#443 Our Self-concepts & Worldviews Must Mature

     Normal human psychological maturation or development is an iterative stepwise process of learning - an evolution of consciousness. We always have a self-concept & a worldview. Regardless how conscious or unaware we may be of these basic personal models of reality - these paradigms - they powerfully guide & shape our lives. Our life experiences in turn gradually modify - and at times, traumatically destroy - the current working paradigms, and so we must gradually erect a more reasonably accurate, more workable model. Then further life experiences gradually or suddenly force further renos, and on it goes, in repeated cycles.
     Life transitions are not rare, but occur constantly. Even normal transitions - eg puberty, menopause, retirement - are variably traumatic. Death of loved ones, though also a "normal" part of life, can be very traumatic - a veritable "shipwreck." How well we manage the constant upgrading of our self-concept & worldview paradigms is of fundamental importance - it determines the quality & direction of our lives. We can accomplish this work intentionally, wisely, mindfully.

     See "Beyond 'Stress Management' - Resilience for Real Life": http://mindfulnessforeveryone.blogspot.ca/2013/07/361-beyond-stress-management-resilience.html
     "Adult Psychosocial Development & Maturation": http://healthyhealers.blogspot.ca/2012/08/adult-psychosocial-development.html
     "Readiness for Change": http://mindfulnessforeveryone.blogspot.ca/2013/11/436-readiness-for-change-is-pivotal.html
     "Stories of Me, Myself, & I": http://www.johnlovas.com/2012/05/stories-of-me-myself-and-i.html 

 

Two Hands   www.dpreview.com

#431 Transformative Power of Acceptance - Nonjudgmentally Embracing Change

     "some have asserted that cancer may be one of the most challenging diseases to treat because of the various levels of human experience that it penetrates, from the physical, to the psychological, and spiritual. However, psychological reactions to a cancer diagnosis are not exclusively negative. For example, a diagnosis may actually provoke patients to begin an internal search for greater awareness and a sense of meaning and purpose in life. In accordance, reexamining the cancer experience as a potentially positive psychosocial transition has emerged as a focus of research interest. A psychosocial transition is a major life event that causes a process whereby individuals gradually change their worldview, expectations, and plans. It has been suggested that people may make sense of their diagnosis by finding positive benefit(s) in their situation.

     Related processes have been studied under various names, including post-traumatic growth (PTG), stress-related growth, benefit finding, adversarial growth, positive change, thriving, personal growth, positive adjustment, and transformation.

     ... PTG is comprised of three broad categories: perceived changes in self, a changed sense of relationship with others, and a changed philosophy of life. The mechanisms by which an intervention may facilitate the development of PTG may be through taking advantage of the trauma-induced disruption in the person’s life to introduce a transition towards new beneficial organization compared to one’s beliefs before the trauma."

       Garland SN et al. A non-randomized comparison of mindfulness-based stress reduction and healing arts programs for facilitating post-traumatic growth and spirituality in cancer outpatients. Support Care Cancer 2007; 15(8): 949-61.

     In Mindfulness practices we intentionally, skillfully, gently, progressively penetrate all levels of our common human experience with awareness and acceptance, embracing it all. Only without expectations can we keep finding pleasant surprises.

     See also: http://mindfulnessforeveryone.blogspot.ca/2013/07/361-beyond-stress-management-resilience.html

 

On my way to work this week

#339 Depth of Interest - Document, Program, or Operating System?

     If we're creating a Word document and something goes awry, there could be something wrong with the document itself. So we could "save as", give the document a new name, and start working on it again.
     Or the problem might be one level higher - the Word program itself might be messed-up. We'd have to fix or replace the Word program.
     Or the problem could be one level higher still - the Operating System (OS) might be out of date. If so, most current programs (and their documents) would be out of sync with the old OS. Installing a new OS is a much more profound change, fundamentally changing the whole look and feel of the computer, all programs, and all documents.
     Human beings want life's problems to be quick & easy to fix (document level). We dislike change, especially major change. We'd prefer to surgically excise only one small part of our lives that's unwanted or isn't working, but keep everything else exactly the same thank you very much. But very few problems are like a splinter in the thumb - pull out the splinter, thumb quickly heals, end of story.
     Sometimes, trying harder with what one has is just not enough eg sometimes we need to upgrade our skills by taking a specific course on a specific topic. So our lives remain more or less the same, but now we can perform a new task because of this limited course (program level - instal new software).
     Life presents MUCH greater challenges at times - we can feel overwhelmed, scared, sad or just plain burned out. Our whole worldview & self-concept can completely shatter - we can undergo a complete  "shipwreck" - see: http://mindfulnessforeveryone.blogspot.ca/search?q=shipwreck  This is a program level disturbance, NOT the end of the world!
     Program level disturbances require program level interventions. Your computer (hardware) is good for several OS upgrades. So is your body!! You will inevitably go through several major worldview & self-concept transitions in your life (starting school, moving, falling in love, starting a new job, losing a job, ending a relationship, retirement, death of a loved one, serious illness, etc). When one door closes, another opens - we get used to the old OS, but the new OS is always better in new, surprising ways.
     Mindfulness practice allows us to perceive ourselves and the world increasingly clearly, and quite naturally we gradually perceive everything differently, as though everything had changed. We gradually become better synchronized with life as it actually is. Mindfulness practice is transformational - continuous incremental upgrading of our OS - experiential learning at the worldview & self-concept level. When we do continuous minor upgrades, there are fewer or no meltdowns. Mindfulness practice promotes & ensures this natural evolution towards wisdom - see: http://mindfulnessforeveryone.blogspot.ca/search?q=wisdom

vlee1009   www.dpreview.com

#304 Positive Psychology, Cynicism, Arrested Development, Mindfulness the Middle-Way

     In her book "Bright-Sided: How Positive Thinking is Undermining America," Barbara Ehrenreich (YouTube video below) rightly criticizes simplistic cheerleader-style optimism and associated intolerance towards critical thinking. Unfortunately, in a more recent YouTube "Barbara Ehrenreich - Smile or Die" she also explicitly states "cancer left me more cynical and meaner". Cancer can be a "shipwreck" experience - see: http://mindfulnessforeveryone.blogspot.ca/2013/07/361-beyond-stress-management-resilience.html
     This reaction is understandable, but it's the sign of an early stage of adult psychosocial development ("spiritual journey"). Remaining stuck (wallowing) here is an unnecessary, sad, self-imposed life-sentence. This is NOT "as good as it gets." With intelligence, curiosity, perseverance, and energy we can definitely transcend this existential / spiritual dry period ("dark night of the soul").
     Mindfulness practice is all about fearlessly exploring what's real, who am I, how do I relate to reality in a way that reduces suffering (including my own), how can we experience the most profound quality of life. Mindfulness is not about being negative nor positive, but about waking up to & engaging reality.
     More about Normal Adult Development: http://mindfulnessforeveryone.blogspot.ca/search?q=development