Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1990

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Themes

Meditation as Medicine

In his work Jon Kabat-Zinn persuades the reader that, because of its myriad benefits, meditation can function as a kind of medicine. Meditation may be embraced as preventative medicine for healthy people, or as part of a broader treatment plan for those who are ill or suffer from chronic pain. Kabat-Zinn uses numerous scientific studies to convince the reader of meditation’s potential health benefits. For instance, the author cites a study which compared two groups of people with chronic pain; the first group meditated at his clinic while the other received pain treatment and drugs at another facility. Kabat-Zinn reports that the people who meditated for eight weeks at his clinic improved their body image by thirty seven percent, while the other group showed only a two percent improvement in body image (372). Furthermore, the same study demonstrated that meditation was even more effective at easing chronic pain than more conventional treatment plans which included pain medication (372). The author also includes ample evidence which demonstrates meditation’s role in physical recovery as well. For example, in a study on patients with heart disease, those who participated in a lifestyle change which included meditation enjoyed a decrease in blood pressure, while non meditators did not.

In addition to discussing these measurable physical benefits, Kabat-Zinn also positions meditation as an inherently participant-led treatment. This allows the patient to enjoy the benefits of participatory medicine, in which they act and responsibility to take care of themselves, in collaboration with doctors and other experts. He points to neuroscientific research which suggests that feeling a sense of control over one’s behavior and environment can boost people’s moods and support their sense of motivation, all of which is conducive to a successful recovery. According to Kabat-Zinn, this sense of control is what makes participatory medicine so beneficial for patients, since it prevents them from experiencing “pain, anxiety, and occasionally humiliation…at the hands of the healthcare system” (228). He explains that studies on meditation show that “doing something for yourself - as the people in the Stress Reduction Clinic were doing by engaging in the MBSR classes and in the various mindfulness meditation practices assigned for homework each week…can result in many positive changes that may not occur or occur as powerfully with medical treatment alone” (373). The author combines this variety of evidence to support his overarching argument that meditation is a natural form of medicine which is always accessible to people of all walks of life.

Awareness and Conscious Thinking as Different Modes of Intelligence

As Kabat-Zinn explains different meditative exercises and coaches the reader on developing their skill of mindfulness, he positions the “awareness” that mindfulness cultivates as a fundamentally different form of “intelligence” than conscious thought. By referring to awareness as a kind of intelligence, the author makes it sound both appealing and productive, and intrigues the reader to further investigate how their mind, body, and relationships might benefit from utilizing this form of intellect. The author distinguishes awareness from conscious thought by emphasizing its focus on sensation. While the conscious, thinking mind can generate a statement about what one is doing, or a commentary evaluating the efficacy or ethics of one’s actions, awareness is more tuned into the feelings and sensations of living in the moment.

For example, formal meditation practices build awareness through exercises such as the Body Scan, in which people systematically feel sensations from their toes to their heads. Mindfulness in everyday life is often similarly sensation-based and focused on “being in your body” by carefully tasting food or fully noticing sights and sounds (11). Kabat-Zinn argues that this form of intelligence is particularly beneficial for establishing a connection with one’s own body and understanding its “signals and messages” (12). This type of mindfulness is inherently bound to the present moment, since it requires the thinker to focus only on what they are currently experiencing without ruminating on the past or making plans. Brain imaging has revealed that meditator’s brains are physically different, too, reflecting their use of this more sensory-based awareness. Kabat-Zinn explains that meditation practitioners have “thickening in certain parts of the brain associated with mapping sensation and regulating emotional expression in the body” (397). The author’s inclusion of this evidence helps the reader make the connection between their mental awareness of their senses and their body’s ability to register sensations.

Conversely, Kabat-Zinn characterizes the thinking mind as a powerful type of intelligence which, while useful, can derail people’s mental and physical health if it is unobserved and unchallenged. He writes, “Our thoughts are so overpowering, particularly in times of crisis or emotional upheaval, that they easily cloud our awareness of the present. Even in relaxed moments they can carry our senses along with them whenever they take off…” (8). This constant thinking can become “compulsive and habitual,” requiring the thinker to “disentangle” themselves from its grasp by embracing awareness (50). By highlighting how people’s thoughts can actually be detrimental to their enjoyment of life, Kabat-Zinn encourages the reader to foster a sense of curiosity about, and respect for, awareness, which he argues can “round out the limitations and sometimes the tyranny of thinking, and provide a counterbalance to our thinking and our emotions, serving as the independent dimension of intelligence that it actually is” (593).

Non-Judgment and Radical Acceptance in Meditation

Another facet of meditation which makes it different from people’s regular modes of thinking is its insistence on non-judgment. While practitioners can have thoughts while they meditate, they are not meant to judge them, or themselves but instead simply observe them. The author explains that meditation “is the process of observing the body and mind intentionally, of letting your experiences unfold moment to moment and accepting them as they are” (9). According to the author, this approach is “radical” because the thinking mind is so inherently judgmental, it tends to compulsively label things and experiences as good or bad. He claims, “‘Good’ and ‘bad’ are just judgments that you and others impose on your feelings” (492). The author argues that acceptance is positive for many reasons. Firstly, it provides people with an opportunity to come to terms with the reality of whatever situation they are in. Kabat-Zinn explains, “Acceptance as we are speaking of it simply means that, sooner or later, you have come around to a willingness to see things as they are” (28). The author argues that this acceptance helps people make appropriate decisions based on their context, writing, “You are much more likely to know what to do and have the inner conviction to act when you have a clear picture of what is actually happening versus when your vision is clouded by your mind’s self-serving judgment and desires or its fears and prejudices (28).

Secondly, the author claims that practicing radical acceptance can help people develop compassion for themselves and others. He posits that developing a “nonjudgmental awareness” of one’s thoughts and feelings is “an embodiment of self-compassion, kindness, and ultimately, wisdom” (492). By observing, rather than judging, people can break out of habits of thinking negatively about themselves. According to Kabat-Zinn, because radical acceptance helps people identify their own emotions, it should also help people learn how to communicate clearly and assertively in their relationships, rather than denying or repressing their feelings. The author explains, “Our best chance of breaking out of this dilemma is for us to suspend the judging and editing of our emotions…and instead risk listening to our feelings and accepting them as they are, because they are already here” (492). This practice is the first step to being able to communicate one’s feelings to others and to “act effectively and assertively, with dignity and with respect for the other as a whole human being” (494).