“…we need to stop pointing fingers and making political points. We need to support the services that can improve lives. We need to get past our fears and ignorance of mental illness…”

Thank you John Cloud of Time magazine (http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2042358,00.html), and Steve Lopez of Los Angeles Times (http://www.latimes.com/health/la-me-0111-lopezcolumn-20110110,0,4005609.column).

What happened in Tucson, Arizona on January 8 was a horrible tragedy. I join the nation in sharing in the grief of the families who lost loved ones in the incident, as well as those close to Representative Gabrielle Giffords. Though similar events have certainly occurred before, I still sigh in disappointment and sadness just thinking of the shock and trauma resulting for the families, the surrounding community, and the nation at large.

So much media attention has tried to explain this incident by focusing on the potential contribution of heated political discourse between right and left extremes. I’ll just relay what Cloud, Lopez and some others have raised as well: How about the important issues related to mental illness and mental healthcare?

Alleged gunman Jared Loughner had a known history of social isolation, interpersonal difficulties, paranoid thoughts, and illegal substance use, among other problems. None of these factors perfectly predict violent behavior, but when taken together, are clear signs that someone is struggling and needs assistance. May we heed Cloud’s and Lopez’ calls for Psychology and mental health awareness to not be lost in the fold of the discussion. The fear, stigma, and ignorance around people needing and getting the right help for mental health issues should be obsolete, and does not serve society well.

I for one just hope the nation can come together behind an issue that should unite us, rather than divide further behind finger-pointing and blame. If the latter is more the case, than I fear nothing has been gained from the losses and injuries suffered in this tragedy.

I’m glad to see Mindfulness based therapy getting attention, here with a big article in the LA Times this weekend. Can this form of meditation successfully bridge over from a “New Age” stigma to solid science? I see it happening, and helping people dealing with a range of different issues. I’m not sure I agree that older individuals will struggle to embrace Mindfulness – I have not found this to be the case at all. However, I do agree with the article when it says that people with more severe levels of depression or other symptoms would benefit from different forms of therapy. That’s not to say though, that Mindfulness will not be a valuable complement to Cognitive-behavioral therapy or medication in such cases.

This week I went to hear Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn speak at UCLA. He developed MBSR or Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and is a leading figure, researcher, and theoretician in adapting mindfulness for practice in psychotherapy, mental and medical healthcare. He carried a presence that was both knowledgeable as well as wise, extremely articulate while very humble, and I thought I would share some loosely quoted tidbits that stuck with me:

1) “Awareness is like a muscle that we have to exercise – when it is in shape it can help us to heal.” I take this to mean that the practice of being present is not easy, and takes some work, but that it can become both more accessible and more fruitful when we develop a rhythm and discipline of it.

2) “Put out the welcome mat for the good, bad, and ugly because they are already at the door.” I really like this image – it speaks to the non-judging and accepting aspect of being mindful. We are always having thoughts, feelings, and sensations swimming around in us, and we now understand more fully the adaptiveness of having an open minded relationship with all of them, even the unpleasant ones.

3) “Meditation is highly suspect – because it looks an awful lot like nothing.” This remark got a lot of laughs from the audience! I think the intention was to admit that it is easy to be skeptical for someone who has not experienced the touch of healing and growth possible from meditation. Hopefully though, with continued experience, some support, and awareness of how the practice changes us, we can tangibly see that it is far from nothing.

4) “The brain is an organ of experience. We are always generating new neurons in the brain as evidenced by research and technology showing that brains of long term meditators look different on brain scans.” This comment from an anatomical perspective is good news, in that the practice of mindfulness over time can in so many ways change who we are, and how we think and act. We have the capacity to change, grow, and improve our lives.

Last week we discussed the hesitation commonly expressed about “Mindfulness” and “meditation” that it is “New Age” or perhaps too removed from every day reality. As many of you know, the approach to Mindfulness in my group and individual sessions has been intended to be down to earth and accessible. I hope the increasing science and research to back up the value of mindfulness to emotional and physical health also aim to revise this myth. Research and literature being put out by folks like Jon Kabat-Zinn and the growing mindfulness community are steps in this direction.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100714121737.htm?goback=.gde_760027_member_27589083