mindfulness meditation benefits

Some recreational therapists teach mindfulness meditation skills. It is about slowing down, being in the moment, and taking things one thing at a time. It is the opposite of multi-tasking.

Mindfulness has been shown to be helpful and healing.

Go to this article to read how multi-tasking drains energy:

http://qz.com/722661/neuroscientists-say-multitasking-literally-drains-the-energy-reserves-of-your-brain/?utm_content=buffer3843f&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer 

slow down to become happier

Slow down to become happier

Many people who follow my Rec Therapy Today blog know that I [Danny Pettry] am a big fan of positive psychology, mindfulness meditation, and things like that.

Here is a link for a neat article from TED about slowing down:

ideas.ted.com/want-to-be-happy-slow-down/?utm_campaign=social&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_content=ideas-blog&utm_term=social-science

Sniffing rosemary - increase memory

Do you or any RTs you know provide aroma therapy?

There are a lot of mindfulness based trainings (DBT focused) that use aromas to help bring mindfulness.

There are also health benefits for some aromas.

I personally use lavender at night to help me relax.

Here is an interesting article by healthy holistic living on how sniffing rosemary can increase memory.

Read about it here:

http://www.healthy-holistic-living.com/sniffing-rosemary-can-increase-memory-75.html 

how mindfulness changes the brain

Mindful.org is one of my favorite online sites.

I recently discovered an article by Jennifer Wokin (2015, Sept. 20) regarding: How the brain changes when you meditate.

Many recreational therapists and DBT Therapists use meditation/ mindfulness training to help patients.

Here is a link to Wokin's article that I think you'd be interested in reading:

http://www.mindful.org/how-the-brain-changes-when-you-meditate/

Mindfulness and trauma

From Mindful.org: Mindfulness practice can help people with trauma to learn how to feel safe again.

http://www.mindful.org/point-of-view-when-vulnerability-and-trauma-collide/

physical activity can forestall the mental decline i

Mindful.org posted: New evidence that physical activity can forestall the mental decline in aging brains. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/04/07/sweat-smart/?_r=1

Nature promotes kindness, happiness and creativity...

I always knew it!
Nature is good for us.

Read how nature helps to promote kindness, happiness, and creativity at this mindful.org link:

http://www.mindful.org/how-nature-boosts-kindness-happiness-and-creativity/

Helping kids with anxiety

Darla Hernadez had posted a great story about a psychologist, Margaret Jessop in South Bend.
Jessop has created a really neat program to help children who suffer from anxiety disorders.

Her program appears to provide:

• psycho-education about the brain and how it works
• relaxation skills: like deep breathing and imagination, and
• mindfulness meditation. 

I sure hope Jessop puts this information in a book. 

Here is a link for the article: 

http://www.wsbt.com/news/local/local-psychologist-helping-kids-cope-with-anxiety-with-new-program/37668352

Harvard MRI study on meditation

Harvard MRI study shows that meditation rebuilds your brain's grey matter in 8-weeks

Read about it here:


http://www.simplecapacity.com/2015/12/harvard-mri-study-shows-that-meditation-literally-rebuilds-your-brains-gray-matter-in-8-weeks/

Mindfulness Meditation - Jack Canfield

One of my favorite authors, Jack Canfield (who happened to grow up in West Virginia, like me) shared an interesting article on negative thinking.

The solution? Mindfulness meditation.
Read about it here:
http://www.attn.com/stories/2587/what-negative-thinking-does-your-brain?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=direct-share&utm_campaign=shares 

Session 4: 

Health Benefits for Mindfulness in Meditation

Presented by: Christian Adams, 

Certified Meditation Teacher, Marshall University Med Student

Friday, October 28, 2015, at 12:30 a.m.

Danny Pettry’s 

Mental Health Workshop for Recreational Therapists 

at River Park Hospital, in Huntington, WV

A Review by Danny Pettry

Goals of this session included:

·         Identify  at least three evidence d based research outcomes of mindfulness meditation

·         Identify the requirements for meeting basic competencies in order to provide mindfulness mediation as a Recreation Therapy treatment intervention under the supervision and recommendation of an attending physician.

I personally enjoyed this session a lot. I heard a lot of good comments about it as well.

