Meditational Journaling with Sandra Johnson

Meditational journaling. Meditational journaling isn't about sitting still for several hours on end, according to today's guest expert Sandra Johnson, but rather a guided practice inspired by famous quotes and mindfulness activities. In her beautiful book, “The Mind Body and Peace Journal”, her emphasis is being fully in the present moment for mental and physical wellbeing. In our interesting interview, she recalls her difficult journey with prison inmates who spent long durations in lockdown due to mental illness and violent tendencies. It is here that her clinical experience led her to meditational journaling, for remarkable results. Welcome into this insightful interview with Sandra Johnson as we explore the mind and body peace techniques together

Sandra, I'm so excited to have you with us today. But before we get started, will you tell our listeners a little bit about yourself, and how you got into this work?

Well, thank you, it's such an honor to be on your podcast. And so this has been a journey that's about 30 plus years in the making. I started as a clinical social worker, back in 1988, after getting my master's in social work, and have done work in a variety of social work settings. But what really led me to getting into meditational journaling, is actually writing a book featuring meditation journaling… was actually one of the worst experiences of my life. Back in 2015, I was hired by South Carolina, I was hired by the State Department of Corrections. To work in the psychiatric facilities, any inmate in a state prison in South Carolina has a psychiatric illness that's so severe that they cannot be treated there at their prison, they are sent to a facility in Colombia. And so I was hired to be a social worker. And saw some horrendous things, how prisoners were treated. But also, in the course of this, I came across a book that was about dialectical behavioral therapy, I think I only had a passing knowledge of this kind of therapy, which is really a branch of cognitive behavioral therapy. So basically, learning how to think differently about things. Particularly things that we don't have any control over, putting some distance between events, and how we respond to it by and it really integrates a lot of mindfulness techniques. And so what I discovered in the course, of working with the inmates, most of whom had to bring in other very severe psychiatric illnesses, that no matter how, how severe their psychiatric illness, were, they really responded to mindfulness techniques that I taught them, you know, really basic style, but powerful tools, such as focusing on breathing, focusing on just getting in touch with the present moment, instead of regretting things of the past and worrying about the future. They really responded to writing exercises that I would give them and I started kind of just informally, quoting different thinkers that came upon me as the Father of Yoga. And then basically teaching them mindfulness and helping them to use journaling as a way to really improve the quality of their lives and they responded so powerfully. I saw in May two We saw changes from when they had to be on lockdown pretty much 24/7 to where they were able to really function, they were able to get out in…what they called the general population there at the unit and also being helpful to their fellow inmates. And it really just improves the quality of their lives to decrease the danger that they pose to themselves to other inmates, as well as the staff. So I saw how, you know, how powerful this was, and, and I had written a nonfiction book before even though it wasn't a self-help book, but I did have some awareness of the process of getting an agent, having that agent contact publishers about it. So that links to my book,” The Mind Body Journal 366, mindful prompts for serenity and clarity that came out in 2019 through an imprint or subsidiary of Barnes and Noble.  So that has been one of the many wonderful experiences that I've heard from people even as recently as, like, last week, talk about how it has been so helpful for them in a number of ways to just have more balance. That's a long answer to a short question….

Beautiful, well, thank you for sharing that transformational story. And I think it's great for our listeners to be reminded of some of those simple things you mentioned, like breathing, being in the present moment, using inspirational quotes to perhaps get some writing done and some inner work. And that kind of brings me to the question, could you describe meditational journaling a little bit more thoroughly for us?

