The roots and reach of mindfulness

The practice of mindfulness is central to Buddhism. Indeed, Jon Kabat-Zinn, creator of MBSR (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction), states that MBSR was influenced by his study of vipassana. Vipassana is the traditional meditation practice of Theravada Buddhism. Recently, mindfulness has become the most common form of meditation practice in the US. Mindfulness has permeated other disciplines such as yoga, martial arts and psychotherapy.

The article begins with a discussion the Western concept of energy. It goes on to distinguish it from the Chinese idea of qi and the ancient Greek pneuma, as well as the Chinese and Tibetan concepts of wind. Then follows a discussion of the benefits of qi gong and tai chi and the impact of mindfulness practices on the body’s energy system. 

Can energy psychology help with mindfulness?

The practice of vipassana as taught by Buddhist master S. N. Goenka can lead to somatic experiences. This makes sense because this form of mindfulness stimulates the flow of qi. According to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), people can experience physical, emotional, and mental problems when their energy is out of balance – whether too high, too low, or even completely blocked.

Stimulating specific acupoints on the impaired meridian/s brings the bodymind back into balance, and the symptoms often clear up. Energy psychology differs from other traditional techniques because it does not use needles or massage, and because it treats primarily mental and emotional symptoms.

Meridian-oriented energy psychology methods, such as EFT, TFT, and TTT, address and reduce or eliminate symptoms of trauma, anxiety, and other mental health issues by combining Western psychology with Eastern-influenced stimulation of meridian points.

Buddhism’s five hindrances correspond to today’s understanding of psychology

The authors also discuss the Buddhist concept of the “five hindrances.”  This refers to a particular set of mental conditions that prevent people from feeling peaceful and thinking clearly. Clearing up or overcoming the hindrances allow practitioners to develop their meditation practices and their education in general.

These hindrances are:

1. Sensual desire
2. Anger or irritation
3. Sloth, or laziness
4. Restlessness and worry
5. Doubt

Buddhists believe that overcoming the five hindrances is an indispensable requirement for being able to cultivate mental tranquility as well as liberating insight.

Clearing the hindrances

The authors discuss several possible meridian-based treatments to address each of the hindrances. A sampling of their suggestions include:

1. To address overstimulation of sensual desire, stimulate the stomach meridian and kidney meridian by tapping below your eye (stomach 1 point) and below your clavicle (kidney 27 point).
    
    
2. To address anger and irritation, you can hold your wrist, and stimulate several points on the pericardium, small intestine, and heart and lung meridians.
    
    
3. To address laziness, use the Thymus Thump.
    
    
4. To address restlessness and worry, you can use Frontal Occipital Holding or the ESR (Emotional Stress Release) techniques.
    
    
5. To address doubt, you can try Cook’s Hookup.

In every case, these techniques demonstrate how energy psychology can help with mindfulness. You can view illustrations ang get detailed instructions in their article.

Protection

In addition to the tips listed above, the article suggests techniques for energetic protection.

This protection can be important for clinicians, who often work with clients who are experiencing a variety of mental and emotional upsets, as well as for anyone who interacts with other human beings, who often experience a variety of mental and emotional upsets. Among these techniques for protection are the “second skin,” the “invisible cloak,” and the “zip up.” The article provides detailed instruction on how to do these.

Learn more

If you would like to learn more about the human energy field, consider signing up for ACEP’s new-and-improved Comprehensive Energy Psychology training, coming in the summer of 2023!

Want to go deep into learning one meridian-based energy psychology method? Check out ACEP's Emotional Freedom Techniques Professional Skills 1 training.

To follow research on energy psychology, email John Freedom  and ask to be added to the EP Research email list. And make sure to check out the research section on this web site.

Anālayo, B., Steffens-Dhaussy, C., Gallo, F. et al.(2022). Energy Practices and Mindfulness Meditation. Mindfulness. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-022-01923-6

Authors

John Freedom, CEHP, serves as the chair of ACEP’s research committee, on the Board of Trustees of EFT International, and as executive director of FREA: Finding Recovery and Empowerment from Abuse. The author of Heal Yourself with Emotional Freedom Technique, he leads trainings and events throughout the US and in Europe.

Sarah Murphy, NCC, LPC, serves on ACEP’s board and as the chair of ACEP’s communications committee. She has a private counseling practice. She also works as staff counselor for Unite for HER, where she provides counseling for clients who have cancer. 

Photo by Lina Trochez on Unsplash.