Importance of Mindfulness in dealing with Trauma

EXTRA !!!! Notes for research Paper Mindfulness

Trauma can inhibit sleep through nightmares and night terrors, which can serve as a form of re-enactment. When a survivor is triggered, they may experience “flooding,” which results in being overwhelmed by mental images of the trauma. Addressing trauma requires more than medication and talk therapy. The body must learn that danger has passed and relearn how to live in the present. Mindfulness as a practice has become increasingly popular in the Western world for the last decade. Clients attempt to be aware of thoughts, emotions, physical sensations, and actions, be present in the moment, and refrain from judgment or self-criticism. A larger, more global goal of meditation is to learn more about self and others for positive change. “Mindfulness meditation aims to reach an insight into the true nature of the self and the world to achieve the end of suffering, which results from an incorrect understanding of reality. The breadth of mindfulness as a practice is vast. Mindfulness and meditation can include but are not limited to breathing practices, yoga, and meditation. In addition, mindfulness is a curious position of inquiry that one takes and can cultivate through consistent practice, ultimately enhancing positive meditation outcomes. Although it may seem obvious, the goal of mindfulness is not to achieve well-being and satisfaction but to attempt to reveal what is internally occurring, as suggested by many of its definitions, including “bare” attention and “pure” or “lucid” awareness (Decker, 2019). Mindfulness may be important in disengaging individuals from automatic negative thoughts, poor habits, unhealthy behavior patterns, and informed and self-endorsed behavioral regulation, a notion long connected to the well-being of the individual.

**Mindfulness and meditation are powerful tools for social workers preparing for clinical practice. Learning mindfulness, breathing, and meditation skills reported increased confidence and competence with clients and decreased anxiety as they engaged and intervened with them.

****Mindfulness Meditation is the habitual process of training your mind to focus and redirect your thoughts. The popularity of Mindfulness meditation is increasing as more people discover its many health benefits. You can use it to increase awareness of yourself and your surroundings. Many people think of it to reduce stress and develop concentration. People also use the practice to develop other beneficial habits and feelings, such as a positive mood and outlook, self-discipline, healthy sleep patterns, and even increased pain tolerance. Health benefits of Mindfulness meditation. Reduce effects of Trauma, Reduce stress, Control Anxiety, Emotional Health, Self-Awareness,

*****Mindfulness might be effective in addressing traumatic stress because it allows clients to deal with difficult emotions. According to Treleaven (2018) mindfulness can improve present moment awareness, self-compassion, and the ability to self-regulate, all of which are important skills for trauma recovery. In addition, clients who practice mindfulness are encouraged to take breaks and utilize different attention anchors. Furthermore, mindfulness practice helps clients to be present and explore their feelings in the moment. Module 3 tells us that if a person is unable to overcome trauma, they are likely to give up in other areas of their lives over time. Sometimes clients can become stuck in the past which paralyzes their present and future.

Meditation might also be effective in addressing traumatic stress, as it is a tool that helps with managing emotions, reducing depression, anxiety and stress. Creswell & Khoury (2019) informs us that mindfulness meditation improves mental and physical health by changing our brain and biology in beneficial ways. It usually entails focusing your attention on your breath, thoughts physical sensations in your body, and the emotions you’re feeling. Acceptance entails observing those feelings and sensations without passing judgment. Rather than responding or reacting to those thoughts or feelings, your goal is to acknowledge them and then let them go. Meditation is important as it allows you to stay present in the moment and shift your thoughts which improve your overall well-being.

**In the ways that mindfulness can be effective in addressing traumatic stress when we look at those that have suffered PTSD according to the author states that when the important part of the brain, makes all of the decisions.  “The trauma, the amygdala, and the limbic system go at a very fast speed” (Kolk, 2015). This makes the emotions and trauma to get overwhelming. He speaks of a process that he titles as ‘bottom-up’ processing. Van der Kolk explains that we should develop therapies that encourage the recalibration of both ‘top-down’ and ‘bottom-up’ processing. After processing all of the terms he feels that the important part of the brain should express and control their emotions, and this is where he states that mindfulness and mediation will help the process the bottom-up. He feels that mindfulness helps those that are dealing with traumas can gain knowledge of their emotions.

Mindfulness’ is to help people gain knowledge of their bodies and emotional feelings instead of admitting what they are. Mindfulness helps individuals face the trauma that is tied to then not accepting their emotions as a way of putting those adverse memories in the back of their minds (Kolk, 2015).

He says that mindfulness has been able to take the pressure of the psychological and physiological aspects of the trauma they have encountered. He also states that “research also suggests that mindfulness can improve biological immune responses and activate the regions of the brain that regulate emotions” (Kolk, 2015).

The mediation process could be those with traumatic experiences and traumatic memories can be considered with the yoga process according to (Turner, 2021) she says that those in the yoga session are advised to take a look deeply into their own experiences, not on getting in the good graces of their yoga instructor that they are doing moves the “right” way (Turner, 2021). When they get comfortable it can help the client make choices that help them come up with the connection between their body and mind and give them back the sense that trauma has often been weakened.