Tag: loving kindness meditation

binge eating, emotional eating, loving kindness meditation, Miami holistic health coach, Miami psychologist,

What are you REALLY hungry for?

In Psychology and Wellness

Perhaps you feel lonely, struggle with being depressed or anxious.  You may also believe that you are not living your life to your full potential and are lacking meaning.   As such, you find yourself engaging in behaviors that are contradictory to your intentions and deepest desires in life.  So you do what has become familiar and feels safe to you at the moment.  You reach for the chocolate bar or pint of ice cream, eat it (often mindlessly), and experience feeling guilty and shameful afterwards.

If this sounds like you, you are not alone.  Many people struggle with emotional eating.  Understanding and learning to deconstruct your cravings for different foods is a challenging task.  However, the long term rewards far outweigh the emotional or physical pangs that this process may provoke in you.

Food cravings and emotional eating may be related to nutrient deficiencies.  Chocolate, for example, is a great source of magnesium and many other antioxidants.  So while the occasional piece of quality organic, dark chocolate is harmless and may even be good for you, eating a bar every night after a long and stressful day at your job and being alone without a loving partner or friends to talk to and socialize probably suggests that your cravings are fundamentally symbolic substitutes.

Your cravings and emotional eating may be pointing to unmet needs and your need to align your life so that you are consistently experiencing more pleasure and fun.  Instead of using food as an instrument to cope with your emotions, take action and participate in activities or join groups that will support you in experiencing fun, pleasure and allow you to socialize with people so that you are attending to and addressing the root cause of your ineffective and maladaptive behavior.

Unlike other substances (e.g., alcohol, marijuana, cocaine) that your body does not need to survive and thrive, food is necessary to nourish your body and optimize your health.  Thus, it is socially acceptable to cope with your emotions and turn to foods that do not serve you.  Binge eating and emotional eating frequently commence after adverse and stressful life events and goes “under the radar” because it is socially acceptable.  You may never seek treatment because you experience shame and guilt or genuinely believe you can quit “cold turkey” without any help.

In order to prevent or heal from emotional eating or binge eating, reflect on and consider what you might be doing or thinking instead if you were not thinking about your next “sweet treat.”  Perhaps you have neglected friends or family who you believe are unavailable to spend time with you or would consider you a “burden.”  Learn to be loving with yourself and stop before you indulge in any food your higher self knows does not serve you to ask yourself if eating the slice of cake or scoop ice cream is worth the unpleasant effects that follow (e.g., brain fog, fatigue, weight gain, the constriction and narrowing of your life as you further isolate yourself).   As you learn to pause, reflect and become curious about your behavior, it is important to simultaneously send your mind and body compassion and kindness – learn to attend and befriend.  Practicing Loving Kindness Meditation is one such practice that may help you cultivate self-compassion. Finally, recognize that you are simply misdirecting your desires for love, affection, and appreciation or any other unmet needs and using food to briefly provide comfort.  It is a very courageous act to seek help and accept that you have been coping with your painful emotions in an inadequate and immature manner.

To your health and success,

Dr. Sandoval

To learn more about how working with a psychologist and holistic health coach can help you to enhance your health and well-being, call or email Dr. Sandoval to schedule a free consultation.
The information, published and/or made available through the www.drjosesandoval.com website, is not intended to replace the services of a physician, nor does it constitute a physician-patient relationship. This blog is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. You should not use the information in this post for diagnosing or treating a medical or health condition. You should consult a physician in all matters relating to your health, particularly in respect to any symptoms that may require diagnosis or medical attention.  Any action on the reader’s part in response to the information provided in this blog is at the reader’s discretion.

chronic pain, compassion, depression, empathy, inflammation, loving kindness meditation, Miami holistic health coach, Miami psychologist, social connection, stress

Why doing a little bit of this everyday will radically improve your life . . .

In Psychology and Wellness

You may face situations that are challenging and perhaps even overwhelming each day.   You may be “tested” at the expense of your inner peace and personal resources.  Illness, the loss of loved ones and simple everyday experiences like bumper to bumper traffic can provoke feelings of pain, sadness, frustration and anger.  Such experiences not only produce painful emotions, they are also very damaging to your body.

