Mindfulness Gaining Traction in the Military

From: The New York Times

By: Matt Richtel

Mr. Boughton [a former British military commander] discovered mindfulness after his own bout with PTSD . . .

He now starts and ends his day with five minutes of breathing exercises. He uses the technique each time he is gripped by anxiety or panic. The traumas haven’t disappeared, he said, but he isn’t haunted by them daily. Now he can more calmly examine each terrible incident, address it and have some control over it — rather than merely reacting.

“The amount of brain power it frees by not being trapped in the past or the future is incredible,” Mr. Boughton said. “The military is seeing the mass benefits of this.” . . .

[Another military professional, Maj. Gen. Piatt said] mindfulness allowed him to “reduce conflict by better understanding.”

“I’m not saying, be soft,” he added. “I’m saying, understand how compassion and empathy can be used for real advantages.”

“Peace takes a lot of hard work.”

Read the full article here.

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