In my experience as a therapist, the concept of ‘mindfulness’ often gets a bad rap—referred to as ‘mumbo jumbo’, ‘hippie sh*%’, etc. In mainstream culture, people tend to equate mindfulness to meditation and are quick to jump to the conclusion that in order to meditate or ‘become mindful’ one must shut down all mental faculties in order to successfully ‘zen out’. This perspective could not be more false. Mindfulness is a blanket term and in this way, the nature of its’ true meaning can easily be misconstrued. I am fond of Dr. Joe Dispenza’s more accurate definition of mindfulness: to be familiar with (i.e. thoughts, feelings).
Today, I share with you the science behind mindfulness in efforts to emphasize its’ significance and efficacy in everyday life; by first starting with the scientific term: interoception.
Interoception or ‘mindfulness of the body’ helps us heal a variety of emotionally meditated illnesses by forming connective tissue of fabric that holds communities together, making them more resilient and cohesive (Forbes, 2019).
‘The Default Mode Network’
Think about it—your train of thought initiates how you feel (pun intended). In other words, your thoughts are the shadow or backdrop of the feelings that you experience.
There is a ‘top down’ response to note here. First you think, then you feel. When a thought triggers a particular emotion, your body plays a minor role in this process, as it is merely the recipient of the insight that your mind delivered to it. This is the context through which you experience your body.
Cognition is distinct from sensory perception in the sense that your mental insight is primary and your sensory insight is secondary. When thought + emotion causes an unpreferable bodily response, your sensory input creates a disturbance (Forbes, 2019).
This process is referred to what we know as ‘The Default Mode Network’
The goal then becomes to reduce the strength of the default mode by training the mind to change the brain + body (Forbes, 2019).
How?
When it’s difficult, when you’re in pain, or fear, or self-loathing. When you’d rather be in your own head or anywhere else— tap into your body’s awareness instead.
It’s a simple concept but it’s not always easy…
True interoception is the capacity to be ‘in body’ when stakes are high. The capacity to receive, read, respond to bodily signals by paying attention to the present moment, on purpose, non-judgmentally; consciously directing your experience or sensory awareness in the body over and over again (Forbes, 2019).
Forbes (2019) refers to the following as “hot spots” that you can utilize to encourage mindfulness in the body:
light touch
awareness of breathe sensation
belly fullness with breathe
hunger & satiety
connective tissue areas in the feet, abdomen, heart/chest, neck/head (think acupuncture, ‘tapping’, reiki, yoga)
sexual arousal
Forbes, Bo Psy.D, Default Mode Network, Emotional Resilience and Collective Well-being (2019). Powerpoint.
