How Not to be a Slave to Your Brain: Mindfulness for Mental Health | Mark Epstein | Big Think

How Not to be a Slave to Your Brain: Mindfulness for Mental Health
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Big Think and the Mental Health Channel are proud to launch Big Thinkers on Mental Health, a new series dedicated to open discussion of anxiety, depression, and the many other psychological disorders that affect millions worldwide.
One of the classic definitions of mindfulness is that it helps us avoid clinging to what is pleasant and condemning what is unpleasant. In this video, psychiatrist Mark Epstein relays information about the practice of mindful meditation and its many mental health benefits.
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MARK EPSTEIN:
Mark Epstein, M.D. is a psychiatrist in private practice in New York City and the author of a number of books about the interface of Buddhism and psychotherapy, including Thoughts without a Thinker, Going to Pieces without Falling Apart, Going on Being, Open to Desire, Psychotherapy without the Self, and The Trauma of Everyday Life. His newest book is Advice Not Given: A Guide to Getting Over Yourself. He received his undergraduate and medical degrees from Harvard University and is currently Clinical Assistant Professor in the Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis at New York University.
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TRANSCRIPT:
Mark Epstein: One of the classic definitions of mindfulness is that it helps us not cling to what's pleasant and not condemn what is unpleasant. An example would be if you're driving in New York City and someone cuts you off; that's unpleasant and one would instinctively have an angry response. But that's happening all the time and if you have an angry response too often, then you become a nightmare yourself. So what mindfulness is teaching is that the stimulus, which is someone cutting you off, is different; it's distinct from your emotional reaction to that thing. So someone could cut you off; you could feel the anger, but you don't have to act on the anger. So instead of being driven by your reactions there's a little bit of room where you can choose to be a different kind of person. So mindfulness basically helps us tolerate the aspects of the external world and the internal world that otherwise are hard to face.
There are basically two kinds of meditation; one, which is a concentration practice. You focus your attention on a neutral sensation like the feeling of the breath coming in and out of the nostrils or like the repetition of a sound or what's called a mantra. And every time the mind wanders, whenever you notice that it's wandered, that might be five minutes, 10 minutes later when you're lost in thought, but at a certain point you realize, "Oh wait, I'm not watching the breath anymore," then you bring your mind back to the breath. That's called a concentration or a one-pointed practice. And that's the beginning level of mindfulness. When you really start practicing mindfulness, instead of bringing the mind back every time to a central object, you let the attention go wherever the mind goes. So instead of paying attention just to the breath or the mantra, you pay attention to sounds; you pay attention thoughts; you pay attention to the feeling; you pay attention to memories; you pay attention to worries, to anxieties, to anger, to joy; you pay attention to whatever passes through your mind moment to moment. And then what you start to see is that oh everything is changing all the time and you learn to pay attention more to process than to content.
It's really only in the past 50, 60 years that the medical establishment has been exposed at all to what mindfulness is. And for 20, 30 of those years it was like just a new age thing. It was on the periphery. And only through the work of a couple of people like Jon Kabat-Zinn has mindfulness come into the medical establishment. There are a lot of studies that are being done now that are showing the benefit of mindfulness for all kinds of conditions. And some old colleagues of mine have done some very good work showing that the steady practice of mindfulness light up areas of the brain that have to do with modulating emotional reactivity. So I think there's beginning evidence that the brain is plastic, more plastic than we initially thought and that what you feed into the brain actually changes the architecture of the brain so that it's possible to promote, to develop the areas of the brain that are there for kindness, you know, for altruistic feeling and for the regulation of difficult emotions.

[@EricRubio7]

Meditation seems stupid, until you try it; it indeed can be very positive in one's life.

[@sunchi11]

Ed umm i need to do meditation and i love meditation after i try it i felt better i felt no emotion to the world

[@Maskedmatrixescapee]

Alright, I'm sticking to meditation!

[@raymondtendau2749]

So true, i can highly relate to this. It is like food, food works only for those who eats it not for those who talk about it. 😁

[@mythreyant3374]

Bliss

[@OmniphonProductions]

The biggest difference I see between mindfulness and other meditative concepts is that mindfulness, in and of itself, has no need for any metaphysical or supernatural belief. It simply a psychological exercise to strengthen one's ability to rationally observe and interact with the world in which one lives.