While practicing different forms of relaxation, skills like progressive muscle relaxation, diaphragmatic breathing or mindfulness meditation are effective in helping you to manage your stress; new research suggests that cultivating and practicing Loving Kindness Meditation (LKM) offers distinct benefits that go beyond reducing your stress.

Researchers at Emory University have found that LKM may improve your physical and emotional responses to stress.  Consistently practicing LKM every day for as little as 10 minutes helps you to reduce feeling of stress and depression,  reduces physiological inflammation, illness, and chronic pain as well as enhances your empathy and feelings of social connection to others, self-acceptance, and physical resilience and well-being (i.e., increases the vagal tone and changes the neural circuitry of the insula and temporal parietal junction in the brain).1, 2,3,4

 

Doing LKM meditation is simple.  To practice, generate positive and loving feelings towards yourself and others by gently repeating the following phrases:

  • May I be filled with love and kindness
  • May be I safe and protected
  • May I love and be loved
  • May I be happy and contented
  • May I be healthy and strong
  • May my life unfold with ease
  • May I be a person of joy

 

After sending love and kindness to yourself, you follow by generating and sending these feelings to the following:

  1. someone who you love deeply (e.g., your husband, mother, daughter).
  2. a good friend.
  3. someone who is “neutral”  who you have neither very positive or negative feelings towards (e.g., the cashier at your grocery store).
  4. someone who you do not like who may have hurt you and provokes feelings of discomfort or pain (e.g.,  your boss).
  5. all beings everywhere alive.

You may also listen to a free guided LKM practices offered by the UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center.

To your health and success,

Dr. Sandoval

To learn more about how working with a psychologist and holistic health coach can help you to enhance your health and well-being, call or email Dr. Sandoval to schedule a free consultation.

 

  1. Carson, JW, Keefe, FJ, Lynch, TR, Carson, KM, Goli, V, Fras, AM and et al. “Loving-Kindness Meditation for Chronic Low Back Pain: Results From a Pilot Trial” Journal Of Holistic Nursing. (2005). 23: 287-304.
  2. Fredrickson, BL, Cohn, MA., Coffey, KA, Pek, J, and Finkel, SM. “Open Hearts Build Lives: Positive Emotions, Induced Through Loving-Kindness Meditation, Build Consequential Personal Resources.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.  (2008). 95(5), 1045-1062.
  3. Hutcherson CA, Seppala EM, and Gross JJ. “Loving-kindness meditation increases social connectedness.” Emotion. (2008). 8(5):720-4. doi: 10.1037/a0013237.
  4. Lutz A, Brefczynski-Lewis J, Johnstone T, and Davidson RJ. “Regulation of the Neural Circuitry of Emotion by Compassion Meditation: Effects of Meditative Expertise.” PLoS ONE. (2008). 3(3), e1897. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0001897.

The information, published and/or made available through the www.drjosesandoval.com website, is not intended to replace the services of a physician, nor does it constitute a physician-patient relationship. This blog is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. You should not use the information in this post for diagnosing or treating a medical or health condition. You should consult a physician in all matters relating to your health, particularly in respect to any symptoms that may require diagnosis or medical attention.  Any action on the reader’s part in response to the information provided in this blog is at the reader’s discretion.

meditation, Miami psychologist, Miami holistic health coach

How self-compassion can help to soothe and heal your mind and body.

In Psychology and Wellness

If you have experienced trauma, neglect or abuse of any type and struggle with feelings of anxiety, depression and you frequently worry or simply have pain and tension in your body, learning to be kind and gentle with yourself is essential to experiencing relief in your body and lasting peace in your life.  Learning to have self-compassion and loving yourself when you have had such experiences may be very challenging to you; however, it is a key to unlock your potential for healing and growth.  

Loving kindness meditation and learning to adopt an attitude of curiosity and hold all of your private experiences (e.g., your emotions, thoughts, memories) gently takes consistent practice and will help you to be less reactive and judgmental so that you simply notice what it is that you need in the moment that may be life affirming (e.g. reaching out to connect with people who you love, spending time outdoors to experience tranquility with nature, receiving a massage because you are aware of physical pain in your body) and may experience more vitality in your life. 

Learning to self soothe and self-massage is also very helpful in cultivating a loving relationship with yourself and helping you to heal from trauma.  While asking your partner or receiving a massage from a massage therapist is a wonderful and very loving experience, you can use simple skills to apply touch and heal such as using acupressure exercises to gently massage key areas in your body.  The Shen Men point in your ear is a powerful meridian that can help to ease any acute distress you may be experiencing.  You can also use the traditional Japanese healing art of Jin Shin Jyutsu to experience more emotional balance and vitality.

To your health,

Dr. Sandoval

To learn more about how working with a psychologist and holistic health coach can help you to enhance your health and well being, call or email Dr. Sandoval to schedule a free consultation.

The information, published and/or made available through the www.drjosesandoval.com website, is not intended to replace the services of a physician, nor does it constitute a physician-patient relationship. This blog is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. You should not use the information in this post for diagnosing or treating a medical or health condition. You should consult a physician in all matters relating to your health, particularly in respect to any symptoms that may require diagnosis or medical attention.  Any action on the reader’s part in response to the information provided in this blog is at the reader’s discretion.

 

anxiety, anxiety disorders, binge eating, internet addiction, loving kindness meditation, Miami holistic health coach, Miami psychologist, self compassion, Tonglen meditation

How expanding your perspective helps you to deepen your self-compassion and experience more vitality . . .

In Psychology and Wellness

If you’re like many people at this time of year, you probably dislike the looming end of your “summer vacation,” the fun and travel and your return to school, your job and your increased commute.  You may also have your share of  difficult or even painful experiences in the form of financial worries or feelings of guilt and shame because of your indulgences.   While all of these experiences are both very reasonable and frequently lead to short term gratification or pain, they will not help you to experience an unshakable and enduring appreciation for life or lead to the root of cause of happiness.

As a reader of my blog, you’ve read about how research on self-compassion and mediation practices like Loving Kindness and R.A.I.N. can help you to effectively reduce your unpleasant or painful emotions and improve your well-being and health.  Nonetheless, you may still struggle with the idea of being kind with yourself or prioritizing these practices into your busy life schedule.   If this sounds like you, or you struggle with an addiction (i.e., smoking, binge eating and emotional eating, using the internet as a distraction) because you are unable to sit, and befriend your mind, expanding your perspective and seeing your mind as an infant who is learning to walk and eventually run will help to ease your pain.  Just as you would never shout at a baby for stumbling and falling, remembering to shift your perspective will help you to cultivate patience, trust and faith in letting go of your ineffective strategies to control and avoid the pain and discomfort that you may experience in your life.  Likewise, imagining that you are feeding an infant who does not sit still or is crying when you experience distress or are distracted will help you to shift your attitude and be patient, loving and even playful  your mind.

If these gentle reminders do not seem to be enough to ease your pain, the traditional practice of giving and taking (i.e., Tonglen) as described by Pema Chödrön may offer you relief and help to open your heart to deepen your compassion in order to experience vitality and bliss.  While Tonglen meditation may appear to be overwhelming as you envision breathing in the pain and suffering of other people, the simplest form to practice Tonglen “on the spot” is simply to repeat “other people feel this too” each time you experience an unpleasant or painful emotion (e.g., the pain in your body because you fell and bruised your hand, financial worry as you realize that you spent too much on your summer vacation).  Similarly, each time you experience a pleasant feeling or have pleasure in your life, repeat “may other people experience and delight in this too.”   As you practice consistently, Tonglen will help open your heart to deepen your compassion and ease your suffering.  You will also experience peace and joy as you notice and become aware of your everyday simple pleasures in life (e.g., the sun’s warmth on your skin,  the delicious taste of your favorite meal, the post office worker’s smile and help).

To your health,

Dr. Sandoval

To learn more about how working with a psychologist and holistic health coach can help you to enhance your health and well-being, call or email Dr. Sandoval to schedule a free consultation.

