Re: Starting The Mindfulness & Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety

September 28, 2009

Yes, I am too reading The Mindfulness & Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety

and am learning a great deal.

This board and people's contribution provide a great wealth of information and encouragement sharing their experiences, insights etc: I have benefited from other's discussions, their understanding and expressions of mindfulness practice, and ACT principles. Example, the values area I have struggled with and continue to struggle, acting in a way which reflects my values. I have found resources here that have helped me and encouraged me when at times I have felt lost, unsure. It has helped in my understanding and application of mindfulness and ACT principals when I am working with understanding and applying the exercises to my life. I can be mulling over something I read in a ACT books not quite getting, I can read something on this board, related or indirectly related to my issue - and the light goes on - I get it... because some one explained something in a way that I can relate to.

This may sound corny, but it is meant with all sincerity... Thank you everyone for taking the time to read, write and share on this board.

Best to all,

Starting The Mindfulness & Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety

Is there anyone else who is reading this? I just started and wow! It is fascinating. Learning about the difference between fear and anxiety, about different anxiety disorders, that anxiety is always triggered by something (maybe I will revise my belief that I am "hard-wired" to be anxious).I am so thankful to the ACT community for all this ground-breaking work!

September 28, 2009

Thanks for the nice post. Sometimes I wonder if there are more than just a few people "out there." Bill

To: ACT_for_the_Public From: bahurwood@...Date: Mon, 28 Sep 2009 09:05:42 -0300Subject: Re: Starting The Mindfulness & Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety

Yes, I am too reading The Mindfulness & Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety and am learning a great deal.

This board and people's contribution provide a great wealth of information and encouragement sharing their experiences, insights etc: I have benefited from other's discussions, their understanding and expressions of mindfulness practice, and ACT principles. Example, the values area I have struggled with and continue to struggle, acting in a way which reflects my values. I have found resources here that have helped me and encouraged me when at times I have felt lost, unsure. It has helped in my understanding and application of mindfulness and ACT principals when I am working with understanding and applying the exercises to my life. I can be mulling over something I read in a ACT books not quite getting, I can read something on this board, related or indirectly related to my issue - and the light goes on - I get it... because some one explained something in a way that I can relate to.

This may sound corny, but it is meant with all sincerity... Thank you everyone for taking the time to read, write and share on this board.

Best to all,

Starting The Mindfulness & Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety

Is there anyone else who is reading this? I just started and wow! It is fascinating. Learning about the difference between fear and anxiety, about different anxiety disorders, that anxiety is always triggered by something (maybe I will revise my belief that I am "hard-wired" to be anxious).I am so thankful to the ACT community for all this ground-breaking work!

September 28, 2009

I'm reading "My Stroke of Insight" by Jill Bolte , a nueroanaotmist. She describes her awareness of having a stroke and recovering from it. During her recovery she decided to "rewire" her brain to bypass some "files" she decided were "not helpful." The book seems to provide a fair amount of physiological evidence for things that work in ACT. I would be anxious to hear others comments on the book. I'm the kind of person who likes to know "what's under the hood" or "what's behind the curtain." This book is providing that.

Bill

To: ACT_for_the_Public From: hpapyt@...Date: Mon, 28 Sep 2009 11:14:31 +0000Subject: Starting The Mindfulness & Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety

Is there anyone else who is reading this? I just started and wow! It is fascinating. Learning about the difference between fear and anxiety, about different anxiety disorders, that anxiety is always triggered by something (maybe I will revise my belief that I am "hard-wired" to be anxious).I am so thankful to the ACT community for all this ground-breaking work!

September 29, 2009

Hi Bill,

I haven't read 'Stroke of insight', but I am reading 'Change your Brain, Change your Life', by Amen. I too, like you are interested in 'whats under the hood', and this subject has interested me for sometime. Change Your Brain is all about how certain disorders ie, depression/anxiety etc are caused by certain parts of the brain not functioning properly - this is evidenced by 'spect' images or brain scans. In the books it shows some interesting images of peoples brains with different disorders and highlights the part that is not working right. He advocates drug treatment alongside other stuff to look after your brain - meditation/relaxation, drinking water/positive attitude and loads of other things.

It got me thinking - oh well, may as well just pop a pill and make it all better - but then, with a little effort I believe it is possible to change the structure of the brain through meditation. I know that the Dalai Lama has done much research into this and there are some interesting books on the subject. Because I am interested in brain science I am working with Open Focus which you may have heard me talk about in another post - that too, is geared towards changing the brain in subtle ways, through brain waves and wide/relaxed focus - its very interesting. A lot of people have benefited from it so I am giving it a go, alongside ACT.

Sometimes just a nano-second before I have a panic I almost feel my brain 'fire off' - I am sure there is sometimes to all this!