[@lightsidemaster]

Most interesting. This resembles how the Jedi think. It's not like they don't feel emotions. They just don't act upon them. They simply control themselves and act upon wisdom and compassion.

[@TinyTurtie]

+lightsidemaster yeah like a fucking jedi...thats what he meant. Be a fucking jedi..

[@lightsidemaster]

TinyTurtie Of course xD

[@aaronjohnmaughan]

+lightsidemaster If Jedi were more prevalent the world would be a better place.

[@lightsidemaster]

Aaron Maughan Truer words have rarely been spoken!

[@sharke100]

+lightsidemaster images6.fanpop.com/image/photos/33600000/Anakin-obi-wan-kenobi-and-anakin-skywalker-33647059-500-337.jpg

[@lucidexistance1]

I've been practicing mindfulness. I have never been good at meditation though. But being aware of my emotions helps a lot with my bi-polar. However, it's been causing me more than grief lately, but a lot of outside stress has been getting more stressful in life. I learned Mindfulness as an alternative to AA in treatment. Treatment is a very hard place to graduate from when you are an Atheist. Even AA was difficult when I couldn't get past the second step. After being taught that people in the past only lived until their 30s because of Sin and that peopled used to live 100's of years before... I don't know, I stopped listening and stopped talking since it only got me in trouble. I became so quiet that I was forgotten about in treatment and had to ask why everyone else gets to come and go and why I'm still there. They literally told me they forgot I was there, that I was so quiet. I basically just smoke weed now, rarely drink. Treatment didn't help that much, more that I didn't want to return to such a place.

[@Alexjames0831]

+Goldyray Yeazle that's good man. the best way to improve yourself is to focus on yourself, and not have others attempt to do it for you. They don't know what's right, much less what is wrong - it's up to you to smoke that heavenly herb

[@rocallen204]

lol yo i so feel u on that yo i smoke the i meditate i only focus on my breathing. thats what keeps my mind at peace. not the pointing in on other emotions, (maybe the beautiful & happy ones) but not any of the ones that depresses me more. When your atheist (not that i live under a lable) you see the world for how it really is. So sombody telling me the "Sin" stuff would really turn me off to anything else they would say afterwards lol

[@lucidexistance1]

rocallen204 Haha, yeah. When I was in treatment I got so tired of arguing about it that I just kept my mouth shut. Then I ended up seeing people come in then graduate and come in and graduate so I went to the head guy and asked why I haven't graduated yet. He literally said he forgot I was there! That I was so quiet that he didn't notice me. I dare not say I was so quiet because I didn't agree with anything being said. :P Thanks for the comment by the way, I forgot I wrote this. I start thinking that everyone's atheist (I don't like the label either) and then find myself shocked when people say some horrific things. (I'm currently in a small town that turned out to be highly religious, someone committed suicide and the comments about him being in hell freaked me out)

[@writerconsidered]

+Goldyray Yeazle I'm aware of the conundrum you speak of. I finally read a book called " the power of the subconscious mind " by Dr. Joseph Murphy. In it he professes the power of praying to your subconscious mind, a form of mindfulness if you will. For me what this did was separate prayer from god. So now I'm a praying atheist who prays to my own subconscious mind. Mostly what joe talks about is praying for the healing process by tapping into the placebo effect. Those 12 step groups are very poor explainers when it comes to this effect. I've heard the phrase " pray to the light bulb" or "pray to a group of drunks." Well they are right but they just can't explain why they are right. I needed a real explanation for this and joe connected the dots for me. What joe tries to explain is how to pray positives into the subconscious mind and what negative thoughts do to the subconscious mind and how all this affects your life. I think there is a whole school of thought on these principles. Everything from positive visualizations to meditation to prayer to positive thinking etc etc etc. The list goes on and on. I believe all of it is about tapping into the power of the subconscious mind. I also believe they all come up short on one aspect that those 12 step groups have right. Everyone has unresolved issues and tissues. Those unresolved issues and tissues I believe can sink into your subconscious mind and create a negative barrier between you and your subconscious. The later steps talk about taking your inventory of yourself, resentments fears etc etc etc. I believe when I forget about something than suddenly out of nowhere it pops up in my memory I think it is harboring in my subconscious mind all that time and working against me. Such as the asshole boss I had for a short time 10 yrs ago who I told to fuck off and walked out on. I believe when that shit comes up in my mind it is unresolved and continues to create conflict in my subconscious mind. By clearing that out through an inventory and settling myself by letting go of the resentment I am clearing the conflict from my subconscious mind. By clearing out all those conflicts I believe then the power of the subconscious can be unleashed. So I think the only thing those 12 step groups and society as whole got wrong is hardwiring prayer to god. There is nothing wrong with people praying to god. And there is nothing wrong with praying without god. And that is how I became a praying atheist. And you can utilize that concept in a 12 step group.

