The Path of Meditation
with Alex Gokce, MSW
and Katherine King, PsyD
(Host Spotlight)
Listen:
Show Notes:
Meditation is advertised to bring freedom from suffering, but if you are just starting out it can be hard to see how that could possibly happen. Sitting on the cushion can be painful, and sitting with your mind can be exhausting. And how do you know if you are even doing it "right"??
In this episode, Noble Mind hosts Kate and Alex share their ups and downs on the path of meditation. They discuss their early experiences trying to meditate and why they both struggled to establish a regular practice. They describe what they wish they had known about embodiment and compassion from the beginning, as well as the benefits that practice has offered them over time.
Key Takeaways
- The chronic pain condition that inspired Alex to start a meditation practice
- How Kate’s interest in spirituality and Buddhism served as her way in to meditation
- Why it’s difficult to establish a regular meditation practice
- How beginning meditators can get caught up in technique
- The challenge in understanding how meditation leads to freedom from suffering
- Why it’s useful to choose a coherent, extended meditation training from a particular school of thought
- What Kate and Alex wish they had known about embodiment when they started meditating
- How mindful self-compassion supports meditators in creating a warm, caring environment inside themselves
- How studying the science around meditation demystified the process for Alex
- The motivation to practice meditation that comes from experiencing genuine, authentic teachers
- Why it’s beneficial to practice meditation in a community
- How meditation develops self-acceptance and fosters compassion for others
Resources Mentioned
- Jon Kabat-Zinn
- Cambridge Insight Meditation Center
- Naropa Institute
- Shambhala
- Books by Alan Watts
- Transcendental Meditation
- Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse
- Insight Meditation Society
- Tibetan Buddhist Meditation
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
- Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy
- Center for Mindful Self-Compassion
- The Four Reminders of Buddhism
- Kristin Neff’s Mindful Self-Compassion Quiz
Disclaimer: Please note that the information shared in this podcast is strictly for educational purposes only, and is not intended as psychological treatment or consultation of any kind.
Recent Past Episodes:
Hosts:
Katherine King, PsyD
Katherine King, PsyD is a clinical psychologist and assistant professor of psychology at William James College. She was trained in evidence-based treatments within the Veterans’ Administration and has a private practice specializing in geropsychology. She is also a member of the Boston Shambhala Center Board of Directors, a vajrayana student of Buddhism, and has practiced meditation for over 20 years. Learn more about Kate at www.drkateking.com.
Alex Gokce, MSW
Alex Gokce, MSW has a master’s degree in social work from Salem State University and an undergraduate degree in Comparative Government from Harvard University. He has led psychotherapy groups on topics including mindfulness, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and mind-body approaches to pain management. He has co-led programs at the Boston Shambhala Center on the topics of trauma and self-compassion. His personal and professional interests center around the individual, societal and intergenerational impacts of trauma, as well as the sociocultural roots of interpersonal harm.
Visit Our Friends At...
The Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy is a non-profit organization dedicated to the education and training of mental health professionals in the integration of mindfulness meditation and psychotherapy.