I believe this is the site where he received his training: http://mcleanmeditation.com/

==============================================

Take Danny Pettry's Self-Study Course: 

Mindfulness: Techniques for stress management and healthier living

• TR Knowledge Area:
  • Practice of Therapeutic Recreation/ Recreation Therapy: using mindfulness training as a stress management intervention

• Five (5) Clock Hours or (0.5) CEUs. Notice ten (10) Clock Hours = 1.0 CEUs

• Course Objective: Independent self-study learner will demonstrate an awareness of using mindfulness training as an intervention as evidenced by reading Gill Hasson’s (2013) Mindfulness: be mindful/ live in the moment and passing an online written exam with a score of at least 70% or better within a one-year timeframe.

 book not included with course. 

Coloring for adults: relaxation and mindfulness

Here is my web-site: http://www.ColoringTherapyIdeas.com

The video about benefits from Fox news is below:

Coloring books aren't just for kids anymore. #ICYMI
Posted by FOX 7 Austin on Saturday, August 1, 2015

The problems with multi-tasking.

Here is a good video on CNN that outlines the problems with multi-tasking:

http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/09/health/your-brain-multitasking/index.html

Mindfulness, however, teaches doing one thing at a time.
You might want to sign-up for this self-study course.

Mindfulness: Techniques for stress management and healthier living

Visit my link here to see the course:
http://www.dannypettry.com/Courses.htm

 

 

    

Mindfulness can improve productivity

I've been studying and learning about mindfulness since about 2011.

I use in my daily living as well as teaching this skill to patients.

I found a neat article on how mindfulness can improve productivity.

Read about it here:

http://www.inc.com/ilya-pozin/can-mindfulness-improve-your-productivity.html

Do you want to learn more about mindfulness?

Consider taking a self-study CEU course on the topic.

Go here:

Mindfulness: Techniques for stress management and healthier living

• TR Knowledge Area:

  • Practice of Therapeutic Recreation/ Recreation Therapy: using mindfulness training as a stress management intervention

• Five (5) Clock Hour or (0.5) CEUs. Notice ten (10) Clock Hours = 1.0 CEUs

• Course Objective: Independent self-study learner will demonstrate an awareness of using mindfulness training as an intervention as evidenced by reading Gill Hasson’s (2013) Mindfulness: be mindful/ live in the moment and passing an online written exam with a score of at least 70% or better within a one-year timeframe.

book not included with course

 

    

30 things to do (mindfulness).

here is an interesting link with 30 things to do:

http://themindunleashed.org/2014/07/30-things-start-4-absolutely-vital.html

Mindfulness from Juliette Foster.

From Juliette Foster:

 

Mindfulness comes from Buddhist philosophy, but in the last year or so has taken off big time as a therapy for many psychological ills of the modern world. Some have seen it as a cure for stress, ill health, mental disorders and addictions, but can it truly help? 

 

Here's Juliette Foster’s guide - http://www.kwikmed.org/mindfulness-simply-meditation/

Low-income schools benefit from teaching mindfulness

I teach mindfulness skills to children with abuse-reactive needs. All the children in my group session have experienced trauma.

I teach mindfulness (a type of meditation) to help them learn how to cope with stressful triggers.

My good friend and internship supervisor, Jennifer Kangas posted a neat article on facebook on how low income schools are seeing big benefits in teaching mindfulness.

It is a very good skill to have.

If you're interested in more, register for the self-study CEU course at my site:

Mindfulness: Techniques for stress management and healthier living

Practice of Therapeutic Recreation/ Recreation Therapy: using mindfulness training as a stress management intervention

• Five (5) Clock Hour or (0.5) CEUs. Notice ten (10) Clock Hours = 1.0 CEUs

• Course Objective: Independent self-study learner will demonstrate an awareness of using mindfulness training as an intervention as evidenced by reading Gill Hasson’s (2013) Mindfulness: be mindful/ live in the moment and passing an online written exam with a score of at least 70% or better within a one-year timeframe.

Here is the link to click if you want to sign-up for this course.
http://www.dannypettry.com/Courses.htm

Here is the link on how low-income schools are seeing benefits from teaching mindfulness skills:

http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2014/01/low-income-schools-see-big-benefits-in-teaching-mindfulness/?utm_content=socialflow&utm_campaign=nprfacebook&utm_source=npr&utm_medium=facebook