73: Lesley Huff on the Paradox of Mindfulness and Potential Pitfalls of Self-Improvement

In this episode, Beth Kurland returns to share about her new book, You Don’t Have To Change to Change Everything. Beth teaches us how we can walk ourselves out of survival mode into a state of thriving. She describes six practical strategies to help learn to engage challenges constructively.   Beth Kurland, PhD, is a clinical psychologist in Massachusetts with three decades of experience. She is also a TEDx and public speaker, a mind-body coach, and an author of three award-winning books: Dancing on The Tightrope; The Transformative Power of Ten Minutes; and Gifts of the Rain Puddle. Her newest book, published by Health Communications Inc., is You Don't Have to Change to Change Everything: Six Ways to Shift Your Vantage Point, Stop Striving for Happy, and Find True Well-Being. Beth blogs for Psychology Today and is the creator of the Well-Being Toolkit online program. She lives in the Boston area. For more, visit BethKurland.com. If you are a fan of Noble Mind, subscribe to our YouTube channel! You can also follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, or Twitter, and join our free Facebook group at facebook.com/groups/noblemind. Learn about upcoming events, get our show notes, and join our email list at noblemindpodcast.com.   

In this episode, we talk to Dr. Akeem Sule about his work with people experiencing psychosis and other severe mental health symptoms in an inpatient setting. He discusses the potential pitfalls of a purely biological view of mental illness and describes therapeutic interventions that he’s found useful with his patients. We also explore the pros and cons of mindfulness and discuss his passion for exploring the mental health themes in hip hop music, film, and television. Dr. Akeem Sule is the Co-founder of HIP HOP PSYCH and a Consultant Psychiatrist in General Adult Psychiatry, Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, and an Honorary Visiting Research Associate at the Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge. He is also a Research Associate at Wolfson College, Cambridge University. Dr Sule has taught Psychiatry trainees/resident doctors in United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Singapore, Egypt, Nigeria, Ireland and India. He is a member of the Association of University Teachers in Psychiatry. His medical degree was at the Ogun State University Teaching hospital, Nigeria. His Specialist Psychiatry training was with the Oxford Rotational Scheme. He also worked at the department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford and Hammersmith PET centre as a Clinical research worker where he did Neuroimaging Research. Dr Sule is an International member of the American Psychiatric Association. In 2009, he was the winner of the Consultant Teacher of the Year award for Bedfordshire and Luton Partnership Trust and joint winner of the Consultant Teacher for Exams award. He is a massive HipHop fan and a diehard Tupac Amaru Shakur fan. Dr Sule has been giving lectures on Public mental health themes in Films and TV shows particularly as it relates to Racism. He has helped to develop a model on the Psychiatry teaching programmes in a US medical school which uses ‘The Wire TV show to teach on mental health themes. If you are a fan of Noble Mind, subscribe to our YouTube channel! You can also follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, or Twitter, and join our free Facebook group at facebook.com/groups/noblemind. Learn about upcoming events, get our show notes, and join our email list at noblemindpodcast.com. 

In this episode, Dr. Sara Lazar shares about the neuroscience of meditation. Dr. Lazar has been doing research on the effects of meditation for over twenty years and discusses what she’s learned about how our emotional processing, executive functioning, memory, and even sense of self can all be impacted by meditation. We also talk about aging and cognition, as well as the potential benefits of yoga practice. Sara W. Lazar, PhD, is an Associate Researcher in the Psychiatry Department at Massachusetts General Hospital and an Assistant Professor in Psychology at Harvard Medical School. The focus of her research is to elucidate the neural mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of yoga and meditation, both in clinical settings and in healthy individuals. She is a contributing author to Meditation and Psychotherapy (Guilford Press). She has been practicing yoga and mindfulness meditation since 1994. Her research has been covered by numerous news outlets including The New York Times, USA Today, CNN and WebMD, and her work has been featured in a display at the Boston Museum of Science. If you are a fan of Noble Mind, subscribe to our YouTube channel! You can also follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, or Twitter, and join our free Facebook group at facebook.com/groups/noblemind. Learn about upcoming events, get our show notes, and join our email list at noblemindpodcast.com. 

In this episode, we talk to Shaun Glossop about his work building a mindfulness group outside of the usual religious or medical contexts in which it is often taught. We discuss what he has done to reduce barriers to engaging with mindfulness by  finding ways to make practice more accessible and relatable to people in his community. He also discusses the problem of social alienation and isolation in postindustrial society and the importance of creating a space where people can build meaningful connections with each other. Shaun Glossop is the co-founder and director of the Nottingham Mindfulness Center in central England, and has been a meditation practitioner for over 25 years. If you are a fan of Noble Mind, subscribe to our YouTube channel! You can also follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, or Twitter, and join our free Facebook group at facebook.com/groups/noblemind. Learn about upcoming events, get our show notes, and join our email list at noblemindpodcast.com. 

