Thursday, March 7, 2019, 5:30-7:00 p.m.
For whatever reason, Lisa decided to skip the relaxation exercise at the beginning, after check in. Probably because she wanted to be sure we got through the CBT portion of the group.
However, she started with a mindfulness exercise by passing around a plate with a small portion of a raisin that each one of us took.
Eating One Raisin: A First Taste of Mindfulness
Holding
First, take a raisin and hold it in the palm of your hand or between your finger and thumb.
Focusing on it, imagine that you’ve just dropped in from Mars and have never seen an object like this before in your life.
Seeing
Take time to really see it; gaze at the raisin with care and full attention.
Let your eyes explore every part of it, examining the highlights where the light shines, the darker hollows, the folds and ridges, and any asymmetries or unique features.
Touching
Turn the raisin over between your fingers, exploring its texture, maybe with your eyes closed if that enhances your sense of touch.
Smelling
Holding the raisin beneath your nose, with each inhalation drink in any smell, aroma, or fragrance that may arise, noticing as you do this anything interesting that may be happening in your mouth or stomach.
Placing
Now slowly bring the raisin up to your lips, noticing how your hand and arm know exactly how and where to position it. Gently place the object in the mouth, without chewing, noticing how it gets into the mouth in the first place. Spend a few moments exploring the sensations of having it in your mouth, exploring it with your tongue.
Tasting
When you are ready, prepare to chew the raisin, noticing how and where it needs to be for chewing. Then, very consciously, take one or two bites into it and notice what happens in the aftermath, experiencing any waves of taste that emanate from it as you continue chewing. Without swallowing yet, notice the bare sensations of taste and texture in the mouth and how these may change over time, moment by moment, as well as any changes in the object itself.
Swallowing
When you feel ready to swallow the raisin, see if you can first detect the intention to swallow as it comes up, so that even this is experienced consciously before you actually swallow the raisin.
Following
Finally, see if you can feel what is left of the raisin moving down into your stomach, and sense how the body as a whole is feeling after completing this exercise in mindful eating.
The rest of the time was spent in discussing the remaining Anxiety/Depression Thoughts:
5. Personalization. Thinking that everything people do or say is some kind of reaction to you.
6. Control Fallacies. Thinking that YOU are responsible for the pain or happiness of everyone around you.
7. Shoulds. You have a list of rules about how you and other people should behave.
8. Emotional Reasoning. You believe that what you feel MUST be true.
My new commitment is to get in bed by midnight at least 5 nights a week. Continuing with gratitude journal and pain physical therapy exercises. Homework is continuing to add to my Excel spreadsheet.
