[Lauren Porter]

Question 1
For my urge surfing exercise, the urge I felt was to shift in my chair and fidget. It was difficult to prolong that urge and became increasingly so as I was aware more and more of feeling uncomfortable in how I was sitting. I think this was particularly difficult because sitting in an uncomfortable position will not necessarily ease with time unless you do move, but I was able to sit with the feelings and be aware of how it felt in my mind. I think for things such as cravings and impulsive desires, those are proven to dissipate with time and having the skills to sit with them and trust that process to work out is important. I would utilize this in addiction counseling by combining it with the thought diffusion practices and visualization techniques such as the waves or balloons.
Question 2
I chose the being mindful of emotions without judgment exercise. I selected this because I have been quite stressed and anxious this week, and a lot of my thinking has been around how this is not pleasant, productive, or helpful and I want to overcome it as soon as possible. I wanted to see how it felt to just sit with that physical and mental experience in a more neutral way. I noticed physical sensations such as tension, nausea, headache, chest discomfort, and uneasy breathing. I started by passing judgments on this as bad and negative experiences but shifted some of my thinking towards more acceptance based. As I also returned my thoughts to the moment and thought less and less about the specific triggers for my stress, I noticed some of the physical symptoms dissipating. It is hard for me to distinguish between the emotional and mental experiences, but I did feel a greater sense of acceptance with my thoughts around the anxiety. I think this would be very effective to utilize in addiction counseling settings as people are learning to sit with thoughts, feelings, and experiences that they have often avoided because they feel they are bad or uncomfortable. I think for it to be most effective, it needs to be started with an easier to manage emotion before it is a stronger and more charged one.

Question 3
I really enjoyed content in week 3 where we talked about the importance of clinicians being involved in mindfulness both to help them in guiding clients through it and to help them be more present in the therapeutic relationship. I have had my own practice with mindfulness and meditation for a while, but I enjoyed trying out different exercises that I had not tried before. I also appreciated the chance to dedicate focus on how mindfulness can look when you are a clinician and how it helps you and the client. I anticipate myself utilizing skills here with people across the spectrum in their use and recovery journeys, whether it’s urge surfing for cravings, acceptance for the reality of their addiction, or meditation to ease the intensity of emotions that would have otherwise driven them to engage in behaviors.

[Lauren Porter]

Question 1
What did you notice about your physical experience during the Soft Belly Meditation? What was it like for you to have a point of focus be the soft belly? How would you evaluate the effectiveness of this meditation to enhance acceptance of feelings and sensations in the moment?
I enjoyed the soft belly meditation the most out of exercises so far. I think this combined the idea of having a point of return, like to the breath, with a more tangible physical manifestation. It also helped me pace my breath and focus on breathing deep into the abdomen versus short, quick breaths. I think this would be an exercise I would suggest to clients once we have practiced using the breath as a frame of return first. I think this could also be helpful with people struggle with emotional distress to focus on deep breathing and conscious awareness of how their breath is entering their body.

Question 2
What did you notice about your physical experience during the Acceptance Exercise? What was it like for you to have the point of focus be the phrase, “May I accept myself completely as I am right now?” How would you evaluate the effectiveness of this mindfulness exercise to enhance acceptance of self in the moment?
I found this exercise quite challenging. First, I had a harder time with a point of focus being a phrase and less connection to breathwork. This phrase also felt emotionally charged for me. While I have practiced radical acceptance before and used that structure of thinking in my own life, I tend to gear it around accepting the present moment and less about accepting myself in the context of the present moment. I found myself continuing to pass judgment about myself, whereas just focusing on the external environment felt easier. I think this could be a more difficult exercise for some clients and may need to be worked up to.

Question 3
How would you envision adapting and integrating the Soft Belly Meditation and/or the Acceptance Exercise into your clinical work with others, particularly people with addictions? Be specific.
I could adapt the soft belly meditation to be used in times of acute distress or cravings as well, as I think it could help activate the parasympathetic nervous system and help someone return to a more baseline state. With the acceptance exercise, I may help someone chose a different statement to return to, such as, “I accept myself and the decisions I have made.”

[Lauren Porter]

Question 1
One part I initially found challenging was the directive to “not [try] to achieve a different state or experience.” This was difficult because for me and for clients I have often encouraged mindfulness or meditation as a means of alleviating anxiety or other distressing experiences. The idea of using this to solely sit with physical sensations was initially off-putting to me. I also struggled with staying focused on each area and to not rush through the process. I felt more comfortable lying down that I have while doing seated exercises, and I was able to focus more on sensations. While I had some areas that were uncomfortable, I found myself wanting to get through those areas faster. I think this could be effective for people who are not aware of how and where different emotions manifest in their body.

Question 2
I found this exercise easier than grounding exercises like 5-4-3-2-1. It was good to have a set object to return my attention back to. Of course, I struggled with my thoughts wandering, but rather than trying to “reign them in” and remain present as a more abstract concept, I was able to connect to a specific thing. I think this is a good exercise for people just beginning mindfulness in particular as there is a concrete object to focus on.

Question 3
I would encourage the body scan meditation when people are experiencing physical cravings, both to assess where in their body they experience the cravings and also become developing emotional intelligence and vocabulary. I also think the single object focus could be best used in beginning the mindfulness journey and as an option when thoughts of using or acute symptoms are particularly strong.

[Lauren Porter]

Question 1

This meditation was not new or unique for me as I have used similar types of guided styles in my own meditation practice or in classes in the past. I initially noticed feeling hyper-aware of my posture, where I was sitting, and what was around me. With time, I began to focus my senses more on the breath counting. My mind began to wander a lot, and I “returned to one.” Although, I noticed myself passing judgment when I was not able to make it to ten, even though I know that that is not the mark of success. I found this exercise to be helpful, while I also think it could be difficult for someone in a state where they are having difficulty breathing evenly to begin with (e.g. hyperventilating).

Question 2

I noticed that my mind wandered a lot. I think that a preparatory phase where I write down things that are in my mind (such as my to-do list or worries from the day) would be helpful so that I can feel liberated to let go of the thoughts. The gentle approach to shifting back to the breath work without passing judgment was helpful. I would rate this as effective is being aware and conscious of one’s mind.

Question 3

One difference was the instruction to use counting in the first exercise. I liked this because it was a focus point and gave something for thoughts to return to. I think they are both very similar in their approaches, though. I believe that the first exercise might be easier for someone new to meditation or this specific style because there is a specific thing they can turn their attention to (the numbers and breathwork) versus just the breathwork. I think this might be a difficult exercise for people who are “uncomfortable in their skin,” dealing with agitation, etc. as they are being mindful and present with their current physical experiences.

[Lauren Porter]

Hello! I’m Lauren, bachelors-level social worker and CADC/MHRT-C based in Portland. I’ve worked with agencies such as Opportunity Alliance, Preble Street, and USM’s collegiate recovery center. I’m looking forward to a more in-depth look at mindfullness in behavioral health settings.

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