Welcome to Living Well with MS, where we are pleased to welcome Melanie Lown as our guest. Melanie is a mindfulness teacher, has an M.A. in Psychology, and follows the Overcoming MS Program. She talks to Geoff about her MS diagnosis, the power of mindfulness and the importance of self-compassion.
Watch this episode on YouTube here.
01:30 Melanie’s introduction and MS diagnosis.
03:58 Balancing self-advocacy with compassion for healthcare professionals.
07:07 Using a diagnosis to discover your purpose.
09:48 Discovering Overcoming MS.
12:02 Our lived experience is as valid as datasets.
13:29 DMTs and COVID.
16:31 The growing popularity of mindfulness in Western medicine.
21:45 Meditation physically changes the brain.
23:33 Depression and spiritualism are opposite sides of the same neural pathway.
27:54 The awakened brain vs. the achieving brain.
29:39 Activating the parasympathetic nervous system with self-compassion.
33:39 Emotions are not ‘good’ or ‘bad’.
35:44 Mindfully choosing your healthcare team and treatment.
42:22 Tips to incorporate mindfulness into your lifestyle.
47:54 Non-judgmental awareness.
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