Mind-Body Intelligence How to Manage Your mind Using Biofeedback & Mindfulness by Glyn Blackett Copyright © 2014 by Colin Glyn Blackett All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Table of Contents 1 Introduction: How To Manage Your Mind 1 Introduction 2 The Problem: Being Out of Control 3 The Solution: Mind-Body Intelligence 4 Overview of the Book 5 About The Author 6 Summary of Key Points PART 1 Foundations of the Mind-Body Connection 2 What Is The Mind? 1 Introduction 2 Mental Contents 3 Appetites, Desires and Motivation 4 Faculties 5 Emotion 6 Summary of Key Points 3 Biology of the Mind-Body Connection 1 Introduction 2 Self-Regulation and Emotion 3 Three High Level Emotion Systems 4 The Brain and Self-Regulation 5 Simulator Mode 6 The Biology of Desire and Craving 7 The Biology of Arousal 8 Psychoneuroimmunology 9 Putting It All Together – An Account of Addiction 10 Emotional Hijacks and Trauma 11 Summary of Key Points 4 Breathing 1 Introduction 2 Biology of Breathing 3 Breathing and Emotions 4 Breathing and Meditation 5 Practical Considerations 6 Summary of Key Points PART 2 Practical Implications of the Mind-Body Connection 5 The Nature of Self-Control 1 Introduction 2 Resistance, Avoidance and Acceptance 3 Inaccessible Resources and Abilities 4 The “Quicksand Effect” 5 The Serenity Prayer 6 The Limits Of Control 7 Control Strategies 8 Conscious Control Versus Automatic Pilot 9 Flow States 10 Primary Versus Secondary Suffering 11 Conclusion: The Serenity Prayer Revisited 12 Summary of Key Points 6 Useful Models 1 Introduction 2 The Relationship Between Thoughts and Feelings 3 The Dual Intelligence Model 4 The Human Performance Curve Revisited 5 Summary of Key Points 7 Accessing Mind-Body Resources 1 Introduction 2 How We Learn 3 Attitude of Trust 4 Imagination 5 Attention 6 Accessing Flow 7 Summary of Key Points 8 Arousal, Stress & Relaxation 1 Introduction 2 What Is Stress? 3 What Does Stress Actually Feel Like? 4 Stress and Polyvagal Theory 5 Loss of Regulation 6 Varieties of Arousal 7 Relaxation 8 Summary of Key Points PART 3 Tools for Training the Mind 9 Mindfulness & Meditation 1 Introduction 2 What Is Mindfulness? 3 Mindfulness as Meditation Practice 4 Mindfulness And Purpose 5 Mindfulness and the Mind-Body Connection 6 Loving-Kindness Meditation 7 How Mindfulness Creates Change 8 The Nature of Distraction 9 Summary of Key Points 10 Biofeedback 1 Introduction 2 How Biofeedback Creates Change 3 EMG or Muscle Tension Biofeedback 4 Breathing Biofeedback 5 Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback 6 Galvanic Skin Response 7 Skin Temperature 8 Hemoencephalography 9 Evidence Base for Biofeedback 10 Summary of Key Points 11 How Biofeedback Supports Mindfulness Practice 1 Introduction 2 What Is Effective Mindfulness Practice? 3 Optimal Conditions for Effective Mindfulness 4 Biofeedback, the Quicksand Trap and Acceptance 5 Mindfulness As Flow 6 Combining Biofeedback and Mindfulness Practice 7 Summary of Key Points PART 4 The Skill-set of Mind-Body Regulation 12 Attention 1 Introduction 2 What Is Attention? 3 Neuroscience of Attention 4 Attention and the Mind-Body Connection 5 Styles of Attention 6 Resistance and Avoidance 7 Attention and Positive Emotion 8 Attention Training 9 Summary of Key Points 13 Motivation 1 Introduction 2 What Is Motivation? 3 The Inner Dialogue of Motivation 4 Resisting Temptation 5 Summary of Key Points 14 Thinking 1 Introduction 2 Thinking Challenges 3 Solutions 4 Summary of Key Points 15 Positive Emotion 1 Introduction 2 What Are We Aiming For? 3 Cultivating Positive Emotion 4 Emotional Intelligence 5 Creating the Conditions for Positivity 6 Values 7 Summary of Key Points 16 Conclusion 1 Introduction 2 The Skill-Set of Self-Regulation 3 What's Missing 4 Where Next? Appendix Spectral Analysis of HRV Data Acknowledgements About The Author Recommended Further Reading Science and the Mind-Body Connection General Self-Help and Therapy Books Video and Audio Resources Notes 1 Introduction: How To Manage Your Mind 1 Introduction This book is about the mind and how to manage it, or how to be in