Its good to swap book ideas. Thanks for posting. I'll read Stroke of insight.

Simone

To: ACT_for_the_Public <act_for_the_public >Sent: Monday, 28 September, 2009 13:47:17Subject: RE: Starting The Mindfulness & Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety

I'm reading "My Stroke of Insight" by Jill Bolte , a nueroanaotmist. She describes her awareness of having a stroke and recovering from it. During her recovery she decided to "rewire" her brain to bypass some "files" she decided were "not helpful." The book seems to provide a fair amount of physiological evidence for things that work in ACT. I would be anxious to hear others comments on the book. I'm the kind of person who likes to know "what's under the hood" or "what's behind the curtain." This book is providing that. Bill

To: ACT_for_the_ Public@yahoogrou ps.comFrom: hpapythotmail (DOT) comDate: Mon, 28 Sep 2009 11:14:31 +0000Subject: [ACT_for_the_ Public] Starting The Mindfulness & Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety

Is there anyone else who is reading this? I just started and wow! It is fascinating. Learning about the difference between fear and anxiety, about different anxiety disorders, that anxiety is always triggered by something (maybe I will revise my belief that I am "hard-wired" to be anxious).I am so thankful to the ACT community for all this ground-breaking work!

September 29, 2009

Hi Simone,

For what it’s worth, that book by Dr. Amen

is considered quite controversial by the medical establishment—not that

that makes it bad (and some might think it’s a plus!). I read it shortly after it was published

in the late 90’s (I think).

I found the book fascinating but not very

useful for me; getting brain scans done for diagnostic purposes is not really accessible

to me or the general population, nor covered by insurance, and to extrapolate his

research results to the larger population is not warranted, IMO. Still, with these caveats, I liked the

book and am glad I read it.

I hope you don’t mind my sharing my thoughts

here … it is not meant as criticism nor to discourage anyone from reading

the book. Dr. Amen may be regarded

as revolutionary in the future, or just another misled researcher!

I also intend to read Stroke of Insight. I saw her on TV and was quite impressed with

her story.

Helena

From: ACT_for_the_Public

[mailto:ACT_for_the_Public ] On

Behalf Of Stolton

Sent: Tuesday, September 29, 2009

1:17 PM

To:

ACT_for_the_Public

Subject: Re:

Starting The Mindfulness & Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety

Hi Bill,

I haven't read 'Stroke of

insight', but I am reading 'Change your Brain, Change your Life', by

Amen. I too, like you are interested in 'whats under the hood', and this

subject has interested me for sometime. Change Your Brain is all about how certain

disorders ie, depression/anxiety etc are caused by certain parts of the brain

not functioning properly - this is evidenced by 'spect' images or brain scans.

In the books it shows some interesting images of peoples brains with different

disorders and highlights the part that is not working right. He advocates drug

treatment alongside other stuff to look after your brain - meditation/relaxation,

drinking water/positive attitude and loads of other things.

It got me thinking - oh well,

may as well just pop a pill and make it all better - but then, with a little

effort I believe it is possible to change the structure of the brain through

meditation. I know that the Dalai Lama has done much research into this and

there are some interesting books on the subject. Because I am interested in

brain science I am working with Open Focus which you may have heard me talk

about in another post - that too, is geared towards changing the brain in

subtle ways, through brain waves and wide/relaxed focus - its very interesting.

A lot of people have benefited from it so I am giving it a go, alongside ACT.

Sometimes just a nano-second

before I have a panic I almost feel my brain 'fire off' - I am sure there is

sometimes to all this!

Its good to swap book ideas.

Thanks for posting. I'll read Stroke of insight.

Simone

To: ACT_for_the_Public

<act_for_the_public >

Sent: Monday, 28 September, 2009

13:47:17

Subject: RE:

Starting The Mindfulness & Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety

I'm

reading " My Stroke of Insight " by Jill Bolte , a

nueroanaotmist. She describes her awareness of having a stroke and

recovering from it. During her recovery she decided to " rewire "

her brain to bypass some " files " she decided were " not

helpful. " The book seems to provide a fair amount of physiological

evidence for things that work in ACT. I would be anxious to hear

others comments on the book. I'm the kind of person who likes to know

" what's under the hood " or " what's behind the curtain. "

This book is providing that.

Bill

To: ACT_for_the_

Public@yahoogrou ps.com

From: hpapythotmail (DOT) com

Date: Mon, 28 Sep 2009 11:14:31 +0000

Subject: [ACT_for_the_ Public] Starting The Mindfulness & Acceptance

Workbook for Anxiety

Is there anyone else who is reading this? I just started and

wow! It is fascinating. Learning about the difference between fear and anxiety,

about different anxiety disorders, that anxiety is always triggered by

something (maybe I will revise my belief that I am " hard-wired " to be

anxious).

I am so thankful to the ACT community for all this ground-breaking work!

September 29, 2009

Hi Helena,

I agree. Nipping out for a quick brain scan is not an option for most uf us! Hee hee. I kind of came to the same conclusion as you - an interesting book but as you say, controversial.

Simone

To: ACT_for_the_Public Sent: Tuesday, 29 September, 2009 19:06:17Subject: RE: Starting The Mindfulness & Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety

Hi Simone,

For what itâ€™s worth, that book by Dr. Amen is considered quite controversial by the medical establishmentâ€”not that that makes it bad (and some might think itâ€™s a plus!). I read it shortly after it was published in the late 90â€™s (I think).

I found the book fascinating but not very useful for me; getting brain scans done for diagnostic purposes is not really accessible to me or the general population, nor covered by insurance, and to extrapolate his research results to the larger population is not warranted, IMO. Still, with these caveats, I liked the book and am glad I read it.

I hope you donâ€™t mind my sharing my thoughts here â€¦ it is not meant as criticism nor to discourage anyone from reading the book. Dr. Amen may be regarded as revolutionary in the future, or just another misled researcher!

I also intend to read Stroke of Insight. I saw her on TV and was quite impressed with her story.

Helena

From: ACT_for_the_ Public@yahoogrou ps.com [mailto:ACT_ for_the_Public@ yahoogroups. com] On Behalf Of StoltonSent: Tuesday, September 29, 2009 1:17 PMTo: ACT_for_the_ Public@yahoogrou ps.comSubject: Re: [ACT_for_the_ Public] Starting The Mindfulness & Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety

Hi Bill,

I haven't read 'Stroke of insight', but I am reading 'Change your Brain, Change your Life', by Amen. I too, like you are interested in 'whats under the hood', and this subject has interested me for sometime. Change Your Brain is all about how certain disorders ie, depression/anxiety etc are caused by certain parts of the brain not functioning properly - this is evidenced by 'spect' images or brain scans. In the books it shows some interesting images of peoples brains with different disorders and highlights the part that is not working right. He advocates drug treatment alongside other stuff to look after your brain - meditation/relaxati on, drinking water/positive attitude and loads of other things.

It got me thinking - oh well, may as well just pop a pill and make it all better - but then, with a little effort I believe it is possible to change the structure of the brain through meditation. I know that the Dalai Lama has done much research into this and there are some interesting books on the subject. Because I am interested in brain science I am working with Open Focus which you may have heard me talk about in another post - that too, is geared towards changing the brain in subtle ways, through brain waves and wide/relaxed focus - its very interesting. A lot of people have benefited from it so I am giving it a go, alongside ACT.

Sometimes just a nano-second before I have a panic I almost feel my brain 'fire off' - I am sure there is sometimes to all this!

Its good to swap book ideas. Thanks for posting. I'll read Stroke of insight.

Simone

From: BILL CAMERON <wcameromsn (DOT) com>To: ACT_for_the_ Public <act_for_the_ public@yahoogrou ps.com>Sent: Monday, 28 September, 2009 13:47:17Subject: RE: [ACT_for_the_ Public] Starting The Mindfulness & Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety

I'm reading "My Stroke of Insight" by Jill Bolte , a nueroanaotmist. She describes her awareness of having a stroke and recovering from it. During her recovery she decided to "rewire" her brain to bypass some "files" she decided were "not helpful." The book seems to provide a fair amount of physiological evidence for things that work in ACT.. I would be anxious to hear others comments on the book. I'm the kind of person who likes to know "what's under the hood" or "what's behind the curtain." This book is providing that. Bill

To: ACT_for_the_ Public@yahoogrou ps.comFrom: hpapythotmail (DOT) comDate: Mon, 28 Sep 2009 11:14:31 +0000Subject: [ACT_for_the_ Public] Starting The Mindfulness & Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety

Is there anyone else who is reading this? I just started and wow! It is fascinating. Learning about the difference between fear and anxiety, about different anxiety disorders, that anxiety is always triggered by something (maybe I will revise my belief that I am "hard-wired" to be anxious).I am so thankful to the ACT community for all this ground-breaking work!

September 29, 2009

Simone, how is the â€œOpen Focusâ€ work progressing

for you?Â Iâ€™m glad you mentioned it

again, because I forgot to look it up after your last post.Â Do you still have the link available?

Thanks!

Helena

From: ACT_for_the_Public [mailto:ACT_for_the_Public ]

On Behalf Of Stolton

Sent: Tuesday, September 29, 2009

3:36 PM

To:

ACT_for_the_Public

Subject: Re:

Starting The Mindfulness & Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety

Hi Helena,

I agree. Nipping out for a

quick brain scan is not an option for most uf us! Hee hee. I kind of came to

the same conclusion as you - an interesting book but as you say, controversial.

Simone

To: ACT_for_the_Public

Sent: Tuesday, 29 September, 2009

19:06:17

Subject: RE:

Starting The Mindfulness & Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety

Hi Simone,

For what itâ€™s worth, that book by Dr. Amen

is considered quite controversial by the medical establishmentâ€”not that that

makes it bad (and some might think itâ€™s a plus!). I read it shortly after

it was published in the late 90â€™s (I think).

I found the book fascinating but not very

useful for me; getting brain scans done for diagnostic purposes is not really

accessible to me or the general population, nor covered by insurance, and to

extrapolate his research results to the larger population is not warranted,

IMO. Still, with these caveats, I liked the book and am glad I read it.

I hope you donâ€™t mind my sharing my

thoughts here â€¦ it is not meant as criticism nor to discourage anyone from

reading the book. Dr. Amen may be regarded as revolutionary in the

future, or just another misled researcher!

I also intend to read Stroke of

Insight. I saw her on TV and was quite impressed with her story.

Helena

From: ACT_for_the_

Public@yahoogrou ps.com [mailto:ACT_ for_the_Public@ yahoogroups. com] On Behalf Of Stolton

Sent: Tuesday, September 29, 2009

1:17 PM

To: ACT_for_the_ Public@yahoogrou

ps.com

Subject: Re: [ACT_for_the_ Public]

Starting The Mindfulness & Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety

Hi Bill,

I haven't read

'Stroke of insight', but I am reading 'Change your Brain, Change your Life', by

Amen. I too, like you are interested in 'whats under the hood', and this

subject has interested me for sometime. Change Your Brain is all about how

certain disorders ie, depression/anxiety etc are caused by certain parts of the

brain not functioning properly - this is evidenced by 'spect' images or brain

scans. In the books it shows some interesting images of peoples brains with

different disorders and highlights the part that is not working right. He

advocates drug treatment alongside other stuff to look after your brain -

meditation/relaxati on, drinking water/positive attitude and loads of other

things.

It got me thinking

- oh well, may as well just pop a pill and make it all better - but then, with

a little effort I believe it is possible to change the structure of the brain

through meditation. I know that the Dalai Lama has done much research into this

and there are some interesting books on the subject. Because I am interested in

brain science I am working with Open Focus which you may have heard me talk

about in another post - that too, is geared towards changing the brain in

subtle ways, through brain waves and wide/relaxed focus - its very interesting.

A lot of people have benefited from it so I am giving it a go, alongside ACT.

Sometimes just a

nano-second before I have a panic I almost feel my brain 'fire off' - I am sure

there is sometimes to all this!

Its good to swap

book ideas. Thanks for posting. I'll read Stroke of insight.

Simone

From: BILL CAMERON

To: ACT_for_the_ Public

<act_for_the_ public@yahoogrou ps.com>

Sent: Monday, 28 September, 2009

13:47:17

Subject: RE: [ACT_for_the_ Public]

Starting The Mindfulness & Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety

I'm

reading " My Stroke of Insight " by Jill Bolte , a

nueroanaotmist. She describes her awareness of having a stroke and recovering

from it. During her recovery she decided to " rewire " her brain

to bypass some " files " she decided were " not helpful. "

The book seems to provide a fair amount of physiological evidence for things

that work in ACT.. I would be anxious to hear others comments on

the book. I'm the kind of person who likes to know " what's under the

hood " or " what's behind the curtain. " This book is providing

that.

Bill

To: ACT_for_the_

Public@yahoogrou ps.com

From: hpapythotmail (DOT) com

Date: Mon, 28 Sep 2009 11:14:31 +0000

Subject: [ACT_for_the_ Public] Starting The Mindfulness & Acceptance

Workbook for Anxiety

Is there anyone

else who is reading this? I just started and wow! It is fascinating. Learning

about the difference between fear and anxiety, about different anxiety

disorders, that anxiety is always triggered by something (maybe I will revise

my belief that I am " hard-wired " to be anxious).

I am so thankful to the ACT community for all this ground-breaking work!

September 30, 2009

Hi, Helena,

I'll attach a review of the book. See what you think. Its early days for me at the moment, you have to commit to doing the exercises at least twice a day, which is a fair old chunk of time, but I am doing it as an experiment - some of the stories in the book were very impressive and I just want to find out for myself. Initial findings are positive! At the very least it is an extremely effective relaxation technique with real science behind it. The book has a Cd with it - so you can read it and do the exercises and then like me if you decide to go further you can do the whole set of exercises.

I'd like to point out that I am doing this alongside ACT - so sorry to folks if I am going off topic a bit - sometimes it just can't be helped!

Be interested to know what you think.

Simone

To: ACT_for_the_Public Sent: Tuesday, 29 September, 2009 23:16:39Subject: RE: Starting The Mindfulness & Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety

Simone, how is the â€œOpen Focusâ€ work progressing for you? Iâ€™m glad you mentioned it again, because I forgot to look it up after your last post. Do you still have the link available?

Thanks!

Helena

From: ACT_for_the_ Public@yahoogrou ps.com [mailto:ACT_ for_the_Public@ yahoogroups. com] On Behalf Of StoltonSent: Tuesday, September 29, 2009 3:36 PMTo: ACT_for_the_ Public@yahoogrou ps.comSubject: Re: [ACT_for_the_ Public] Starting The Mindfulness & Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety

Hi Helena,

I agree. Nipping out for a quick brain scan is not an option for most uf us! Hee hee. I kind of came to the same conclusion as you - an interesting book but as you say, controversial.

Simone

From: Helena Rychener <hbbrcomcast (DOT) net>To: ACT_for_the_ Public@yahoogrou ps.comSent: Tuesday, 29 September, 2009 19:06:17Subject: RE: [ACT_for_the_ Public] Starting The Mindfulness & Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety

Hi Simone,

For what itâ€™s worth, that book by Dr. Amen is considered quite controversial by the medical establishmentâ€”not that that makes it bad (and some might think itâ€™s a plus!). I read it shortly after it was published in the late 90â€™s (I think).

I found the book fascinating but not very useful for me; getting brain scans done for diagnostic purposes is not really accessible to me or the general population, nor covered by insurance, and to extrapolate his research results to the larger population is not warranted, IMO. Still, with these caveats, I liked the book and am glad I read it.

I hope you donâ€™t mind my sharing my thoughts here â€¦ it is not meant as criticism nor to discourage anyone from reading the book. Dr. Amen may be regarded as revolutionary in the future, or just another misled researcher!

I also intend to read Stroke of Insight. I saw her on TV and was quite impressed with her story.

Helena

From: ACT_for_the_ Public@yahoogrou ps.com [mailto:ACT_ for_the_Public@ yahoogroups. com] On Behalf Of StoltonSent: Tuesday, September 29, 2009 1:17 PMTo: ACT_for_the_ Public@yahoogrou ps.comSubject: Re: [ACT_for_the_ Public] Starting The Mindfulness & Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety

Hi Bill,

I haven't read 'Stroke of insight', but I am reading 'Change your Brain, Change your Life', by Amen. I too, like you are interested in 'whats under the hood', and this subject has interested me for sometime. Change Your Brain is all about how certain disorders ie, depression/anxiety etc are caused by certain parts of the brain not functioning properly - this is evidenced by 'spect' images or brain scans. In the books it shows some interesting images of peoples brains with different disorders and highlights the part that is not working right. He advocates drug treatment alongside other stuff to look after your brain - meditation/relaxati on, drinking water/positive attitude and loads of other things.

It got me thinking - oh well, may as well just pop a pill and make it all better - but then, with a little effort I believe it is possible to change the structure of the brain through meditation. I know that the Dalai Lama has done much research into this and there are some interesting books on the subject. Because I am interested in brain science I am working with Open Focus which you may have heard me talk about in another post - that too, is geared towards changing the brain in subtle ways, through brain waves and wide/relaxed focus - its very interesting. A lot of people have benefited from it so I am giving it a go, alongside ACT.

Sometimes just a nano-second before I have a panic I almost feel my brain 'fire off' - I am sure there is sometimes to all this!

Its good to swap book ideas. Thanks for posting. I'll read Stroke of insight.

Simone

From: BILL CAMERON <wcameromsn (DOT) com>To: ACT_for_the_ Public <act_for_the_ public@yahoogrou ps.com>Sent: Monday, 28 September, 2009 13:47:17Subject: RE: [ACT_for_the_ Public] Starting The Mindfulness & Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety

I'm reading "My Stroke of Insight" by Jill Bolte , a nueroanaotmist. She describes her awareness of having a stroke and recovering from it. During her recovery she decided to "rewire" her brain to bypass some "files" she decided were "not helpful." The book seems to provide a fair amount of physiological evidence for things that work in ACT.. I would be anxious to hear others comments on the book. I'm the kind of person who likes to know "what's under the hood" or "what's behind the curtain." This book is providing that. Bill

To: ACT_for_the_ Public@yahoogrou ps.comFrom: hpapythotmail (DOT) comDate: Mon, 28 Sep 2009 11:14:31 +0000Subject: [ACT_for_the_ Public] Starting The Mindfulness & Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety

Is there anyone else who is reading this? I just started and wow! It is fascinating. Learning about the difference between fear and anxiety, about different anxiety disorders, that anxiety is always triggered by something (maybe I will revise my belief that I am "hard-wired" to be anxious).I am so thankful to the ACT community for all this ground-breaking work!

A review by Copthorne Macdonald of Les Fehmi and Jim Robbins's book The Open-Focus BrainHarnessing the Power of Attention to Heal Mind and Body

The Open-Focus Brain Harnessing the Power of Attention to Heal Mind and Bodyby Les Fehmi and Jim RobbinsTrumpeter Books / Shambhala (2007), 192 pagesISBN: 978-1-59030-376-4 Les Fehmi is one of the pioneers in brain-mind biofeedback. The objective back in the 1960s was to help subjects develop "alpha" brain waves. But even with feedback from the equipment, some found it difficult to locate and enter the mind space which caused alpha waves to be produced. In The Open Focus Brain, Les Fehmi recalls his 1971 attempts to help subjects generate alpha waves. Most things he tried had little effect, but when he asked the subject to imagine spaces, "high amplitude alpha appeared instantly." As he puts it, "'Objectless imagery'—the multisensory experience and awareness of space, nothingness, or absence—almost always elicits large amplitude and prolonged periods of phase synchronous alpha activity."

During the 1970s Fehmi developed and recorded a series of exercises that involved imagining space in various contexts and which successfully talked subjects into the synchronous-alpha state. The strong correlation between observed brain wave type (alpha, beta, theta) and the way the subject was attending became obvious. Was the mode of attending perhaps the fundamentally important thing, with brain waves secondary? The Open-Focus Brain is Les Fehmi's affirmative answer to that question. The book's thesis is that our style of attentiveness is crucially important, and that the way we attend to things most of the time — a left-brain "narrow-objective" mode of attending — can, and often does, lead to mental and physical distress. The authors explain that "narrow-objective attention is focusing on one or a few important things in the foreground, and dismissing all other stimuli, making everything else the background." They go on to say, "While narrow-objective focus allows us to perform some tasks very well, it is also physiologically and psychologically expensive because chronic use results in the accumulation of stress. It takes a great deal of energy to maintain this type of attention, even though we usually aren't aware of it." They refer to narrow-objective focus as "an emergency mode of attention," that creates stress and stress-related symptoms. These, they say, can be resolved by Open Focus training. There are other modes of attending, and the authors discuss these. The opposite of objective attention which distances you from the object of your attention is immersed attention in which there is little or no separation. The opposite of narrow attention in which attention is restricted to one or a few things is diffuse attention which "in its most extreme form...is inclusive and three-dimensional, giving equal attention to all internal and external stimuli simultaneously as well as the space, silence, and timelessness in which they occur." Fehmi and Robbins note that "both diffuse and immersed attention are organized by the right hemisphere of the brain," and in Open Focus, both are developed. As they put it, "In Open Focus our attention is inclusive—sights, sounds, and other sensory information are all taken in along with space in a broadly interested way; no one sensory signal is focused on to the exclusion of the others." Another plus: "Open Focus allows us to be aware of how we are attending, which allows us to decide on and quickly emphasize the most appropriate styles to use." The book not only talks about this desirable Open Focus way of attending, it also gives us well-honed exercises for developing it. In a back pocket of the book is a CD which contains an introduction, instructions, and two exercises. The 29-minute track 3 exercise, "Head and Hands in Open Focus," introduces the approach and gets us familiar with paying attention to bodily sensations. The 27-minute track 4 exercise, "General Open Focus Training," talks us into the Open Focus mode of attending. In the book itself are other, more specialized exercises that could be read, with proper timing, into an audio recorder. Included are "Expanding Your Awareness of Visual Space," "Dissolving Pain," "Heart-Centered Open Focus," "Thinking in Open Focus," and "Seeing in Open Focus." These and other exercises are also available prerecorded on CDs at http://www.openfocus.biz/cds.html. SPIRITUAL PRACTICES AND OPEN FOCUS

My own introduction to Open Focus took place in the early 1980s when I explored its potential as a tool for spiritual development.

Buddhist meditation techniques such as Vipassana and Dzogchen are attentiveness training practices. In Vipassana you begin by narrowly focusing on breath sensations and gradually widen the field of attention until it takes in whatever is arising in the mind. In Dzogchen meditation (an advanced practice) you go immediately into that wide-angle, all-inclusive mode of attending and hang out there. Both are highly worthwhile practices, but to develop the ability to enter that open-to-everything mindset at will requires an extended period of prior practice.

By the time I heard about Les Fehmi's Open Focus tapes I had already attended several Vipassana retreats. I bought a set of tapes, and when I started using them I was immediately impressed by how effective they were. If I diligently followed the suggestions being made on the tape, at the end of the half-hour lesson I would invariably be in the Open Focus mode of attending to mind contents. That was rarely the case when I spent an equal amount of time doing Vipassana meditation. Better yet, after using the tapes daily for several weeks I found that in everyday life circumstances I was able to switch at will between narrow-focus attention and Open Focus — something I had not yet developed the ability to do in my meditation practice. When I recently obtained a copy of The Open-Focus Brain and its companion CD I was delighted. It now seems likely that this powerful technique will finally get the widespread recognition it deserves.

For book purchase information visit the Trumpeter Books / Shambhala web site or Amazon.com

September 30, 2009

I have just got the book and it seems excellent. Not is only chronic depression

and anxiety can be cured by the technique but also ADD and ADHD as well. As you

know, psychaitrists consider these disorders to be physical (the medical model)

but it just isn't the case.

Les Fehmi, the author isn't so scathing of psychiatry as me but he says that

biofeedback techniques aren't widely used because that isn't psychiatry's

speciality even though these techniques have been shown to be very effective for

over 30 years. Well it should have been but doctors would rather prescribe a

load of useless and dangerous drugs because anyone - at far more competives

rates - can teach relaxation and biofeedback techniques. We've been conned, and

it is too late for some of us who have been permantly harmed by the profession.

I think the open focus technique is going to greatly help my ACT work as my

tension has made mindfulness so difficult. I can see that because my mind races

so much, I have been using a narrow field of observing (intense concentration on

being mindful because otherwise I just couldn't be mindful) which always

produces more tension and eventually distress. Now I am trying to be mindful of

everything at once, my breath, my body, the open space around me, depth of

field, the space within my body, the temperature etc, and it feels rather nice.

It is a difused form of mindfulness which is a more natural and relaxed state

for me. You can even do this reading, or while doing other things, which brings

relaxation to it.

I also bought he Mindlefulness in Plain English book also recommended here and

it is superb. Thanks everyone for the recommendations.

By the way, I still hold some hope that my brain can recover from the damage

caused by antidepressants when I start to feel better and my cortisol levels

have returned to normal.

Kavy

>

> Simone, how is the â€œOpen Focusâ€ work progressing for you? Iâ€™m glad you

mentioned it again, because I forgot to look it up after your last post. Do you

still have the link available?

>

> Thanks!

>

> Helena

>

> From: ACT_for_the_Public

[mailto:ACT_for_the_Public ] On Behalf Of Stolton

> Sent: Tuesday, September 29, 2009 3:36 PM

> To: ACT_for_the_Public

> Subject: Re: Starting The Mindfulness & Acceptance

Workbook for Anxiety

>

> Hi Helena,

>

> I agree. Nipping out for a quick brain scan is not an option for most uf us!

Hee hee. I kind of came to the same conclusion as you - an interesting book but

as you say, controversial.

>

> Simone

>

> _____

>

> To: ACT_for_the_Public

> Sent: Tuesday, 29 September, 2009 19:06:17

> Subject: RE: Starting The Mindfulness & Acceptance

Workbook for Anxiety

>

> Hi Simone,

>

> For what itâ€™s worth, that book by Dr. Amen is considered quite controversial

by the medical establishmentâ€ " not that that makes it bad (and some might think

itâ€™s a plus!). I read it shortly after it was published in the late 90â€™s (I

think).

>

> I found the book fascinating but not very useful for me; getting brain scans

done for diagnostic purposes is not really accessible to me or the general

population, nor covered by insurance, and to extrapolate his research results to

the larger population is not warranted, IMO. Still, with these caveats, I liked

the book and am glad I read it.

>

> I hope you donâ€™t mind my sharing my thoughts here â€¦ it is not meant as

criticism nor to discourage anyone from reading the book. Dr. Amen may be

regarded as revolutionary in the future, or just another misled researcher!

>

> I also intend to read Stroke of Insight. I saw her on TV and was quite

impressed with her story.

>

> Helena

>

> From: ACT_for_the_ Public@yahoogrou ps.com [mailto:ACT_ for_the_Public@

yahoogroups. com] On Behalf Of Stolton

> Sent: Tuesday, September 29, 2009 1:17 PM

> To: ACT_for_the_ Public@yahoogrou ps.com

> Subject: Re: [ACT_for_the_ Public] Starting The Mindfulness & Acceptance

Workbook for Anxiety

>

> Hi Bill,

> I haven't read 'Stroke of insight', but I am reading 'Change your Brain,

Change your Life', by Amen. I too, like you are interested in 'whats

under the hood', and this subject has interested me for sometime. Change Your

Brain is all about how certain disorders ie, depression/anxiety etc are caused

by certain parts of the brain not functioning properly - this is evidenced by

'spect' images or brain scans. In the books it shows some interesting images of

peoples brains with different disorders and highlights the part that is not

working right. He advocates drug treatment alongside other stuff to look after

your brain - meditation/relaxati on, drinking water/positive attitude and loads

of other things.

> It got me thinking - oh well, may as well just pop a pill and make it all

better - but then, with a little effort I believe it is possible to change the

structure of the brain through meditation. I know that the Dalai Lama has done

much research into this and there are some interesting books on the subject.

Because I am interested in brain science I am working with Open Focus which you

may have heard me talk about in another post - that too, is geared towards

changing the brain in subtle ways, through brain waves and wide/relaxed focus -

its very interesting. A lot of people have benefited from it so I am giving it a

go, alongside ACT.

> Sometimes just a nano-second before I have a panic I almost feel my brain

'fire off' - I am sure there is sometimes to all this!

> Its good to swap book ideas. Thanks for posting. I'll read Stroke of insight.

>

> Simone

>

> _____

>

> From: BILL CAMERON <wcameromsn (DOT) com>

> To: ACT_for_the_ Public <act_for_the_ public@yahoogrou ps.com>

> Sent: Monday, 28 September, 2009 13:47:17

> Subject: RE: [ACT_for_the_ Public] Starting The Mindfulness & Acceptance

Workbook for Anxiety

>

> I'm reading " My Stroke of Insight " by Jill Bolte , a nueroanaotmist. She

describes her awareness of having a stroke and recovering from it. During her

recovery she decided to " rewire " her brain to bypass some " files " she decided

were " not helpful. " The book seems to provide a fair amount of physiological

evidence for things that work in ACT.. I would be anxious to hear others

comments on the book. I'm the kind of person who likes to know " what's under the

hood " or " what's behind the curtain. " This book is providing that.

>

> Bill

>

> _____

>

> To: ACT_for_the_ Public@yahoogrou ps.com

> From: hpapythotmail (DOT) com

> Date: Mon, 28 Sep 2009 11:14:31 +0000

> Subject: [ACT_for_the_ Public] Starting The Mindfulness & Acceptance Workbook

for Anxiety

>

> Is there anyone else who is reading this? I just started and wow! It is

fascinating. Learning about the difference between fear and anxiety, about

different anxiety disorders, that anxiety is always triggered by something

(maybe I will revise my belief that I am " hard-wired " to be anxious).

>

> I am so thankful to the ACT community for all this ground-breaking work!

>

September 30, 2009

Hi Simone,

Thanks so much!Â I ordered the book and

CD from Amazon.com.Â Canâ€™t wait to delve

in.Â The reader reviews were excellent.

Helena

From: ACT_for_the_Public

[mailto:ACT_for_the_Public ] On

Behalf Of Stolton

Sent: Wednesday, September 30,

2009 6:30 AM

To:

ACT_for_the_Public

Subject: Re:

Starting The Mindfulness & Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety

Hi, Helena,

I'll attach a review of the

book. See what you think. Its early days for me at the moment, you have to

commit to doing the exercises at least twice a day, which is a fair old chunk

of time, but I am doing it as an experiment - some of the stories in the book

were very impressive and I just want to find out for myself. Initial

findings are positive! At the very least it is an extremely effective

relaxation technique with real science behind it. The book has a Cd with it -

so you can read it and do the exercises and then like me if you decide to go

further you can do the whole set of exercises.

I'd like to point out that I

am doing this alongside ACT - so sorry to folks if I am going off topic a bit -

sometimes it just can't be helped!

Be interested to know what

you think.

Simone

To: ACT_for_the_Public

Sent: Tuesday, 29 September, 2009

23:16:39

Subject: RE:

Starting The Mindfulness & Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety

Simone, how is the â€œOpen Focusâ€ work

progressing for you? Iâ€™m glad you mentioned it again, because I forgot to

look it up after your last post. Do you still have the link available?

Thanks!

Helena

From: ACT_for_the_

Public@yahoogrou ps.com [mailto:ACT_ for_the_Public@ yahoogroups. com] On Behalf Of Stolton

Sent: Tuesday, September 29, 2009

3:36 PM

To: ACT_for_the_ Public@yahoogrou

ps.com

Subject: Re: [ACT_for_the_ Public]

Starting The Mindfulness & Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety

Hi Helena,

I agree. Nipping

out for a quick brain scan is not an option for most uf us! Hee hee. I kind of

came to the same conclusion as you - an interesting book but as you say,

controversial.

Simone

From: Helena Rychener