[@amitshukla6555]

Let's stop bulshitting. Join " The Art of Living" by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar n shut up.

[@cyanidelizards]

The next era in which science and spirituality collide

[@TheSpicyPotatoe]

To spirit believers....if you believe the stupid myth that someones body weighs less right after they die because their spirit was "released" then you stupid (':....not even gonna answer why just think about it....and no the brains sudden burst of energy right after death is not ur "spirit"

[@TheSpicyPotatoe]

+Turtles Are Strong shut yo slow ass turtle looking face nigga I believe in the 10 commandments and they are legit

[@macona.fortune3143]

+Celderis You don't seem to be very mindful, my friend. Spirituality doesn't necessarily have to do anything with angels and that stupid fantasy shit but with being at peace with yourself and the world. Spirituality is something completely reasonable and natural. You seem to have no clue about what you are talking about if you think (just as many people do unfortunately) that spirituality is some supernatural fairytale world. It means living in the now, being present and at inner peace. It means, use your mind as a tool and lay it down after completing a task. It means, know that you are not the content of your mind but what you are at this moment - a very small but very unique part of a magnificently diverse and incredibly huge universe. It keeps you chilled and focused. But I have to give it to you in one point: there are people who are not mindful in any respect and just call themselves spiritual after adopting a mambo-jambo believe system.

[@stretch5792]

+Jason I recommend the book by Sam Harris, an Atheist, called "Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion "

[@stretch5792]

***** For which practices of mindfulness come from a mindset as if there is a spirit. You need not be a christian to see that Jesus made some good points, nor do you need to be an anti-theist to make objective criticisms of religion. As a people who can gain control of their thoughts and emotions, we can condition ourselves to think as if Karma exists for the sake of morality or a school of philosophy, and yet know it doesn't actually exists tangibly. This is one of the reasons Albert Einstein regarded imagination almost as a virtue, even above intelligence, if only just. For the sake of visualization, perhaps even comprehension, it is important that we not invest solely in hard, binary information. Just mostly; Nuance of abstraction, if you will.

[@ericairwaterfire]

Mindfulness (sati) means "to remember". Mindfulness and concentration are not two separate practices. They are mutually supportive. The qualities of mind that the Buddha talks about brining to meditation are ardency, alertness, and mindfulness ("ardent, alert, and mindful"). These three words encompass what we call concentration and mindfulness.

[@dagingerbreadman70]

Keep your pseudoscience religion out of the discussion 🙄

[@elitemangudai1016]

thank you for your insightful explanations

[@MBSRMindfulness]

Very clear explanation- thank you

[@RebeccaAnnSinkula]

excellent.thank you.

[@minibeast21]

Who the hell would dislike such a meaningful video!?

[@morghebaghemalakut]

Thanks! That was very interesting

[@narutoman48]

Finally some helpful content on this site!👍🏻

[@jamesskyrimoblivion]

yes process more than content is exactly what ive been thinking about lately!

[@kingrichards101]

part of mindfulness is being relaxed and calm at all times.

[@dirty-tomato]

The speaker is a very handsome man! I'm beginning my practice after relying on guided meditation to give me focus and direction. Now, trying to do meditation more regularly, I find myself focusing a lot of my breath, counting each breath on my fingers in my mind, until it drifts then remember the count again. He gives some great feedback on how to strengthen the practice and adapt the mind to it!

[@janglestick]

this is so tight for getting started

[@tao5030]

That's a good summary of knowledge spread across cultures about meditation

[@infernaldiatribe9538]

People who meditate have better white matter connections in the prefrontal cortex. One of the expanded areas is thee orbital frontal cortex which inhibits compulsive feelings like anger and fear. These compulsive feelings come from the amygdala deep in the temporal lobes. It also happens that the amygdala is shrunken in people who practice meditation. I think meditation is about focusing on thinking and restraining compulsiveness.

