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Have You Tried Integrative Mind Body Training (IBMT)?
More than likely, no. How come? Because everything you read about it says that you cannot do it without serious coaching. Here’s a snippet from a blog article.
Unlike other meditative techniques that focus on thought control, Integrative Body-Mind Training focuses on a state of restful alertness and body mind awareness developed by instructions from a trained IBMT coach. The usual struggle for thought control is replaced by body postures and balanced breathing which eventually help students achieve thought control.
This less stressful approach is validated by physiological tests in the laboratory showing IBMT students achieving lower heart rates, skin conductance responses and deeper chest breathing amplitudes – all telltale signs of less effort, less stress and more relaxation. Tests have also shown that doing IBMT prior to a mental math test produced lower levels of stress hormone cortisol in the body. What is Integrative Body-Mind Training (IBMT)? Training, Deep Meditation, Stress Reduction in Five Days | Suite101.com (10 October 2009)
What does the coach do? The coach observes. The coach watches the face of the meditator for signs of struggle. The furrowed brow, tension in the face, starting, stopping, changing breathing in any way would all be signs of the struggle.
So, what is the meditator struggling with? And this is the beauty of IBMT.
The meditator struggles with thoughts and feelings. The idea, the secret, is to allow the thoughts and feelings be there. This is not easy. I don’t mean it is difficult in the sense of heavy lifting; it’s in the sense of being tricky.
Why do you meditate, if you do? You probably do it as a method of quieting your mind. Even though you may have been told that you didn’t have to do that, the movie version of meditation or mindfulness is to empty oneself. In reality, what you may find yourself doing – at least what I find myself doing – is following my breath until I catch myself stuck on a thought, or off on a tangent of thought; sometimes I’ll be off on a full-fledged daydream. Even with the usual instruction to say to yourself, “thinking, thinking” when that happens, it still seems like the idea is to fight the thought.
Not fighting the thought is, as I said a tricky task. A coach could be of great help in the endeavor.
There is another simple exercise that may help. It’s an ACT exercise called “Leaves on a Stream.” It may help you be with your thoughts, whatever they are.
Leaves on a Stream
Imagine you are sitting or standing in the middle of a stream.
The water is flowing away in front of you.
Notice if there is any sound from the running water.
Notice if there are any trees, etc. on the banks of the stream.
Now see leaves floating down the stream away from you.
They can be any shape, color, or size.
As the thoughts come into your mind – positive, negative, neutral – be aware of what the thought
is, and then place it on a leaf.
Now watch it float away down the stream.
At times, you will forget the stream and follow a thought out into the wilderness. At others, you will find yourself right on the leaf with the thought or feeling.
As you acknowledge each of your thoughts, you do not need to hang on to
them or push them away. Just put them on the leaf and let them do what they do.
Just acknowledge it and then place it on a leaf.
By watching it float away, you may begin to notice that the thought – or the feeling – is not you. It is something you have.
When you notice this, also notice if the hold it has on you changes.
Do this for as long as you like.
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The key to this practice is not to get rid of thoughts, but to both let go of them and allow them to be there at the same time. Both this and IBMT are ways to give your brain a break.
Here are a couple other versions with therapist Julian McNally, using trucks on the highway.
Glad I can share them with you. If you have other info on IBMT let me know. It’s an interesting idea.
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