possession of it, or even how to control it. Happiness and well-being are intimately connected to the mind – to feel happy and well you need to be able to access positive emotions, energy and motivation, and you need to be able to direct or focus the mind at will, and sustainably. These qualities aren't simply givens, but are complex abilities that develop to a greater or lesser extent as we move through life. In this book I use the term self-regulation to sum up these abilities. I also use the term self-control, though it does have a somewhat negative connotation of “mind control” (on the other hand self-regulation may sound a little mechanistic and even automatic). The core idea of the book is that self-regulation or self-control is a hierarchical set of skills that can be developed and trained. In its essence, self-regulation is a mind-body skill, which is to say that to manage your mind you need to simultaneously manage the physiology (both body and brain) that is the concomitant of your mental experience. Hence the words used in the title, “mind-body intelligence”, are another way to describe the skill-set. The book is an attempt to lay the groundwork for a practical project of learning or developing mind-body intelligence. I describe the science behind the mind- body connection as an important basis for understanding this project, and then I present a set of models or ways of thinking about self-regulation and challenges to it, and a set of tools and practices for developing and training it. I see three core domains for the skill-set of self-control: i. Emotional balance and resilience ii. Energy, drive and motivation iii. Attention, focus and concentration 2 The Problem: Being Out of Control Being out of control feels bad. When people seek help from a psychotherapist or coach, it's bad. When people seek help from a psychotherapist or coach, it's because something feels out of control, or is unmanageable. 2.1 Case Vignettes The following vignettes are made up but they all represent typical problems I encounter in my therapy / coaching practice. Throughout the book I refer to these types of problem collectively as self-control challenges or self-regulation challenges. 2.1.1 Anxiety Barbara had quite senior job as a manager in a public sector organisation. She was intelligent and capable and for the most part enjoyed her job, except for one thing: giving presentations. As soon as she knew she would have to present at a meeting she would start getting anxious. In meetings she would feel tense, her heart would pound, her hands would feel cold and clammy and her breathing tight and restricted. She knew she was likely to blush and her voice crack. When she stood up she felt everyone could see she wasn't up to it and expected her to fail, though later when she'd calmed down she knew this wasn't the case. Barbara did everything she could to avoid having to give presentations but it wasn't always possible. Anticipatory anxiety started to build even days before. She couldn't stop thinking about the coming presentation. She'd try to calm herself down, telling herself she'd done presentations before and always got through them. She'd read books on stress management techniques and could even do them quite successfully – if she didn't have a presentation coming up. But when the heat was on, these skills would frustratingly desert her. Her anxiety was out of control. 2.1.2 Anger Tim liked playing tennis but his Achilles heel was his temper. On good days he could get into “the zone” and loved the feeling of his body timing shots well. But good days were probably more the exception than the rule. At other times he couldn't understand how he could play so badly when he knew he could and should do better. On bad days his rage would build to a fever of self-contempt. He'd tell himself to focus harder on his grip, or his foot work, but if anything things would get worse. His temper explosions had led to physical damage on more than one occasion, and tennis racquets weren't cheap. Socially he was aware that other people at his club didn't like to play with him.