[@srdjoz]

SUCH A GREAT CHANNEL

[@ksharky888]

wow i've been doing this without even realizing it

[@agostinochimienti3541]

Could somebody give me some book title in order to learn more about mindfullness?? Thanks

[@shikamarunara8920]

This guy is so relaxed that the way he talks is relaxing, i almost fell asleep watching this video . I am not sure if that its a good thing , i mean i found it hard to focus on what he is saying. Does that mean of i become mindful others will fall asleep, lose attention or get bored when i talk to them?

[@ShakeyHorse7788]

Love the hair.

[@chaz-e]

Nice talk, but did anyone get the idea of *Mindfulness through Concentration?* Initially one focuses on "thoughtless stuffs" (breath, mantra etc.) and later one allows the mind to freely flow. Isn't that completely opposite of what we were practicing initially?

[@startup_dream]

+ChaZ-E No because you are also making an effort to pay attention to the things your mind wanders to.

[@acidlys]

This guy is so positive

[@prefectiongaming2837]

Self-control and self-discipline are good traits to have and/or develop. The most important thing is to not succumb to a philosophy of life based on self-restraint that denies one's own will or desires. The kind of morality that sometimes comes with it is a decadent one that denies life the chance to be fully expressed. If it doesn't work for what you're trying to accomplish, try martial arts instead. I've tried both, and the latter seems far more life-affirming and exciting.

[@Monxtv]

Totally agree

[@zahlenpunkten586]

Its what you fed your mind with is that what changes its architecture :O OMG Bro I am blown away. Seriously :O

[@jacobestes]

I didn't know Stephen King meditated.

[@rosemacaskie]

For me, concentration keeps me bringing back my mind to the, spot say that is my support in this kind of meditaion pretty much all the time till the end of that meditation. The support is so boring that it keeps us busy bringing our brain back to it, which I consider the real activity of that meditation. The point being to keep us from going on and on about our normal worries and our rational brain activity which can block out other parts of the brain. RIght, left brain type thing. Rational left brain, right side of body activities shutting down right side of brain left hand type ones. This rational dominance for many, which can also mean what our society has taught us to hink is happening, while we have experiences that tell us ohter things, means that, we need occasionally to shut down, left brain, right side activitiestha is one explaination for what happens in such meditation. dhort term this meditation calms people down, long term it helps them to sort themselves out but not necessarily at a rational level.

[@cgm778]

If you are paying more attention to processes than the content of your thoughts some bad content might get through.. For example the idea that you and your brain are different things might infect your thoughts. But they are not, you can't be a slave to your brain because you are your brain (and the rest of your body). Your body is what you are. Things are simpler when you remember that you are your body. For example he says what your feed into your brain changes it. It's not "you feeding your brain" it's "you feeding" and you are what you eat.

[@badromance132]

could you put translation or subtitles in English or Arabic I know vds is in English but there is word we cant understand specially when it not your mother language

[@deded846]

Your mother

[@qigong1001]

Put this in perspective....sitting and watching your breath or Having proper expectations, exercising your brain with fruitful activity, connecting to nature, practicing greatfulness, and the simple act of giving.

[@NeThZOR]

+Slap Stick What most people do not realise is that to have that sort of kindness in your heart can only be achieved with a certain level of introspection into their own actions.

[@qigong1001]

Dylan Heunis Introspection is mostly mythological, as people tend to only see what they want to see about themselves. Sitting and meditating will do nothing. Change requires action. Introspection, meditation, breathing is building tolerance...which you do not want. Its brain-numbing. Its comfort building. To develop kindness, you must practice kindness. Any and all skills require practice.

[@NeThZOR]

Slap Stick Can I tell you how I found out that I need to be more kind to others? By introspecting and realising that I tend to see the negative in others instead of the positive. That is how I turned my view of the world, and thus my actions could get meaning behind them.

[@qigong1001]

Dylan Heunis Lets think about this. You are telling me that its not stories of people's suffering that changed your world view . Its not news-stories of kids being murdered, its not populations being ravaged by war, its not historical or personal accounts of genocide, its not the greed we all see that has destroyed lives. Its not seeing how others genuine kindness change peoples lives for the better. . But, you are telling me, that it took introspection to change your world view??? You are looking for meaning in the wrong place. Just look around...its way more revealing.

[@NeThZOR]

Slap Stick You are seeing introspection too stolidly. I do look around, and I do notice corporate greed, suffering, genocide etc. But how do I make sure that I try my best not to follow in the same path of destruction? INTROSPECTION

[@warrenmcd1]

Highly recommend Googling "Samatha" and "Jhana", if you are interested in learning more about meditative techniques and very real experiences you may produce, while practicing this Concentrative Meditation.

[@bluegirl1445]

I like the example being given; road rage. Stop yelling at the cars around you, they can't hear you, but the people in the car with you can.

[@jjh11]

Mindfulness and meditation are tremendously important and can change your life. This guy comes off as very pretentious though. Check out jon kabat-zinn, who he mentions

[@tothefnmax]

+RSloane you're going to need to do some more mindfulness meditation, apparently... Because YOUR though of him coming off as "very pretentious," which is a thought arise in your mind by some condition, then you projected onto him... Maybe we need to stop judging people by their behaviors or how they come off, but focus on the context of their message?

[@jjh11]

You have a good point and my language was harsh... if I met this man in person I would first and foremost thank him for spreading the word on mindfulness... I still think he comes off like he's just parroting some "special spiritual ideas", though. Obviously his message goes far deeper.

[@squamish4244]

+Max Ngo Being mindful doesn't mean throwing out your critical/discerning mind. One reason the science of mindfulnes stagnated for so long is because people were too afraid to say anything negative about the teachers coming over from the East and calling them out on perceive b.s. It's happening now, and things are moving forward, especially where mindfulness and technology intersect.

[@boxedterrapin3550]

Mindfulness inherently doesn't work with OCD. A lot of the techniques which help people clear their mind are the perfect conditions for rumination.

[@garrystokes1432]

I wonder if it is not a good thing to think of nothing.I have great results relaxing,even though it is pretty difficult

[@JuliusUnique]

I always heard that keeping the anger inside leads you to start a mass-shooting at some dady where you release all your anger you've kept inside true or bs? I think it''s kinda true

[@comeonboi]

If consciousness does not come from outside of the brain, do these technics still make sense?

[@Robert-3691]

I'm mesmerized by this. I read a book with similar content, and I was truly mesmerized. "Mastering Money Mindfulness" by Benjamin Hawk

[@arakashmahale1]

Impulse ➡️ Mindfulness ⬅️ Reason

[@JohnDaCajun]

So we have freewill?

[@LapuLapuMagellan]

I've tried meditation but I fell asleep. Is it okay?

[@blueshadow3499]

not okay

[@Teasehirt]

Try meditating in the morning, You really want to be alert whilst meditating.

[@rosemacaskie]

Is concentration and mindfulness the same meditation, with the same benefits? I learnt that concentration calms you down, by cutting off all your worries and rational thoughts so calming you but also by allowing your mind, all that knowledge that is less conscious, to process your reality and reduce yourr worries and anxiety. It is like letting your computer work it out for you and htere is no conscious ness in the process of concentration tha tgives you conscious knowledge of this process. MIndfulness seems to me to serve different activities. Thinking about the dirt you are washing off your table and thinking of Karate type ideas such as on thinking of where you want your punch to end up , half way throuhg the other guys face, instead of on the surface, a Cobra Cai of that series type attitude to fighting, helps you to give a successful blow for one. As to cleaning to mindfullness helping you clean, it might lead you to reflect that rubbing the surface of the dirt might be more efficient than using more elbow grease, than pushing way into the table say. Mindfulness on the dish you are washing, might also work as concetration meditation does and stop you from going over and over your worries, and so, calm you down and reduce fatigue. On the other hand mindfulness about your own reactions can lead to understanding your bodily reactions to different situations and sometimes these can be to minor stresses we dont give importance to which we find out are stressing us as well as fining out the roar of a lose lion scares us and leads to us so being more careful, say even about minor things. Ir also means that apart from self knowledege about our psychosomatic responses to everything, we can learn to calm others down as some indian holy men and women do, just by using our carefully cultivated and upheld positive vibs, and ability to coumincate mood. People dont seem to talk much of the endless meditations that exist and existe for so many reasons. I have heard from the famous Spanish teacher, Ramiro Calle, that meditatinng on the jewel of a dead, loved one, can help in person in moorning, for example. You can breath in a take on the Sorrows of another and breathe out and send them love too. That is to mention another meditation.

[@zinqtable1092]

Meditation is for the strong willed.

[@SnowmansApartment]

just use your System 2 😄👍🏼

[@Shaunt1]

I'll be kind to those who are kind to me.

[@xroadrebelx4451]

Thanks Buddha!

[@YoraPiratekitty]

I was hoping dr mark epstein was the dude on the photo 😿

[@ZFlyingVLover]

God helps those who help themselves. If the outcome of an event is within your control then develop a plan to change the outcome that event. If the outcome of an event is NOT within your control you can hope but don't sweat it cause there' s nothing you can do anyway. Everyone needs to learn this basic philosophy so they can avoid wasting time and sleepless nights on things they can never hope to change and rather focus their energies on those things that are within their control. This mindfulness stuff is ok and is probably good for those ppl who get stressed randomnly and don't understand why that stimulus makes them crazy. But the answer to controlling your world is to understand why things happen the way they do and determining if you have any control over that outcome. If no then just accept it and move on and focus your energies on those things that you can control and are important to you.

[@ZFlyingVLover]

+ZFlyingVLover Oh and learn to prioritize and really focus on distinguishing between a real priority(need) and a false priority(want). I struggle with this everyday but as I get older it becomes easier. I find that I am forced to react because of OTHER ppls priorities and their efforts to make me own those priorities when I don't have a vested interest in owning them! You do for others because you love them but you also need to make sure you don't do for others so much that you don't do for yourself. Ask who benefits from completing the priority and if you aren't a beneficiary either directly or indirectly then don't assume responsibiity for it. We all have our roles in life and some of them are defined by our relationships with others(spouses , kids, parents, siblings, friends, clients etc). But to maintain sanity you need to learn to distinguish false priorities from real priorities and teach those who are trying to make their real priority your's that it's theirs to manage and resolve. And if you do it for them let them know it's an exception just because you love them. These exceptions are emotional colateral and that is very useful when you want them to assume responsibility of your real priorities too.

[@rainforestangel]

clever guy, awfully clever presentation... stimulus is SEPERATE from ourself. So we have the space to not have to react. Two main types of meditation, focus on single object, ie; the breath. when mind wanders, come back to 'the breath' Or let the mind wander where ever it pleases, without attatching to anything specific in it, therefore, we see our thoughts, feelings and mind as a PROCESS, rather than as actual content. And, the brain is 'plastic' it has plasticity ie; you can shape it mould it, impress on it, make it how you wish it to be. INTERESTING!!! thank you

[@EvilSapphireR]

Why should kindness be THE goal of mindfulness anyway?. Kindness is only an emotion that helps the human society to bond better. And while I understand the importance of that, I think it's also important to realise that kindness, altruism isn't any objective, transcendental if you will, emotion that should be sought after at the cost of everything. Rather it's far more important to learn to let go of ANY emotion that manifests in your mind. It's important to be selfish when meditating, because after all you're doing it for you, not the person next to you. Be selfish, but make sure to be a benevolent selfish guy/girl, that's all.

[@marcogriffin1997]

I'm just allergic to stupid shit so when I get frustrated that's the main culprit

[@bestsnowboarderuknow]

Five minutes?? More like five seconds

[@yocampout]

I've tried and tried meditation, I just can't seem to get it.

[@edymasta]

That's because you're doing beginner mistakes if you took it seriously you'd find out why

[@yocampout]

edymasta I've tried books and tapes and the internet but no I'm not a professional and I've not paid to see one so you are probably correct. I just wish there was a way in the 6 hard back books and 3 audio books to help me with those beginner mistakes. I'm obviously making them over and over.

[@gobillygook]

maybe you're trying too hard. just sit still and breathe deeply in a consistent pattern.

[@qigong1001]

+yocampout Good! Don't waste your time. There are better ways to relax and improve your lot in life.

[@Jeremyramone]

+yocampout try to incorporate it into a daily stretching routine. I do that and the stretching has transformed my life (seriously it is that beneficial) and the breathing associated with yoga stretching might help you stay focused in your meditations..

[@pauldavid601]

Completely distracted by this guy fighting the urge to boogie and let his disco dance out.

[@TheSpicyPotatoe]

lol ive always been in control of my emotions ever sincei was 14 praise me

[@paramoreguate]

+TheSpicyPotatoe you obviously don't since you don't control your ego.

[@TheSpicyPotatoe]

+paramoreguate yet you assume using inductive reasoning . Check yourself before you wreck yourself

[@zinqtable1092]

+TheSpicyPotatoe ^^ this guy. kek

[@TheSpicyPotatoe]

paramoreguate are you going to justify your claim? The idiots that like your comment are in the same hole as you

[@dmack47yo]

So we turning into Vulcans now 😂

[@Kanikkl]

I believe you didnt take the opposite into the equation. What if a person is emotinaly un-bi-polar? What if it is hard for a person to show emotion? You only stressed the negativity of emotions and how to prevent them. I have a feeling that most of the angry persons are also the most loving ones, because of their emotional capabilities. This underlines the theorie though that the type of emotional response, let it be ob scala with negative and positive min/max on the horizontal, is not a shift on this scala but more like a swing, which is marked by either the max/min of the opposite. So lets say you get really emotional in a certain situation, for example you get angry. Because of this emotional response you are also capable of the direct oppositive to it, which would be joy. Meaning if you are not such a good person in showing emotion on the angry side, it is also hard to show emotion on the joy side. How would meditation help you since it should help you not to response in an emo

[@Kanikkl]

Emotion?

[@Victorificationn]

Good point.I hope a conversation gets started from this :D

[@edymasta]

*EGO*

[@stasvpavlov]

Microphone is brushing

[@credenzamostro]

Hmm... I wonder why in Sam Harris' video about the exact same subject, people were all worshipping him because he's, well, Sam Harris, while in Epstein's case, everyone is just slinging insults at him, hmm....

[@CyberiusT]

Is this guy Epstein? If so: Because Sam is a tranquil guy who radiates peace and calm, whilst this guy comes across as a a jiggly noddy-dog, filled with a monumental superiority complex. Maybe he isn't. But that's the impression.

[@KevinColt]

I disagree. The moment you feel the anger inside due to a certain situation THAT is you, regardless of what physical actions you take there after, life will answer and behave according to what you feel NOT according to your physical actions. So what you need to change to become a different person is the way you feel and who you are, not what you do which is against your real you.

[@skolarkev]

+Kevin Colt Interesting Kevin. How do you figure? What is your evidence?

[@Seftr]

Being introspective and aware of your own mind is becoming more cult-like as the days go on.

[@thePricoolas]

+SeftR So true. Let's degrade instead! Woo hoo!

[@edymasta]

Nothing what you said is true. It's just your perspective on it

[@alexowen4307]

So many negative comments. that's why y'all need mindfulness!

[@tw3638]

Bro is off the za

[@JenniieeFurrRobles]

I only came here bc Fabrizio Moretti was on the thumbnail 💀

[@rainofthepast]

this video is fabulous and super rainbow " troll face *

[@Spifflicate]

I couldn't watch his bobble head any longer so I had to look at the comments. Now I have cancer.

[@bestguitar11]

Funny...back in the day we called this "self-control". Glad to see we're shifting back towards traditional values.

[@shannon63b]

bestguitar11 self control and mindfulness are two completely different things, I hope along your journey you can really understand the difference

[@R0DSTER]

is this guy trying to copyright meditation by branding it "mindful/mindfulness" ?

[@whynottalklikeapirat]

"how not to be a slave of your brain" ... bit of unresolved duality in the phrasing there?

[@honestsignalz]

Listen to this info-packed bobble-head! -Austen

[@acolossalfossil]

+Honest Signalz You Guys are awesome. Respect

[@Son0fHobs]

Exactly what I was thinking. I got too distracted by it. I guess I need to work on my mindfulness.

[@huggers2]

If you're a vegan meditator, can you live forever?

[@Jeremyramone]

+huggers2 probably not but there is this jelly fish that can theoretically live forever. look up "eternal jellyfish"...

