#30DAYSOFSCIKUCHALLENGE

Rx: Compassion Training

Day 21 Prompt: A Meditation Research Inspired Sciku

Crisis and distress support frontline heroes all train in compassion

In these times, individuals who have continued to work on the frontlines of the COVID-19 crisis deserve a lot of our collective gratitude — it is hard work, and compassion fatigue is understandable even perhaps expected —It can be distressing to witness the pain of family, friends, or even strangers going through a hard time.

While there is no silver bullet to “cure” compassion fatigue, new research is giving some helpful pointers to get started — in fact — a new study suggests that as little as two weeks of intentionally cultivating positive wishes via compassion meditation training could help.

Before going further with the results of the study, it’s helpful to clarify some terms involved — Empathy — allows one to take the perspective of (cognitive empathy) and feel the emotions of (affective empathy) another person; compassion — when those feelings and thoughts include the desire to help and altruism is then the well-meaning, selfless behavior that is often, but not always, prompted by feelings of compassion.

Researchers at UW, Madison randomly assigned and trained participants to do either 30 minutes of compassion meditation or reappraisal training (re-interpreting personally stressful events to decrease negative emotions) every day for two weeks.

Both groups received brain scans before they were trained and after two weeks of practice and the researchers reported that the people who had practiced compassion meditation showed less activity in the amygdala, insula, and orbitofrontal cortex — areas of the brain that are usually more active when experiencing emotional distress and might lead to a withdrawal response and averted gaze and possibly might even contribute to compassion fatigue.

Compassion meditation slows things down so people can practice being more calm, notice the feelings that arise and learn to be less reactive, she adds. “This gives you more mental space to focus on the other person, to practice wishing kindness and wanting them to be well, and I think both parts are really important for effectively responding to people suffering.” Source : Science Daily)

It is also worth noting that a wide range of experiences is possible when engaging in the meditative process and that it may not be the right approach for everyone. Also, there are several methods to get started in mindfulness or meditation, and you might have to try several ways to find the one that resonates with you. I found it helpful to have support from a teacher experienced with meditation to guide me as I was starting to explore meditation. A meditation group or a meditation circle might also be helpful. I encourage you to try various methods, and hopefully, you might find one that makes sense and works for you.

More broadly, thinking of compassion meditation as a “muscle” in our mind that we can train and improve with guided practice, that can honor our empathic tendencies and connect them with altruistic behaviors even in the face of crisis is a comforting thought.

I hope we get a reprieve from the COVID-19 crisis soon, and in the meantime, let us find a way to hold each other and our frontline healthcare workers in kind regards and with compassion — we are in this together.

Thank you for reading!

This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health condition.

**This is Day 21 of the #sciku challenge — science-inspired haiku-like poetry( so #sciku?) prompts to get you inspired — Our dear readers — why not spend some time each day creating and having a little fun — if you do — publish it anywhere on medium, just tag it with — #30DaysOfScikuChallenge.

**Tagging Lynn E. O’Connor, PhD Laura Griffith Machado, PsyD Rita Hitching, Thais Macedo, and anyone else who feels inspired to follow and/or play along with this fun #30DaysOfScikuChallenge and today’s prompt: Meditation Research

What’s next —

Perhaps check out the one on compassion by Matt Lillywhite :