Zen Psychiatry
By Elana Miller, MD
Calm, balanced, and grounded.
So much of what we seek is already within ourselves, but it is up to us to put in the work to find that place of peace.
I am a firm believer in the power of eastern wisdom. Meditation and mindfulness are leading practices of my life and frequently woven into my treatment plans with patients. Posts cover how eastern approaches to living a happier, fuller life.
A while ago my meditation teacher told me the story of an older man who was struggling with anger issues.He had a teenage daughter (a difficult age for a young woman—just ask my parents) who, you …
Continue Reading about Caught in Reactivity? How the Acronym STOP Can Help You Find Calm →
On the first evening of my recent 7-day silent meditation retreat, I had a strange dream.I was in my house, and it had flooded. As I walked through the rooms I waded in several feet of water. …
Continue Reading about On Transforming the Judgmental Mind: Stories From 7 Days of Silence →
"You should sit in meditation for 20 minutes a day—unless you're too busy; then you should sit for an hour" – Zen saying At this moment I'm in Woodacre, California—a small town in Marin County, north …
Sunday afternoon I returned from a weekend at Casa de Maria, a beautiful center in Santa Barbara, California with rolling hills, miles of trails, swimming pools, massage centers...There were many …
Continue Reading about This. Is. It. Lessons Learned From A Weekend Meditating →
Long before Freud wrote The Interpretation of Dreams or William James opened his first psychology laboratory at Harvard, Buddhist thinkers sought to understand the inner workings of the mind and …
Continue Reading about The Three Buddhist Personality Types: Which One Are You? →
Destructive emotions are an inevitable part of life. I think there is a misconception among many people that it's somehow possible to avoid negative emotions and always feel calm and peaceful. I …
Continue Reading about How The Acronym “RAIN” Can Help You Better Cope With Negative Emotions →
