October 11, 2023

Mindfulness and Self-compassion with Melanie Lown | S5E30

49 minutes

Welcome to Living Well with MS, where we are pleased to welcome Melanie Lown as our guest. Melanie is a mindfulness teacher, has an M.A. in Psychology, and follows the Overcoming MS Program. She talks to Geoff about her MS diagnosis, the power of mindfulness and the importance of self-compassion.

Watch this episode on YouTube here.

Topics and Timestamps:

01:30 Melanie’s introduction and MS diagnosis.

03:58 Balancing self-advocacy with compassion for healthcare professionals.

07:07 Using a diagnosis to discover your purpose.

09:48 Discovering Overcoming MS.

12:02 Our lived experience is as valid as datasets.

13:29 DMTs and COVID.

16:31 The growing popularity of mindfulness in Western medicine.

21:45 Meditation physically changes the brain.

23:33 Depression and spiritualism are opposite sides of the same neural pathway.

27:54 The awakened brain vs. the achieving brain.

29:39 Activating the parasympathetic nervous system with self-compassion.

33:39 Emotions are not ‘good’ or ‘bad’.

35:44 Mindfully choosing your healthcare team and treatment.

42:22 Tips to incorporate mindfulness into your lifestyle.

47:54 Non-judgmental awareness.

More info and links:

Visit Melanie’s Website or follow her on Instagram: @welcometothemat.

Melanie’s Recommended Meditation teachers and guides:

Vinny Ferraro

Amanda Gilbert

Elisha Goldstein

Tara Branch

Davidji

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New to Overcoming MS? Visit our introductory page

Connect with others following Overcoming MS on the Live Well Hub

Visit the Overcoming MS website

Melanie’s Recommended Books:

The Awakened Brain by Dr. Lisa Miller

Self-Compassion by Kristin Neff

How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan

Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach

Cured by Jeffrey Rediger

Learned Hopefulness by Dr. Dan Tomasulo

Melanie's Recommended Scientific Articles:

Fredrickson, B. L., & Losada, M. F. (2005). Positive affect and the complex dynamics of human flourishing. American psychologist, 60(7), 678.

Miller, L., Bansal, R., Wickramaratne, P., Hao, X., Tenke, C. E., Weissman, M. M., & Peterson, B. S. (2014). Neuroanatomical correlates of religiosity and spirituality: a study in adults at high and low familial risk for depression. JAMA psychiatry, 71(2), 128-135.

Miller, L., Wickramaratne, P., Gameroff, M. J., Sage, M., Tenke, C. E., & Weissman, M. M. (2012). Religiosity and major depression in adults at high risk: a ten-year prospective study. American Journal of Psychiatry, 169(1), 89-94.

Portnoff, L., McClintock, C., Lau, E., Choi, S., & Miller, L. (2017). Spirituality cuts in half the relative risk for depression: Findings from the United States, China, and India. Spirituality in Clinical Practice, 4(1), 22.

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