In this episode, hosts Alex and Kate finish their exploration of the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism by exploring the Fourth Noble Truth. This Truth describes the Eightfold Path which can lead us towards relief from suffering in this lifetime. The Eightfold Path describes the importance of right speech, action, livelihood, mindfulness, and more. Listen in as Alex and Kate reflect on each of these methods and their applications in daily life. If you are a fan of Noble Mind, subscribe to our YouTube channel! You can also follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, or Twitter, and join our free Facebook group at facebook.com/groups/noblemind. Learn about upcoming events, get our show notes, and join our email list at noblemindpodcast.com. 

In this episode, Kate and Alex talk to Kris Sutton about healing from chronic pain. She shares her lived experience with pain from multiple medical issues including migraine, endometriosis, and cancer. She describes her work as a pain coach and the power of leveraging the effects of neuroplasticity to help the brain learn to make new meaning of the experience of pain. Kris also describes pain reprocessing therapy, mindfulness, and her work as an Alexander Technique teacher. Listen in to learn about the importance of a self-compassionate approach to pain management and finding common humanity with others who have shared experience. Kris Sutton, MPS, NBC-HWC, CPMC, is a National Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach and a Certified Pain Management Coach. She is also a Certified Alexander Technique teacher, a Pain Reprocessing Therapy Practitioner, and a Certified Mindfulness-Based Pain Practitioner. Kris understands chronic pain. She has experienced several forms of chronic pain starting as a young child, including migraine, fibromyalgia, spinal fusion, endometriosis, and thyroid cancer. She brings this deeply felt, hard-won experience to her work with her clients. Kris has been able to deal with these challenges with the help of many healing modalities, which inform her work with clients. Learn more at https://yourpainguide.com/.  If you are a fan of Noble Mind, subscribe to our YouTube channel! You can also follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, or Twitter, and join our free Facebook group at facebook.com/groups/noblemind. Learn about upcoming events, get our show notes, and join our email list at noblemindpodcast.com. 

In this episode, hosts Alex and Kate continue their exploration of the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism, this time focusing their attention the Third Noble Truth which tells us that the end of our suffering is possible. Listen to how Kate and Alex interpret the meaning of this truth, including traditional Buddhist understandings as well as everyday applications. They explore the small ways we can release our desires our longings in daily life, and how our stress response and perfectionism tend to make it harder to do so.  

In this episode, Alex and Lesley Huff sat down for a second, in-depth conversation exploring a range of themes. They discuss how importance it is to paying attention to how we use the tools of mindfulness and compassion so that we can be sure to use them in supportive and healing ways rather than to manipulate our experience or express self-aggression. They also chatted about being with stress during hard times, stopping habits of avoidance, and reclaiming our agency and power.   Lesley Huff, PsyD, is a licensed psychologist and Certified Mindful Self-Compassion Teacher. She started the Change Through Compassion Program, and has practiced mindfulness personally for many years.    If you are a fan of Noble Mind, subscribe to our YouTube channel! Or, follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, or Twitter, and join our free Facebook group at facebook.com/groups/noblemind. You can learn about upcoming events, get our show notes, and join our email list at noblemindpodcast.com. 

In this episode, Judith Hill-Weld talks about how trying to control our emotions can interfere with being present in our lives. She discusses the importance of not postponing joy, and describes her passion for working with individuals who have developmental and intellectual disabilities. Judith Hill-Weld, M.S., is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist, a Self Compassion Informed Therapist, and a Mindful Self Compassion teacher in training.  She has studied with MSC originators Christopher Germer and Kristin Neff.  In addition to her private practice, Judith’s writing on psychotherapy and developmental and intellectual disability has been published by NADD, and she has provided consultation and education to clinicians and nonprofits on a variety of topics.  Her approach to therapy is rooted in psychodynamic concepts, as well as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. In addition to being a psychotherapist and MSC teacher, Judith is a lover of dogs and poems, and aspires to be a self compassionate mess. If you are a fan of Noble Mind, you can follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, or Twitter, and join our free Facebook group at facebook.com/groups/noblemind. You can learn about upcoming events, get our show notes, and join our email list at noblemindpodcast.com. 

In this episode, Lesley Huff talks about the human need for certainty and how this creates challenges in relating to the many unknowns in life. We discuss the paradox that mindfulness practices can help us to make changes in life, but also allow us to be more accepting of who we are in the moment. We explore the potential pitfalls of self-improvement, including its impact on parenting and family life, and the problem of approaching change from a place of self-criticism. Lesley Huff, PsyD, is a licensed psychologist and a Certified Mindful Self-Compassion Teacher. She started the Change Through Compassion Program, and has practiced mindfulness personally for many years.