AttentionPresentation: Thinking about Meaning

Section 1 Theory

Section 2 Practice

Presentation that accompanies the thinking about meaning word document for PWPs

Meaning and Mental Health

Mental health is a condition of meaning. When people think\feel or act in ways that they\we don’t believe they should then they can be said to have mental

distress. Meaning is held in how we think then derivatively in how we act.

Event, sthg happened

Thoughts, Behaviour

Thoughts=>EmotionsThoughts=>Behaviours=>Emotions

Thoughts

Emotions

Event, I did sthg

Meaning containers

Meaning is held in thoughts\perceptionTo think or perceive we have to pay attention to something

Perception

Thoughts

Attention (Self awareness)

Attention: nature

We choose where we put our attention is our worldWhere we put our attention has an effectOur attention is meaningful and volitional

External events

Internal events

Attention

Attention: Motives

Our attention is motivated by• Attentional Bias• Prior experience

• Deliberate strategies

External events

Internal events

Attentional Bias (Mood)Deliberate Strategy (Safety)

Prior experience (I look for things I know)

Attention: effects

Where we put our attention has an effect

Internal /External

eventsAttention

Effects:Produces emotions

Tells me how the world is: gives me possibilitiesEnhances effects

Thoughts : construction

What are thoughts made of?Images

Language

LanguageUsed to speak

Images Used to

act/react

Speak/Listen Acts\Reacts

Thoughts: dynamic\passive

Thoughts can be mental events that we receiveOr

Dynamic acts that we do

Dynamic Thoughts

Meta thoughtWorry

Rumination

Passive Thoughts:The thought popped

into my headThe meaning I have

for perception

Thoughts: content types

Areas we can think about and why

PresentPerceivingProblem solvingJudging

PastRuminatingRegretting

Reminiscing

FutureWorrying

Fantasising

DYNAMIC

PASSIVE

PastMemory Future

ImaginationPresentDesire

Thoughts: speech dialogic effects

Effects and activity of thoughts from language

MotivesEmotions on

outcomes(Secondary outcomes)

Emotions from process

(Primary emotions)

History The characters

The relationship

Speaks

Listens

Thoughts : Characters of speech

The different characters that think

The cynic

The thinker

The policeman The

gossip

The protector

Clinical Utility

1. Meaning is core to mental health2. Meaning is held in thoughts\perception

3. Thoughts can be dynamic\passive4. Thoughts are communication

5. Communication can be between different characters6. Attentional focus

Clinical Utility

1. Meaning is core to mental health

Its not what happens to us that causes problems but how we understand it

Thoughts aren’t fact but beliefsThere are many different ways to look at the same event

Psycho educationIts not what happens to us that causes problems but how we understand it: take an

unpleasant event that you know about that a few people have been involved with, have they all reacted the same, if not why not, for instance its raining.

Thoughts aren’t facts but beliefs: have you ever been wrong or changed your opinion? How would you know what to believe?

Perspective: Take one event, friend walking on other side of the road doesn’t say hello, then imagine them in different states and ask how they would understand it. Or ask when

you’re feeling angry do you see more things that piss you off

Clinical Utility

2. Meaning is held in thoughts\perception

Scenario: Client feels emotion and you ask what were they thinking to help us understand their emotion, they say I don’t know.

Ask what the situation was like for them, if you can get them to describe their experience, i.e. what they perceived, you will find out

what they were thinking.

Clinical Utility

3. Thoughts can be dynamic\passive

If a thought is dynamic, i.e. worry or rumination, then we can look at its effect and ask if we want it.

If a thought is passive then mental distress can be caused if we think it is dynamic, i.e. we chose it. For instance OCD

If you try to suppress passive thoughts, it creates more of them!

Clinical Utility

4. Thoughts are communication

Understand what the effects of types of thought are from both sides of the conversation

RuminationSelf criticism

Understand the origin of this type of conversationDad used to talk to me this way. Doing this, gives you the idea that things could be different, you didn’t like it then so why do it now, and you can then also ask about other

more benign influences

Clinical Utility

5. Communication can be between different characters

Understand what all of the different experiences that contribute to a character=> this leads to being able to challenge beliefs, firstly as when you see how something is created, you can see how it can be created differently and secondly as it reminds you of different ways you

could have acted in the original scene, so therefore different ways you can react nowGet to know the beliefs\behaviours\emotions of a character so you can see when they are active

Doing this gives you a distance from yourself, and doing this enables you to choose differently. If you’re not aware of something you cant change it so the first stage to change is awareness. What seems helpful is to also not see it as an essential part of me, as the former doesn't’

take responsibility, which again is the precursor to change.When you start recognizing the characters, you can see what the relationships are like

As you recognise a character you can see how much effect they have in your lifeStart to see the characters with lesser voices

This gives clients the option to build on marginalised parts of themselves, which in so doing, can reduce some of the unhelpful parts of themselves

Clinical Utility

6. Attentional focus

Reasons why you might focus on things?Trying to protect yourself

Effects of focussing on things?Enhances effects=Health anxiety itches, panic disorder symptoms

Makes it harder to do things=Social anxiety (self attention)

Strengthens beliefs for instance world is a scary place=Anxiety disorders

TreatmentPsychoeducation\Socratic questioning

Mindfulness.Attentional switching

techniques=Wells