CAPÍTULO 2: Trabajos relacionados
2.2 Artículos relacionados
Adapted from concept presented in Getting in the Gap by Wayne Dyer (Dyer, 2002).
The Getting in Between Thoughts meditation involves learning to focus on the gap between thoughts for a brief moment. It can be compared to the rest in music. It clarifies the thoughts.
Wayne Dyer states that the gap is the source of creation.
The meditation utilizes the sound “AHH,” which Wayne Dyer states is the basic sound for God around the world (God, Buddha, Mohammed, Allah, Krishna, Jehovah, Ra, etc.). Choose a positive relevant affirmation to use during the exercise. Wayne Dyer uses the first 10 words of the Lord’s Prayer. Use that if it’s appropriate for your specific client. If not, write an 8- to 10-word statement with your client that positively affirms the process that particular client is experiencing. Here are some examples:
• Lord’s Prayer:
“Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.”
• Learning to be mindful:
“My mindfulness skills are improving. I feel better and better.”
“I am happy that I am getting better at mindfulness.”
“Mindfulness improves my sense of well-being.”
• Depression:
“I’m learning to find a thought that feels better.”
“I’m glad I am learning how to feel better.”
• Anxiety:
“I am learning to replace anxious thoughts with calm thoughts.”
“I am grateful I am learning to regulate my worry.”
• ADHD:
“Mindfulness helps me concentrate and stay calmer.”
“Even though it’s hard, being mindful is getting easier.”
• Sleep Disorder:
“Mindfulness helps me fall and stay asleep every night.”
The process is as follows. Substitute the words in the affirmation for your particular client.
Picture the first word in your mind’s eye. Now that you can see it, move it to the left of your field of vision in your imagination. Now picture the second word in your mind’s eye. Move it to the right of your field of vision. Now imagine that you are between the two words and focus on the space between the words. Take a deep breath and sing “AHH” as you slowly exhale. Take another deep breath and sing “AHH” as you exhale. Now picture the second word and move it over to the left to replace the first word. Now picture the third word and place it to the right.
Again, focus on the space between the two words. Take a deep breath and sing “AHH” on the exhale. Do it again. “AHH.” Now move the third word to the left and place the fourth word on the
right.
Again, focus on the space between the two words. Take a deep breath and sing “AHHH” on the exhale. Do it again. “AHH.” Now move the fourth word to the left and place the fifth word on the right.
Repeat this process until all the words have been done.
Here’s an example using a 4-word affirmation: “I enjoy being mindful.”
Picture the word “I” in your mind’s eye. Now that you can see it, move it to the left of your field of vision in your imagination. Now picture the word “enjoy” in your mind’s eye. Move it to the right of your field of vision. Now imagine that you are between the two words with “I” on the left and “enjoy” on the right. Focus on the space between the words. Take a deep breath and sing
“AHH” as you exhale. Take another deep breath and sing “AHH” as you exhale. Now picture the word “enjoy” and move it over to the left to replace the word “I.” Now picture the word “being”
and place it to the right.
Again, picture “enjoy” on the left and “being” on the right. Focus on the space between the two words. Take a deep breath and sing “AHH” on the exhale. Do it again. “AHH.” Now move the word “being” to the left and place the word “mindful” on the right.
Again, focus on the space between the two words. Take a deep breath and sing “AHH” on the exhale. Do it again. “AHH.”
THEORY: We can deliberately choose what we want to think about. This tool uses the concept that the current content of our thoughts is the channel we are watching. For example, we may be watching our worry, anger, sad, or stressed channel. We can change the channel to a more pleasant channel and thereby change the contents of our thoughts. This aligns with the cognitive behavioral concept that what we think about affects our feelings and our behavior and vice versa. And that we can choose a thought that feels better.
IMPLEMENTATION: Explain to clients the concept that their thoughts indicate what channel they are watching, such as happy, sad, worried, angry, calm, or stressed channel. Help your client identify the thoughts and the channel they are currently watching. Ask them to think about what they would put on their happy/peaceful/relaxed channel. Help them come up with positive ideas based on what you know about their interests and hobbies. Follow the process in Handout 7-4. Encourage them to use this tool whenever they need to shift their thoughts or feelings.
PROCESSING: Ask your client when they used this tool. How was it helpful? Were they able to identify negative/unpleasant thoughts in the moment? What did they put on their happy/peaceful/relaxed channel? What did they notice about their thoughts or mood when they used it? Do they need several different positive channels or is one enough?