So, many of us, you know, have a journal. Maybe we kept a diary or a journal, even when we were teaching, but what separates meditation journaling from simply journaling is that journaling kind of goes back to the root word of the word journal, which is “day.,” Capturing, you know, just kind of what happened during a particular day. And much of traditional journaling is not focused. I mean, it certainly can be but, but oftentimes when people are journaling, they're just simply capturing what happened on any given day. There is no particular theme or whereas, with meditation or journaling, it is very focused and in with my book, and then there are a number of others, too, that are guided journals. So for instance, for me with my class, the mind body each for each day of the year. There Have you opened up the book and in the book, there's the page for that day begins with a quote from some great things. And it could be anyone from Dolly Parton, to Stevie Wonder. As I started collecting quotes, I was really amazed by who might be known for other things. For example, you know, Dolly Parton and Stevie Wonder, you're more really known for their music, writing that kind of thing, but we are sources of wisdom. So for each day of the year, there is a quote from a great thinker. And then I provide a writing that kind of hones in on a particular aspect of mindfulness. And then there is a space for people to integrate their own experiences, to journal about that particular aspect of mindfulness. And then there, there also are exercises for people to do, sporadically, as they move through the book that helps them to be mindful, and that many of these exercises are focused on the natural world, because there's a lot of science, that, that that where we can connect to the now, even if it's something as simple as just sitting by the window, or, you know, sitting out on your patio to going for a walk to, but it really helps to improve our mental health, physical health. There at UCLA did a study that shows that people purposefully, on a regular basis, get outdoors, unplugged from computers and the cell phones and everything instead, you know, it's been even 10-15 minutes outdoors…they improve immune system, cardiovascular health, I mean, just on and on and on. So I do have some exercise in encouraging people to, like, go out and really look at a leaf from a tree, as if they were seeing it for the first time to describe every aspect of that, and then after doing that, for as long as they feel like they want to do that, then then journal about how they felt from having done this activity. And another aspect from the responses from people who have gotten the book and journal. Another thing that comes across in the book is meditation is not just sitting down with your eyes closed perfectly still, because for a lot of people, the idea of having to do that is very hard. And so, I do have a series of exercises that people can do and really just come up with their own way of meditating in action. So that walking is a fabulous form of meditation. So in that can be something that people can do even inside their house, or maybe it's night you don't want to go out or the weather is such that just don't want to go out well, you can, you can walk, you can walk in, like, you can walk by, in the meeting, whatever word that means. And so there are exercises like that, where, you know, I'm just kind of throwing out the idea of doing something in a repetitive way, where you're focusing on your breathing in the act of whatever you're doing. So it may be walking your dog, washing dishes, there are so many things that we can do, and when we do it mindfully, it becomes a form of meditation. And so getting back to the science of it, there's a lot of science behind that shows that various forms of meditation, that anything that you can do kind of over and over and over again, where you can kind of focus on the act and focus on breathing in maybe boosts the power of it, have a word that you're receiving, for short brains, or so. So basically, you're creating a mantra. And, things have been shown to improve brain health. They are cognitive skills, as far as being able to remember things to be able to interact in a more positive way with others. And more important, just as important to really be able to connect to ourselves, because we live in a culture that tries to disconnect ourselves from the piece that is within us. And it's always within it. It's part of our theme, so… we, especially in American culture, you know, we're, told that now you can't be happy until you fill in the blank, get a new car, buy something, you know, go on to this. The latest video or whatever, our culture is constantly trying to brainwash us that we're lacking, that we need something, you know, beyond ourselves beyond. And oftentimes it involves buying something. So buy this you'll finally reach this happiness. And of course, the goal post keeps shifting. And, but what mindfulness does, and this kind of journaling is it helps us to get in contact, to reconnect to our true selves. That one that doesn't have to be airbrushed, the one that doesn't have to be always running with the next shiny thing. So I use the analogy of the ocean. And so with an ocean, you know, on the surface, it might be terrible. So saying there's a storm coming, or even a hurricane. So we can, in our motions, be like the surface of the water where, you know, we feel like we get tossed and yet, if we get still quiet down under…. Eventually, I mean, even in the worst hurricane if you dive down deeply enough into the ocean, you're going to find a place to steal that same thing, that if we get quiet, knowing that we can dive down below that surface, and we can start seeing our motion simply as things that come and go, just like storms come, they even speak up. And so these things, emotions that we have that can really feel unsettling that we can learn to just simply acknowledge that there are manifestations of energy, mental energy, despite the ocean, neck, and manifest waves, our mind is naturally manifest emotion. So we don't have to get caught up in them. We don't have to judge ourselves by them.  Oh, my God, why am I? I must be a terrible person to be thinking of something like this feeling this way.  Instead, we can really connect to the natural goodness that is within us. And we only have more awareness that our minds can just produce thought. And we can just watch that thought and don't have to react to them to any particular thoughts, especially self harming one. Oh, I'm so stupid for having done whatever, you know, let me take another drink or have risky sex or something like that. No, I can just sit back and acknowledge that this is just a thought. Or maybe I did make a mistake with this particular situation instead of worsening the chain reaction of that by getting some sort of self harming things and ethics well over eating, driving too fast taking, the right angle first right now. So I'm learning from that. And I'm in the situation again, here's a different way I can respond.

Absolutely!  I resonate with all the examples you've given in the area of mindfulness and I think our listeners will be excited to pick up the book and “the mind body peace journal 366, mindful prompts for serenity and clarity”. Without breaching confidentiality, can you share with us some of your clients results?

 Okay, well, so one, one I may add had been on lockdown for four months, meaning that. He was only allowed out of his cell for an hour during a 24-hour period because he was just so violent… wanting to harm himself, wanting to harm others and but when he started attending in I did, I've been weekly groups, I would do a group in all these were made, this was a male prison. That when, so I started doing a weekly group on anger management, and then I did one on substance abuse and he attended both and got to be where not only was he able to be safely out of the cell for much most of the day, but he actually, he really kind of became almost like another employee. I mean, he was so dependable that he could help serve meals and kind of some janitorial things. Oh, and also joined in. He became so dependable that he started helping out with the ground rounds. So that was just one example of how someone with a severe mental illness, despite that, was able to gain a lot through doing these kinds of exercises. Also what I've seen others responding by just going on to Amazon in the news. And I think the last time I went there, there were like 100 or so people talking about now. Like one lady, she was in London that this, this has become a daily part of her morning routine. Reading the quote for the day dealing with exercise and really kind of thinking about it, as having it resonate with her, as the day went on and a number of people have posted the news saying that they have just become a daily part of their routine. Now on the other hand, one of the things that people have commonly said is that though the book does have prompts for journaling, too many people take it day by day. They have used the book over several years. So, you know, life can get in the way. On a daily basis, oftentimes, you know, we just don't have the time. So it may be only every few days that people can pick up the book and journal in it. But the other thing is that people told me that they don't do it chronologically. They just kind of open up the book or whatever. You know, it may be day 348 Even though I don't know what today is as far as the number of days of the year, but I imagine this as the 100 and 50th day. So even so it's not dated, so you don't see a page saying like July the sixth. So it is something that people can use over a period of years. And they don't have to do it chronologically. I mean, the quotes in the exercises I think are just as resonating on the 366 pages. They are so people can go back and forth. Another thing that I feel like has been really helpful with this book is that it's relatively small, in that it's only four by six. So it's either having in a purse, having a foot bag, just having a shoulder tote. And, and so this is the other thing with meditation or whether you're using my book or someone else's book is that it's something that people can do anywhere, you can do it at any time of the day or not. And so I've talked about how it came about, because of my clinical experience as a social worker, to help people who are in therapy, but most of the people who have bought the book in journaling, what I, what they tell me, I mean, they're there, they're not in, this is just a way to improve the quality of their life. Now, for other people, they're saying, Hey, this is really going hand in hand with the work I'm doing what my therapist or what my counselor, or, you know, this is work that now that I'm not in therapy anymore, this is a way to kind of continue learning about mindfulness to bring some balance to my life. So it can be a great compliment, if people are, you know, in, in therapy, and then for people who, who maybe their life circumstances aren't at a point where they're needing to be in therapy right now, it's certainly a way just to reduce stress. And, you know, that is something that I think we're all interested in, because we're living in stressful times, I mean, it seems like the world just gets more and more tumultuous. And so, having a very inexpensive way to bring some balance brings some, some something that many, many people actually around the world have told me about.

Yes, yes. Thank you for sharing that. And I hear that you have another book in the works. Can you tell us a little bit about that before we conclude today?

Yeah. So, the mind-body product has been so successful. Not only here in the States, but around the world, especially in the United Kingdom, no, really international. So I have another book coming out. So this mind body peace journal is actually the beginning of a self-help series that will go on. I definitely think the next book that will be coming out in December is the “Resilience Journal 365 days to balance and peace of mind”. So while the mind-body team struggled, it kind of introduced the general idea of mindfulness and brought more ways to bring more mindfulness into one's life. With this book that's coming out in December, the focus is on… yes, the foundation is mindfulness. But how to integrate that more to bounce back from adversity, to reframe negative things, such things that we knew as failures into valuable learning and so, again, the focus will be on ways to become more resilient. And, and so, yes. So I should add that both of these books, Mind Body teams, are available on Amazon for books. And the same will be the case for the resilience book.

That was actually my last question to ask you about how everyone can get your book and take another step with learning from you?

 

Right, right. Yeah, so, your favorite bookstore, if they don't happen to have it on the shelf, they can order it and it only takes a few days to get in. And certainly, people are used to getting their books on Amazon, Amazon, as well. And so, so yeah, I am really happy that this has proven to be a way that I can offer assistance to people not just one on one as I have been doing most of my social work from there, but really on a much wider basis really born and, and offer something that's very accessible to people that they can use whenever they feel like it what, whenever wherever they feel like it to bring more balance to improve the quality. And so I appreciate Dar. You're letting me come on your podcast and talk about... just promote meditation in general. I mean, even beyond….

Yes, I'm sure you inspired many of our listeners and myself included to be a little bit more consistent with my journaling. And I also enjoy having the prompts. So I want to encourage them if they've never done that kind of journaling. It sounds like your book is definitely the one to pick up. So thank you for spending time with us Sandra and this was just a delightful time with you. Thank you.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai