An Introduction
For the past decade-plus I have been writing and teaching about the subject of spiritual etiquette – the impact of our behavior upon our spiritual growth - and yet, as I mentioned in last month’s column, as passionate as I am about the commitment and discipline it asks of us, I’ve observed over the years that the egos of many are highly reactive to the subject. It is very difficult work to be radically self-honest about one’s own shadow behaviors, and to muster up both the extreme humility and courage to do the work of transcending them. On top of that, I have learned that many people feel they are more evolved than they actually show up in daily life, and if you are blind to that reality, it takes a great deal to shake you out of the dream. What has been extremely fascinating to me is the number of people who have told me that “so-and-so needs to read your columns and do some one-on-one coaching sessions,” and then I proceed to watch them act in ways that show me they still have lots of work to do on themselves as well – but simply won’t admit it. The ego is quite the sophisticated beast that can fool us in many clever ways.

As a long time student of how the mind works since becoming a clinical hypnotherapist in the late-80s, I’ve understood the value of re-framing information, concepts and ideas in such a way that my student’s or client’s mind and brain are more receptive and able to grasp communications in the most efficient manner. At the same time, societal and cultural shifts influence and foster ever-changing group and individual mindsets in both productive and detrimental ways, and that makes for a lot to sort through and decide what to keep and what to toss. For many, that often means embracing what’s more popular at the time, even if it goes against what I or someone who engages in positive and beneficial “re-minding” process work may suggest, because humans have a deep desire for acceptance and to fit in with the masses. Those of us that are sometimes ahead of curves and trends often have to calmly, compassionately and humbly wait until everyone else “catches up” so that techniques we have been jazzed about for some time reach the mainstream, and a level of critical mass occurs that embeds the not-new-to-us-anymore information, concepts and ideas into the common dialogue. For example, I’ve used the term “re-framing” for over two decades, but only in recent years has it become widely used to where you now hear Oprah saying it.

Another concept that is being more commonly used is that of “mindfulness,” which was borne from the ancient Buddhist traditions, and has woven itself into the modern mainstream to the point that a vast number of people have at least heard the term much more so than even a few years ago. And yet it still is not broadly understood, and is often dismissed as yet another “woo-woo” practice. It is anything but; in fact, in my experienced perspective, it is an exceptionally dynamic tool that has been lauded by quantum physicists and neuroscientists as an essential component in how the mind and the brain can be reshaped in positive – and quantifiable – ways. The “re-minding” skills others and myself have taught for some time are gaining wide acceptance in a variety of fields such as science, medicine, cognitive psychotherapy and human resources management. Mindfulness is a skill, not a religious practice.

Since 1979, the Center for Mindfulness at the University of Massachussets Medical School has been devoted to the clinical and analytical research of mindfulness and its proactive role in health and healthcare. The Center features an eight-week mindfulness meditation course called Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) developed by founder and former executive director Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD, which is now taught around the world. In their own clinical studies, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania discovered that mindfulness meditation practice alone enhanced mental performance and the ability to focus attention, even for people new to the practice. Performance-based measures of cognitive function demonstrated improvements in a matter of weeks. The study, published in the journal Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience in 2007, suggests that mindfulness meditation shows great promise for improving mental focus and cognitive ability as well as having positive benefits within the area of workplace performance and learning processes. Nothing “woo woo” about that.

And while many have heard about mindfulness as a specific meditation technique that helps reduce stress levels while concurrently improving mental focus, that’s only a tiny aspect of this puissant discipline. Based upon both personal experience and via working with clients and students for decades, I am convinced the practice of mindfulness is a bridge to a higher, and more deeply humane 24/7 state of consciousness that is able to often bypass the ego’s “trickster coyote” nature.

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