Mindfulness skills group for people with disabilities

1. Mindfulness skills group for people with disabilities kelly beck School of health and rehabilitation sciences, rehabilitation counseling

2. Acknowledgements Support and Collaboration by: University of Pittsburgh, Cognitive Skills Enhancement Program Hiram G. Andrews Center The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship, Pittsburgh The Children’s Institute Three Rivers Center for Independent Living

3. Background

4. Mindfulness • “Paying attention on purpose in the present moment, without judgment or reaction to whatever appears in the field of your experience” • (Kabat-Zinn, 1985) • Originally a Buddhist principle • Developed into non-religious therapeutic interventions by Jon Kabat-Zinn • Holistic wellness & preventative care • Assisting people in coping with everyday lives and obstacles

5. Mindfulness based interventions • 8-12 weeks group program, 1-3 hours formal per week • Self Reflection • Self-motivated • Non-judgmental, non-reactive • Suspend believing in judgments as being true. • Inherent acceptance of pain and suffering Activities • Mind-Body Relaxation • Meditation • Gentle Yoga • Breathing Exercises

6. Applications of mindfulness for people with disabilities

7. disabilities & mindfulness Barriers of disabilities mindfulness benefits Increased life satisfaction Increased quality of life Acceptance of disability Increased autonomy Less anxiety Strategies for stress management • More likely to experience…. • Unemployment • Poverty • Inadequate healthcare • Socializing barriers • Less satisfaction with life • More stress • …..Than people without disabilities

8. Chronic pain & Mindfulness Chronic pain Researched mindfulness benefits Increased life satisfaction Increased autonomy & activity Increased community participation Acceptance of pain Pain management techniques Non-pharmacological strategies • Low levels life satisfaction • Increased stress • Decreased activity • Lack of community participation • Helplessness • Pharmacological side effects

9. cognitive disabilities & Mindfulness Cognitive disabilities Researched mindfulness benefits Decrease aggressive behaviors Regulation of thoughts, emotions, & behaviors Improved attention control Decrease anxiety Improved life satisfaction Improved awareness • Autism Spectrum Disorder • Traumatic Brain Injury • Stroke • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder • Learning Disability • Developmental Delay • Cerebral Palsy • Spina Bifida

10. Protocols 3 Populations

11. Group differences

12. Purpose & goals

13. Content

14. Measures

15. Research design

16. Csep Research design • Pre, Post Measures • 12 Week curriculum • Weekly, forty-five minute sessions • Consistent Group Leaders • Weekly homework • Embedded within larger cognitive rehabilitation program • Statistical analyses

17. Results

18. Preliminary results • CSEP • Statistical analyses and results are pending. • 2 term thesis project. • First term data collected • TRCIL • 4/12 group sessions completed • “Does wonders for helping me to learn to be more aware of my body” • “Relieves tension in my body and allowed me to focus on my ‘safe place’-which is my breathing’ • “I nearly slept, which is virtually impossible” • The Children’s Institute • Group begins in January, results analyzed by May

19. Discussion

20. Mindfulness and disability • Mindfulness effective and desired across disabilities • Empowerment, advocacy, and preventative health • Embracing disability, mind, body • Health and group socialization benefits

21. Future research • Stress and disability • Both environmental stress and disability negatively impact function • Environmental barriers increase stress for those with disabilities • Stress management interventions across disabilities • Funding/Policy changes for environmental stress and disability

22. References • Bohlmeijer, E., Prenger, R., Taal, E., Cuijper, P., (2010). The effects of miandfulness-based stress reduction therapy on mental health of adults with a chronic medical disease: A meta-analysis. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 68, 539-544. • Dorjee, D. (2010). Kinds and dimensions of mindfulness: Why it is important to distinguish them. Mindfulness, 1, 152-160. • Hwang, Y. and Kearney, P., (2013). A systematic review of mindfulness intervention for individuals with developmental disabilities: Long-term practice and long lasting effects. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 34, 314-325. • Haydicky, J., Wiener, J., Badali, P., Milligan, K., Ducharme, J. M., et al. (2012). Evaluation of a mindfulness-based intervention for adolescents with learning disabilities and co- occuring ADHD and anxiety. Mindfulness 3, 151-164. • Kabat-Zinn, J. (2003). Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MSBR). Constructivism in the Human Sciences, 8:2, 73-83. • Kabat-Zinn, J., Lipworth, L., Burney, R. (1985). The clinican use of mindfulness meditation for the self-regulation of chronic pain. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 8:2, 163-189.

23. References • Marchard, W. R. (2012). Mindfulness-based stress reduction, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, and zen meditation for depression, anxiety, pain, and psychological distress. Journal of Psychiatric Practice, 18:4, 233-252. • McCown, D., Reibel, D., Micozzi, M. S. (2010). Teaching Mindfulness: A practical guide for clinicians and educators. New York: Springer. (Introduction Information) • McMillan, T., Robertson, I. H., Brock, D., Chorlton, L., et al. (2002). Brief mindfulness training for attentional problems after traumatic brain injury: A randomized control treatment trial. Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, 12: 2, 117-125. • Miller, J. J., Fletcher, K., Kabat-Zinn, J. (1995). Three year follow-up and clinical implications of a mindfulness meditation-based stress reduction intervention in the treatment of anxiety disorders. General Hospital Psychiatry, 17, 192-200. • Paulik, G., Simcocks, A., Weiss, L., Albert, S. (2010). Benefits of a 12-week mindfulness group program for mental health consumers in an outpatient setting. Mindfulness, 1, 215-226. • Robertson, B. L. (2011). The adaptation and application of mindfulness-based psychotherapeutic practices for individuals with intellectual disabilities. Fletcher, R., J. (Ed), Psychotherapy for individuals with intellectual disability (pp. 91-106). New York: NADD. • Singh, N., Lancioni, G., Manikam, R., Winton, A., Singh, A., Singh, J., Singh, A. D., (2011). A mindfulness-based strategy for self-management of aggressive behavior in adolescents with autism. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 5, 1153-1158. • Zylowska, L., Ackerman, D., Yang, M., Futrell, J., Horton, N., Sigi Hale, T., Pataki, C., Smalley, S. (2008). Journal of Attention Disorders, 11, 737-746.