This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they're a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.
- Rumi
Showing posts with label rumination. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rumination. Show all posts
Monday, January 10, 2011
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Rumination and the Work of James W. Pennebaker
What is Rumination?
When we do not talk to others about our problems we can almost wear a groove into our brain processes so that we automatically go over the same ground again and again. This is called ruminating.
ru•mi•nate
ˈru məˌneɪt Show Spelled [roo-muh-neyt] Show IPA verb,-nat•ed, -nat•ing.
verb (used without object)
1. to chew the cud, as a ruminant.
2. to meditate or muse; ponder.
–verb (used with object)
3. to chew again or over and over.
4. to meditate on; ponder. (dictionary.com)
______________________________________
When we start to chew on a problem or issue or event and replay it and its outcome or possible alternatives over and over we use up our sources of inspiration and our resources for resolution. We even use up neurtransmitters. Work by James W. Pennebaker, a well respected Psychologist and author demonstrates that we can break the exhausting cycle of rumination by taking a new approach to our problems. He is the guy who put a lot of credibility into the idea of journaling. Journaling is recommended by many helping professionals because it sends the information, like the building blocks of a solution, down a different path in our brain inviting new ways of thinking about the issues which can then lead to better possibilities and perhaps solutions.
Pennebaker demonstrated that journaling a secret than you have been unable to tell others about or telling the secret or problem to an anonymous other can result in improved immune function. To clarify, his work demonstrated improvements in health when a long standing problem was expressed in a new way. That work is one of the reasons that I started this blog.
When we do not talk to others about our problems we can almost wear a groove into our brain processes so that we automatically go over the same ground again and again. This is called ruminating.
ru•mi•nate
ˈru məˌneɪt Show Spelled [roo-muh-neyt] Show IPA verb,-nat•ed, -nat•ing.
verb (used without object)
1. to chew the cud, as a ruminant.
2. to meditate or muse; ponder.
–verb (used with object)
3. to chew again or over and over.
4. to meditate on; ponder. (dictionary.com)
______________________________________
When we start to chew on a problem or issue or event and replay it and its outcome or possible alternatives over and over we use up our sources of inspiration and our resources for resolution. We even use up neurtransmitters. Work by James W. Pennebaker, a well respected Psychologist and author demonstrates that we can break the exhausting cycle of rumination by taking a new approach to our problems. He is the guy who put a lot of credibility into the idea of journaling. Journaling is recommended by many helping professionals because it sends the information, like the building blocks of a solution, down a different path in our brain inviting new ways of thinking about the issues which can then lead to better possibilities and perhaps solutions.
Pennebaker demonstrated that journaling a secret than you have been unable to tell others about or telling the secret or problem to an anonymous other can result in improved immune function. To clarify, his work demonstrated improvements in health when a long standing problem was expressed in a new way. That work is one of the reasons that I started this blog.
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