MINDFULNESS-BASED HEROISM Patrick Jones

INTRODUCTION & OUTLINE Psychology - Traditional emphasis on pathology Heroism science - human potential Bridge between mindfulness and heroism Theory practices findings of mindfulness Can it build enlightened heroes?

THE HERO PROFILE FOUR DIMENSIONS Some type of quest Sacrifice or risk Passive or active One-off or continuous

CAUSES & CONDITIONS Ordinary people activated by situations? Moral exemplars? Moral people activated by situations?

STATE VS TRAIT HEROES Diversity of heroes and variation of virtue Is there a continuum of heroism? Are there developmental stages that can be measured? Are these the highest levels of human development?

Transcendent experiences Temporary and persistent states Occur across developmental levels Can individuals be trained to integrate each stage? Would they consistently think and behave heroically? STATE VS TRAIT HEROES

MINDFULNESS The theory and methods of mindfulness Training in enlightenment and altruism practices. The potential to deliver an enlightened hero?

MINDFULNESS TRADITIONAL & MODERN Both develop meta-awareness (self/other awareness) Moderation of behavior (self-regulation) Transcend own needs and increases prosocial actions Observe objectively automatic patterns View thoughts as “passing mental events”

MODERN MINDFULNESS Clinically based 35-year old model (Kabat-Zinn) No authoritative version Taken from enlightenment tradition in service of clinical goals Some methodological issues

TRADITIONAL MINDFULNESS Traditional 2500-year old model (Buddhism) In service of the goal of enlightenment Foundation - the non-existence of an abiding self Ego-less state spontaneous service of all beings Can this build a predictable “trait-like” hero

MINDFULNESS GOALS & THEORY Goal - ego-less service Regulates all practices and behaviors Uses a range of attentional strategies to achieve this

THE THEORY AND METHODS OF MINDFULNESS Training in enlightenment and altruism practices The potential to deliver an enlightened hero?

MINDFULNESS GOALS & THEORY Emptiness and No Self Unnecessary subject–object dualism All phenomena are devoid or “empty” of inherent existence

MINDFULNESS GOALS & THEORY Practitioner goal: become aware of the present Perceive the essential emptiness of that moment Practices train the mind to attain a nondual cognitive state Self-less way of relating to the world emerges - enlightenment

MINDFULNESS TRAINING STUDY CONTEMPLATION MEDITATION

MINDFULNESS TRAINING STUDY Study explores how the cognitive processes occur Dismantling of tendencies to separate subject and object Exploration of the activation of survival tendencies Goal - to deliver the enlightened experience

MINDFULNESS TRAINING STUDY Desire to possess and maintain things (attachment) To separate from and destroy them (aversion) Feel apathy towards them (indifference) Uncover underlying space of awareness in which conscious process occurs Awareness is experienced as empty or unaffected by phenomena

MINDFULNESS TRAINING CONTEMPLATION Review past Evaluate present Plan more skillful future Overcome habitual ways of relating to the world Re-train maladaptive tendencies and generate new behaviours Four codes of conduct – equanimity / empathetic joy / compassion / loving-kindness

MINDFULNESS TRAINING MEDITATION Neutralize negative patterns of thought and behaviour Sustain unbiased, non-judgmental attention on passing mental phenomena Gain access to non-dual (no subject- object) enlightenment Watching becomes increasingly effortless - “choice less awareness”

MEDITATION PRACTICES Focused attention (FA) Sustained attention on a mental or sensory object Goal to decrease distraction develop single pointed concentration Open monitoring (OM) meditation No object of focus - receptive to physical and mental phenomena Simultaneously seeing its relative form and essential emptiness

MINDFULNESS TRAINING RESULTS “

TRADITIONAL MINDFULNESS RESULTS Mindfulness” stage : can observe impartially mental phenomena “Calm abiding” stage : can see phenomena without a sense of a “self” “Insight” stage: direct experience of no self or separation from phenomena – enlightenment Nondual experiences start as temporary and progress to enduring

NEUROSCIENCE Default mode network (DMN) Responsible for a passive default mode of mind- wandering Increased levels of DMN activity: Attentional lapses and ADHD / Negative affect / Anxiety / Depression Decreased activity in DMN neural structures Reductions in sensory and perceptual processing

NEUROSCIENCE RESULTS Meditators relatively less DMN activation Reductions in mind-wandering and reactivity to distractions A reduction of redundant cognitive processing

NEUROSCIENCE RESULTS Improved attentional regulation Better executive monitoring Improved conflict monitoring Enhancement of primary sensory awareness Increases in auditory receptivity visual shape and size discriminations

NEUROIMAGING RESULTS Neural structures for sensory and perceptual processing - larger in meditators Structures underlying ruminating cognitive processing – smaller Attaining a thoughtless state - observable reduction in overall brain activity Reduced activity in emotion areas during acute pain Lower pain sensitivity and higher thresholds for pain Fear response reduction and rapid decreases in skin conductance after aversive stimuli

DISCUSSION

Can the attributes of a hero be built? Does mindfulness offer evidence it can achieve this?

DISCUSSION Traditional mindfulness provides evidence it can contribute to building heroically relevant attributes Increased attentional functioning and enhanced primary sensory awareness Greater conflict monitoring, increased cognitive control and reduced fear / startle response Increased loving kindness and self-sacrificing behaviours

DISCUSSION Improvements in heroically-relevant capabilities Gives encouragement this capacity is trainable by mindfulness Traditional model trains to enlightenment - may address the problem of the intermittent hero The enlightened hero – ego-less altruism The superhero?

Patrick Jones: