A Meditation to (Gently) Interrupt Habitual Reactions

About this episode

This episode features a meditation led by Patricia Rockman to help listeners respond differently to habitual emotional reactions in daily life.

Daily life is full of irritations: moments of inconvenience, situations where we don't get what we were hoping for, delays, disappointments, prickly interactions that can leave us confused and exasperated. If we're honest, we can probably admit that sometimes our reactions in those moments tend to be reflexive rather than intentional. We feel our anger or annoyance rise, and we react almost as though we're reading a script. Can we explore these habitual reactions in a way that gives us enough space to respond differently? In today's practice, teacher Patricia Rockman guides us through a meditation to help us meet whatever is arising, so that we have more agency when the next moment arises. Patricia Rockman, MD, CCFP, FCFP is a family physician with a focused practice in mental health. She is the senior director of Education and Clinical Services at the Centre for Mindfulness Studies, Toronto. Rockman is also an associate professor at the University of Toronto, Department of Family Medicine, cross appointed to Psychiatry. She has extensive experience practicing individual psychotherapy, leading therapy groups, and training healthcare providers in mindfulness-based interventions…

People in this episode

Guest: Patricia Rockman

Topics covered

• meditation
• habitual reactions
• mindfulness
• emotional response
• mental health

Keywords

• meditation
• mindfulness
• emotional regulation
• stress reduction
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Centre for Mindfulness Studies, University of Toronto, Mindful.org

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