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founder of the Mind-Based Center at
Providence Hospital. "Many people
suffer from migraines, fibromyalgia,
chronic neck, back or abdominal pain
that are not the result of any clear
medical problem. They are hurting
because of overly sensitized nerve con-
nections between the brain and the
body that created the cycle of pain that
can last for months or years because
it has been learned by your nervous
system.
"The original event may have start-
ed with an injury, but it's your brain
that amplifies this pain over time as it
interprets nerve signals and perpetu-
ates the cycle.
"The underlying reason for most
chronic pain is nerve sensitization and
learned nerve pathways rather than
actual tissue destruction:' he says.
"Meditating and therapeutic writing
exercises are two of the approaches
I use to help patients unlearn their
pain.
He believes it is a simple yet power-
ful practice for living life more fully.
"Learning mindfulness meditation
techniques helps you to let go of those
things that tend to perpetuate negative
thoughts such as fear, anxiety, sadness
and worries of the future that keep
you in pain. Through mindful medi-
tation you learn how to be present
at every moment, resulting in better
knowing yourself and learning to be
compassionate and kind to yourself
and to others because you become less
judgmental as you stay in the present:'
Mindful Eating
When clinical psychologist Steven
Fischer, Ph.D., of Farmington Hills
evaluates patients, he looks at their
mental health as well as their diet,
nutrition and overall quality of life.
"By treating them
holistically, I may
find that I can mod-
ify their behavior by
changing their diet
or recommending a
supplement:' he says.
"For patients who
have difficulty losing
Dr. Steven
weight, my goal is to
Fischer
change their lifestyle
because dieting only
works for a short time. Most people
can't maintain weight loss and need
to learn how to eat in a healthy way. I
use a mindful eating approach to help
them reach their goal:'
He explains that mindful eating is
being aware of the positive and healthy
opportunities that can be achieved by
paying attention to what you're eating
— without making judgments — and
also realizing how you're eating.
"For example, most people eat too
fast and the benefits of what they're
eating are not completely absorbed:'
he says. "You learn to become more
aware of what you're eating, the expe-
rience of eating and consume your
food at a slower, more healthy rate.
"By staying in the present:' Fischer
says, "you pay attention to what you
choose to eat, making a decision that
the food is both satisfying to you and
healthy for you, gaining an awareness
of choices that support health and
wellbeing. Mindful eating also means
avoiding those triggers that entice
individuals to eat unhealthy foods or
eat too much. It's all about changing
their relationship with food:'
Over the years, the concept of mind-
fulness has been tested and found to
be a key ingredient for emotional well-
being. There is much evidence that
indicates practicing mindfulness can
impact physical health by improving
a person's immune function, reducing
stress, lowering blood pressure, reduc-
ing chronic pain and improving sleep.
It's all about being completely in touch
with the present moment and being
open to experiences as they happen.
"Interestingly, the techniques prac-
ticed in Chasidism and Kabbalah are
similar to the techniques practiced in
mindfulness, except their focus is on
God and God's Abramsky says.
"For instance, we suffer because we
want something to happen. In medi-
tation, we practice accepting what
happens or didn't happen and learn to
cultivate compassion:'
Mindfulness is made up of a num-
ber of skills, all of which require prac-
tice. These include observing without
judgment, putting your experience
into words and participating com-
pletely with the event. In Kabbalah,
Abramsky says, one of the great
achievements is joining the mind and
body through Jewish spiritual tradi-
tion.
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August 27 • 2015
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