiting from it all so far, even though I’ve barely begun Week 2.Ī lot of this information is familiar and reinforces what I’ve learned about the mind-body connection in the past. One day soon after making this resolution, I stumbled upon the book The Mindful Catholic and listened to the audio version all the way through. I knew I needed to get back on track with some of the mind-body principles I had learned. To make a long story short, this stumbling block got me off track.and then COVID hit and of course, things got even crazier. Guest blog post by Lindsey Peppers, continued from Part One. If you’re clear on all that, you’ll be fine.Catholic mindfulness healing Jun 23, 2021 And finally, since Eastern religions promote both these ideas-passivity, and meditation, and are better at them!-there’s a real worry that people will get pulled away from the true Christ-centered prayer that is our calling. While it’s possible to achieve altered states of consciousness with enough meditation practice, this isn’t prayer. Second, that it is possible to induce mystical states of prayer through mere stillness and silence. No, as Christians we’re also obligated to do things. First, that the practitioner may think passivity is all that is needed. When people worry about methods like this, there are a few concerns. If your problem is distraction and racing thoughts, I think it’s a worthwhile book to try reading.Ī more classic take on the same concept is probably The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence. It’s certainly less worrying than meditation practice. “Mindfulness” is a neutral mental practice, and it shouldn’t replace prayer, but there’s nothing wrong with it. I haven’t read it, but I looked at a listing and read some reviews and I don’t think there would be any problem.
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