The information, published and/or made available through the www.drjosesandoval.com website, is not intended to replace the services of a physician, nor does it constitute a physician-patient relationship. This blog is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. You should not use the information in this post for diagnosing or treating a medical or health condition. You should consult a physician in all matters relating to your health, particularly in respect to any symptoms that may require diagnosis or medical attention.  Any action on the reader’s part in response to the information provided in this blog is at the reader’s discretion.

anxiety, depression, loving kindness meditation, Miami holistic health coach, Miami psychologist, stress,

How to grow love and kindness for yourself and others . . .

In Psychology and Wellness

You may face situations that are challenging and perhaps even overwhelming each day.   You may be “tested” at the expense of your inner peace and personal resources.  Illness, the loss of loved ones and simple everyday experiences like bumper to bumper traffic can provoke feelings of pain, sadness, anxiety and anger.  Such experiences not only produce painful emotions, they are also very damaging to your body.

While practicing different forms of relaxation, skills like progressive muscle relaxation, diaphragmatic breathing or receiving massage therapy are effective in helping you to reduce your stress; new research suggests that cultivating and practicing Loving Kindness Meditation (LKM) provides you distinct benefits that go beyond managing your stress.

Researchers at Emory University have found that LKM may improve your physical and emotional responses to stress.  Consistently practicing LKM every day for as little as 10 minutes helps you to reduce feeling of stress and depression,  reduces physiological inflammation, illness, and chronic pain as well as enhances your empathy and feelings of social connection to others, self-acceptance, and physical resilience and well-being (i.e., increases your vagal tone and changes the neural circuitry of your insula and temporal parietal junction in your brain).1, 2,3,4

Having a LKM practice is simple and easy.  To practice, visualize and generate positive,  loving feelings towards yourself and others by gently repeating the following phrases:

  • May I be filled with love and kindness.
  • May be I safe and protected.
  • May I love and be loved.
  • May I be happy and contented.
  • May I be healthy and strong.
  • May my life unfold with ease.
  • May I be a person of joy.

After visualizing and sending love and kindness to yourself,  follow by visualizing and then generating and sending these feelings to the following:

  1. someone who you love deeply (e.g., your husband, mother, son).
  2. a good friend.
  3. someone who is “neutral”  who you have neither very positive or negative feelings towards (e.g., the cashier at your grocery store).
  4. someone who you do not like who may have hurt you and provokes feelings of discomfort or pain (e.g.,  your boss).
  5. all beings everywhere alive.

You may also listen to a free guided LKM practices offered by the UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center.

To your health and success,

Dr. Sandoval

To learn more about how working with a psychologist and holistic health coach can help you to enhance your health and well-being, call or email Dr. Sandoval to schedule a  consultation.

  1. Carson, JW, Keefe, FJ, Lynch, TR, Carson, KM, Goli, V, Fras, AM and et al. “Loving-Kindness Meditation for Chronic Low Back Pain: Results From a Pilot Trial” Journal Of Holistic Nursing. (2005). 23: 287-304.
  2. Fredrickson, BL, Cohn, MA., Coffey, KA, Pek, J, and Finkel, SM. “Open Hearts Build Lives: Positive Emotions, Induced Through Loving-Kindness Meditation, Build Consequential Personal Resources.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.  (2008). 95(5), 1045-1062.
  3. Hutcherson CA, Seppala EM, and Gross JJ. “Loving-kindness meditation increases social connectedness.” Emotion. (2008). 8(5):720-4. doi: 10.1037/a0013237.
  4. Lutz A, Brefczynski-Lewis J, Johnstone T, and Davidson RJ. “Regulation of the Neural Circuitry of Emotion by Compassion Meditation: Effects of Meditative Expertise.” PLoS ONE. (2008). 3(3), e1897. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0001897.

The information, published and/or made available through the www.drjosesandoval.com website, is not intended to replace the services of a physician, nor does it constitute a physician-patient relationship. This blog is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. You should not use the information in this post for diagnosing or treating a medical or health condition. You should consult a physician in all matters relating to your health, particularly in respect to any symptoms that may require diagnosis or medical attention.  Any action on the reader’s part in response to the information provided in this blog is at the reader’s discretion.