[Compassionate-mind Guides 01] • The Compassionate Mind Approach to Reducing Stress by Cooper, Maureen -- Read -- Imperial Library of Trantor

Index

Cover Title Copyright Contents Acknowledgements Preface Introduction

Using this Book

Part 1: Our Starting Point Part 2: Seeing Where we Want to Change Part 3: Making Change Happen Practical Points

Summaries Exercises

Part 1 Our Starting Point

1 What is Stress?

A Historical Perspective on Stress

Robert Hooke Neurasthenia Walter Cannon Hans Selye

The General Adaptation Syndrome

Psychosomatic medicine Richard Lazarus Challenges in Defining Stress Key Points Exercises

2 The Biology of Stress

Problems of our Thinking Brain Our Emotional Systems

The threat and self-protection system The incentive and resource-seeking system The soothing and contentment system From contentment to attachment and compassion

Three types of affect regulation system

The Threat–Stress Response

The structure of the brain The downside of the stress response

Stress and Illness

Type A Personality

Key Points Exercises

3 What is Compassion?

Compassion and our World

Misunderstanding compassion

The Two Psychologies of Compassion

The first psychology of compassion: Engaging with suffering The second psychology of compassion: Alleviation of suffering

Fundamental Wholeness

The understanding that ourselves and everything else are interconnected The quality of awareness The natural capacity for compassion

Training the Mind in Compassion

Trying not to cause harm Melting the ice in your heart Seeing other people as just like you Putting yourself in the other person’s shoes Seeing others as more important than yourself

Compassion in Society

Compassion Focused Therapy Secular ethics The Charter for Compassion Truth and Reconciliation Commission

Key Points Exercises

4 The Biology of Compassion

Competition or Cooperation Evolutionary Theory Mother’s Love Empathy: The Prelude to Compassionate Action Research on Compassion

Neuroscience Mirror neurons The wandering nerve Oxytocin

Ways in which the Biology of Compassion Manifests in Action

Human beings’ reluctance to kill Forgiveness Elevation

A Native American Folk Tale Key Points Exercises

5 The Happiness We Are Seeking

The Complexity of Modern Life Measuring Happiness and Wellbeing

Gross National Happiness

What the Happiness Research Shows Us

Happiness and the pursuit of stuff Adaptation Comparison Remembering and forecasting happiness Happiness, resilience and longevity The happiness set point Wandering mind and unhappiness Exercise: The wandering mind experiment

Pleasure and Happiness

Two kinds of happiness

Lasting Happiness Key Points Exercises

Exercise 1: Everybody wants happiness and to avoid suffering Exercise 2: Be accepting of everything that comes to you Exercise 3: Adaptation Exercise 4: Comparison Exercise 5: Anticipating what will make us happy

6 The Suffering We Wish to Avoid

Knowing that We Suffer Understanding What Causes Suffering Transforming our Suffering

Understanding what causes suffering

Tools to Help Us Perceiving Suffering Key Points Exercises Conclusion to Part 1

Part 2 Seeing Where We Want to Change

7 Taking a Fresh Look at our Habits

The Mind that Experiences Stress and Compassion

Exercise: ‘Watching’ our mind

Choosing How to React A Formula for Change

A formula for change

An example of how to work with looking at habits in this way Support for Working with Habits Key Points Exercises

8 Developing a Peaceful Mind – The Basis of Lasting Happiness

Why is Meditation So Important? Beginning to Train the Mind Using Mindfulness

Mindlessness: Life on automatic pilot Mindfulness: Switching off the automatic pilot Ways to practise mindfulness Exercise: Learning to pay attention to our breath Exercise: Extending mindfulness Exercise: A mindful cup of coffee STOP moments

Applying mindfulness practice Exercise: Applying mindfulness to a life situation

Getting To Know Yourself through Meditation

What meditation is not

A religion Something for people with special skills A way of blocking out thoughts A way of emptying the mind Going into a dream, or zoning out

Exercise: How to meditate Exercise: Meditation using a candle Thoughts and emotions during meditation Exercise: Seeing thoughts from the perspective of the sky Making meditation part of your life

When should I meditate? How long should I meditate for? Where should I meditate? Are there any special props that I need? What do I do when I don’t feel like doing my session? PAUSES

The Benefits of a Stable Mind Scientific Research into the Effects of Mindfulness and Meditation

Applying meditation practice

Key Points Exercises

Exercise: Switching off the autopilot Exercise: Cutting the commentary Exercise: Cloakroom meditation STOP moments PAUSE opportunities Meditation slogans

9 Identifying our Unhelpful Habits

Layers of Stress

The outer layer Layers of stress to do with our world Immediate stress

Some Psychological Factors Affecting Stress

Predictability Control Learned helplessness

Survival Mechanisms to Deal with Stress Habits that Increase our Stress

The habit of not paying attention in the present moment The habit of hoping for what we want and fearing what we don’t want Our emotional habits The habit of addiction to stress Evolutionary habits

The Stress Response and the Stories we Create

Exercise: Reflecting on how you react to stress

Stress Pollution Key Points Exercises

10 Adopting Beneficial Habits

Basic Principles

Exercise: Reflection on the changes in your body

Compassionate Reasoning

Exercise: Watching the news The logic of compassion

Habits Based on Compassion as Antidotes to the Habits that Increase our Stress

Habit 1: Not paying attention Habit 2: The habit of hoping for what we want and fearing what we don’t want

Research Findings on Compassion Key Points Exercises Conclusion to Part 2

Part 3 Making Change Happen

11 Compassion for Oneself – Peeling Away the Layers of the Heart

Why Having Compassion for Ourselves is Important Looking Again at this ‘Self’ we are Showing Compassion For Becoming a Friend to Ourselves

Exercise: Working with stress and anxiety

Some Practical Ways of Showing Kindness to Ourselves

Taking exercise Making changes in our routine Connecting with friends Expressing gratitude

Adopting a Compassionate Attitude Towards our Emotions

Exercise: Don’t go there – recognizing what will undo your composure Exercise: Using the breath – for when our sense of calm is disturbed Exercise: Putting things right – for when you’ve lost it

Key Points Exercises

12 Compassion for Others – Removing Our Armour

How will Developing Compassion for Other People Help Me Reduce My Levels of Stress? Not Harming Melting the Ice in your Heart

Immeasurable equanimity Exercise: Developing equanimity Immeasurable loving kindness Exercise: Loving kindness meditation Immeasurable compassion Exercise: Compassion meditation Immeasurable joy Exercise: Meditation on joy

Seeing Other People as Just Like You

Exercise: Seeing another person as just like you Empathy

Key Points Exercises

13 Compassion with a Big Perspective – Removing our Blindfold

Putting Yourself in the Other Person’s Shoes

Exercise: Putting yourself in the other’s shoes Exercise: Tonglen

Seeing Others as More Important than Yourself Universal Responsibility Key Points Exercises

Conclusion: Making the Compassionate Mind Approach to Reducing Stress Part of Our Lives

Some Practical Points

Which exercises should you focus on?

Bringing it All Together Using Compassion to Work With Stress in Different Contexts

Appendix: A Selection of Helpful Compassionate Mind Exercises

A Further Exercise for Chapter 8

Exercise: Mindful breathing

Further Exercises for Chapter 11

Exercise: The art of appreciation Exercise: Using memory to create compassionate feelings Exercise: The desire for others to be happy Exercise: Compassion for our distress and threat feelings

A Further Exercise for Chapter 12

Exercise: Limiting your criticism of others

References Useful Resources Index

← Prev
Back
Next →

← Prev
Back
Next →