{"id":2966,"date":"2013-04-22T09:07:38","date_gmt":"2013-04-22T13:07:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/mindfulnessmatters\/?p=2966"},"modified":"2013-04-22T09:07:38","modified_gmt":"2013-04-22T13:07:38","slug":"military-mindfulness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2013\/04\/military-mindfulness.html","title":{"rendered":"Military Mindfulness"},"content":{"rendered":"

The following is a guest blog post by one of the current students in my Mindfulness in Health Care course at the University of Vermont, Melinda Rouille. She is a therapist at a local veteran’s clinic.<\/p>\n

Something that we all share in this world is pain, sickness and death.\u00a0While some of us learn how to cope with this anguish, a vast majority of us suffer tremendously.\u00a0We often tend to\u00a0avoid thinking about our suffering or get stuck when it comes knocking at our door.\u00a0I have worked with people suffering with various debilitating conditions ranging from post-traumatic stress disorder, major depression, anxiety, loss, feelings of failure, and other calamities life hands us.\u00a0Many find it difficult to stare this suffering in the eye, ultimately avoiding and denying it. The irony of this is, avoidance may blind us to the true exquisiteness of life and keeps us stuck in our suffering.<\/p>\n

\"image\"<\/a>
(AP \/ Lenny Ignelzi)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Recently, I read one of many quotes from the late Steve Jobs that put some perspective on this for me.\u00a0At the commencement speech at Stanford University in 2005, Steve Jobs exclaimed, \u201cRemembering that I\u2019ll be dead soon is the most important tool I\u2019ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything \u2014 all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure \u2013 these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked.\u201d\u00a0I grappled with this quote as I thought of those struggling to survive in a war zone, what are their expectations and fears?<\/p>\n

How many times have I allowed my external expectations, pride and fears put blinders on me, allowing distractions, labels, criticisms, and judgments ultimately create pain.\u00a0I\u2019m beginning to learn how to release these concepts and thoughts through acceptance of what is.\u00a0Through mindfulness-based meditation, I\u2019m beginning to catch the worrying and scurrying going on in my head, these assumptions, beliefs and ruminations.\u00a0By bringing my attention back to the present moment, over and over again, gently noticing my breath as my anchor, I\u2019m able to \u201clet be\u201d my mind\u2019s automatic pilot and start experiencing the moment-to-moment sensations and reactions, and find myself moving beyond these distractions into a restful feeling of peace.<\/p>\n

I came across recent articles about Marines studying mindfulness-based training.\u00a0With so many suffering from painful disabilities, post-traumatic stress and a record high suicide rate, the Marine Corps is turning to this ancient Eastern-based practice that has made its way into Western psychology.\u00a0The Marine Corps is using exercises called \u201cMindfulness-Based Mind Fitness Training\u201d, a series of brain calming exercises to enhance performance as troops continue to endure the mounting stress and pressures of military life (Watson, AP, 1\/20\/2013)<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Although the military seems to be an odd fit for mindfulness, it is hoped mindfulness will help reduce strains on service members with mental preparation to better handle stress, before, during and after war.\u00a0This piggybacks off from mindfulness-based stress reduction, which has been successful for a multitude of concerns including pain and anxiety disorders.\u00a0I hope to be able to be trained in the art of mindfulness to become a competent and helpful servant to those suffering both the visible and invisible wounds of war, allowing them to become aware of their own healing powers through mindfulness.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The following is a guest blog post by one of the current students in my Mindfulness in Health Care course at the University of Vermont, Melinda Rouille. She is a therapist at a local veteran’s clinic. 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Dr. Kozak's ability to translate ancient healing traditions into pragmatic applications suitable for modern lifestyles through the use of metaphors have made him a strong voice in healthcare and business. Beginning with a journey to India in the 80\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s where he took the Bodhisattva vows from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Arnie Dr. Kozak began his lifelong practice in mindfulness meditation. Intent on finding a way to bring the practical healing attributes of mindfulness he began incorporating these techniques in his private practice. In 2002 Dr. Kozak created Exquisite Mind in Burlington, Vermont as a vehicle that could expand his wisdom to larger audiences beyond individual psychotherapy to professionals and corporations, health care providers, public groups and, most recently with Exquisite Mind Golf, amateur and professional golfers. His award-winning new book, Wild Chickens and Petty Tyrants: 108 Metaphors for Mindfulness (Wisdom Publications, 2009) is a thoughtful, funny, and inspiring translation of mindfulness practice through the inventive use of metaphor applicable to our daily lives. In addition to his work with Exquisite Mind, Arnie Kozak, Ph.D., Licensed Psychologist\u00e2\u20ac\u201dDoctorate has been a Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Vermont and is a Clinical Instructor in Psychiatry and Medicine, University of Vermont College of Medicine. He has studied and practiced clinical psychology, meditation, and yoga for more than 25 years. He has studied with several meditation masters, including S. N. Goenka, Larry Rosenberg, Gurumayi Chidvilasananda, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. After receiving his bachelors degree with honors from Tufts University, he was awarded a Presidential Fellowship to get his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University at Buffalo. He completed his training as a Psychological Fellow at the Harvard Medical School. Prior to founding the Exquisite Mind in 2002, Arnie worked ten years in the private sector for the PKC Corporation consulting on mental health content for this revolutionary software company.","sameAs":["http:\/\/exquisitemind.com"],"url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/author\/akozak"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2966","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/268"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2966"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2966\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2977,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2966\/revisions\/2977"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2966"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2966"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}