[@leonmertens6926]

Hey, yo! The Time You Put In Really Shows. improve normal What's your opinion about

[@superfisto]

All aboard the Woo Train. WooWoo!!

[@Chebab-Chebab]

Stress gets stuff done; ignoring it doesn't.

[@MrMangoSurf]

wiggle ~wiggle~more wiggle~wiggle

[@MummifiedKitten]

Was he describing meditation or life's problems 😂

[@gobillygook]

why does he shake his head when he says something he thinks is substantial or important. If it's Parkinsons he has an exuse.

[@lolhaha6552]

there is no mind!

[@LORDNAG1]

basically were all Sith and should be Jedi.

[@lordcalvin9730]

he looks like the new 2020 joker

[@love1hate291]

I have ADHD, so would that make it harder?

[@bhaktamcs]

The lecture is good but off topic and misleading.

[@mojoe1686]

be mindful of your farts

[@ryang.5094]

Sounds like just passive aggressiveness to me, just worded differently..

[@NotRealNamesAgain]

What the heck do things like "modulating emotional reactivity" mean to you? To me it translates loosely to Ahhhh bullshitbullshitbullshitbullshitbullshit. Video would be more well suited to a channel called "Little Think".

[@RockSprites]

+Ben Landvatter If we put a "little thought" into it, all it means is "modifying emotions." It's like manually going into your mind, perceiving what it is doing, WHY it is doing what it is doing, and choosing to react differently. :p

[@asdgashash]

+Ben Landvatter mod·u·late verb exert a modifying or controlling influence on Emotional reactivity means emotional response to stimuli. What you are doing is called knee-jerking.

[@willyboifloyd5040]

I don't know mindlessness is kinda fun too!

[@Amencore]

Some of you guys aren't mindful enough

[@frankminor]

They should just teach what is Anatta (non-self). Why not use Buddha teaching? The inventor of Vipassana.

[@gobillygook]

I love what hes saying but i can't stand him

[@EmperorsNewWardrobe]

This hogwash is such utter shit nonsense, it makes me so angry. I can't believe anyone buys into it ... But then again, maybe I'll just let that thought pass. Actually, letting that pass just made me really happy to know I can release my anger when I want, and so I now feel super buzzy elation ... But then again, maybe I'll just let that pass too ... and another pass ... And pass ... whoa ... WHOA ... I totally just enlightened.

[@nomie1920]

tobo86 L

[@MaxHarden]

This guy thinks the brain is made of plastic.,,

[@NeThZOR]

+Matt Harden He said it is "more like plastic than we initially thought".

[@MaxHarden]

+Dylan Heunis I was joking. ;)

[@zinqtable1092]

+Matt Harden Uses sarcasm and jokes over the internet... Again, a mistake you should correct.

[@HunterRodrigez]

good lord i cant stand this guy...

[@HunterRodrigez]

666j1 yeah that's pretty much the vibe I get from this guy... He is probably the kind of Guy who drives in his hybrid to his whole food market to buy fair trade soy all this while he listens to music no one ever heard of on his vintage walk-man... And he has an existential crisis when he accidently eats something with gluten

[@ITSbigwillystyle]

+Hunter Rodrigez that's a lot of projecting there bud.

[@HunterRodrigez]

ITSbigwillystyle not really... i just have to deal with these kind of people a lot more than i would like to the only thing hipster about me is that i dont like mainstream music... but not because its mainstream... its because pretty much all of it fucking sucks

[@ITSbigwillystyle]

***** but he didn't comment on his musical taste, what vehicle he drives, or what he eats. All I'm saying is your comment contributes absolutely nothing to discussion of the actual video content, which is what comments are supposed to be for.

[@HunterRodrigez]

ITSbigwillystyle so?

[@lightsidemaster]

Most interesting. This resembles how the Jedi think. It's not like they don't feel emotions. They just don't act upon them. They simply control themselves and act upon wisdom and compassion.

[@macona.fortune3143]

The jedi mindset is adopted by eastern philosophy. There's derp meaning behind the franchise.

[@macona.fortune3143]

+Free Dom deep not derp haha

[@lightsidemaster]

Free Dom lmao that's a funny spelling error xD Yes I know which makes it all the more awesome as much of the Jedi Philosophy is really correct and commendable. George Lucas was greatly inspired by the Samurai and the Buddhist religion.