neuroskill-protocols-mindfulness

# Mindfulness Protocols *(This is a domain sub-skill of the neuroskill-protocols repertoire. For the personalisation engine, API integration guide, modality router, and matching guidance, see the parent [neuroskill-protocols](../neuroskill-protocols/SKILL.md) skill. For evidence collection rules, see [neuroskill-evidence](../neuroskill-evidence/SKILL.md).)* ## FORMAL MINDFULNESS PRACTICES **Noting Practice** → high mental chatter, rumination, low `focus`, inability to disengage from thoughts Label each experience as it arises: "thinking", "hearing", "feeling", "planning", "remembering". The label creates distance from the content. ◈ *Beginner:* Use broad categories only (thinking / feeling / sensing). ◈ *Advanced:* Add granularity — "judging", "anticipating", "resisting", "wanting". ◈ *Child:* "Name what your brain is doing like a nature narrator — 'now it's worrying, now it's daydreaming!'" ◈ *Non-verbal variant:* Instead of labeling, gently nod internally at each experience — acknowledge without words. 🔧 *API:* Before: `status` → snapshot `focus`, `bar`, `lzc`, `label "protocol start: noting" --context "focus=X, bar=X, lzc=X"`. During: poll `status` every 60s — `focus` should stabilise, `lzc` should rise as meta-awareness develops. After: `label` with deltas. Longitudinal: `compare` noting sessions vs breath-counting — noting often outperforms for rumination-prone users. **Mindful Breathing (Awareness, Not Control)** → stress, autopilot mode, need to ground, moderate `bar` Observe the breath exactly as it is — do not regulate, count, or shape it. Notice temperature at nostrils, rise and fall of chest/belly, pauses between breaths. ◈ *Key distinction from breathwork:* Zero effort to change the breath. If it's shallow, let it be shallow. ◈ *Anchor point options:* Nostrils (sharpest sensation), belly (easiest for beginners), whole-body breathing (advanced). ◈ *Breath-averse:* Observe heartbeat or ambient sounds instead — same principle of non-reactive observation. 🔧 *API:* Track `relaxation`, `rel_alpha`, `bar`. Unlike breathwork protocols, expect gradual rather than rapid shifts — the mechanism is attentional, not physiological. `label` with anchor point used. **Sitting Mindfulness (Full Spectrum)** → daily practice, building equanimity, moderate-to-advanced practitioners Structured sitting in layers: breath (5 min) → body sensations (5 min) → sounds (5 min) → thoughts and emotions (5 min) → choiceless awareness (5 min). ◈ *Shorter version:* Pick 2–3 layers, 3 min each. ◈ *Difficulty with thoughts layer:* Treat thoughts as sounds — they arise, have a texture, and fade. 🔧 *API:* `dnd_set enabled:true`. `say` layer transition cues. Track metric shifts across layers — `focus` typically peaks in breath layer, `lzc` peaks in choiceless layer. `label` each transition for granular session analysis. --- ## INFORMAL MINDFULNESS (DAILY LIFE) **Mindful Eating** → rushed meals, stress eating, cravings, disconnection from hunger/satiety One meal or snack with full attention: observe colour, texture, smell before tasting. Chew slowly (20+ chews). Notice flavour changes, swallowing impulse, satiety signals. ◈ *Minimum viable:* First three bites of any meal, fully attended. ◈ *Social meals:* Alternate — one mindful bite, then conversation, repeat. ◈ *Child:* "Be a food detective — what's the secret flavour hiding in this bite?" 🔧 *API:* `label "mindful eating start"` and `label "mindful eating end"` to bracket. Compare `bar` and `relaxation` during mindful vs rushed meals over time. **Mindful Listening** → interpersonal stress, poor attention in conversations, high `bar` during meetings Listen to another person (or ambient sounds) without planning a response, judging, or drifting. Just receive. ◈ *Conversation:* Let 1 full second of silence pass after they finish before responding. ◈ *Sound-based solo:* Sit and identify all distinct sounds in your environment, one at a time. ◈ *Music variant:* Listen to one song as if hearing it for the first time — track individual instruments. 🔧 *API:* Track `focus`, `bar`. `label` with context (conversation/ambient/music). **Mindful Walking** → autopilot commuting, restlessness, afternoon energy dip Walk at normal pace but place attention on: feet contacting ground, leg muscles, air on skin, peripheral vision. ◈ *Distinction from walking meditation:* Normal speed, normal context (commute, hallway). Not a separate practice — a way of being while walking. ◈ *Micro-version:* Be fully present for just 10 steps. Then allow autopilot. Repeat throughout the day. 🔧 *API:* `label "mindful walking" --context "location, duration"`. Compare `focus` snapshots during vs after. **Mindful Transitions** → context-switching fatigue, high `bar` between tasks, scattered attention At every natural transition (finishing an email, leaving a room, starting a meal), pause for 3 breaths and arrive in the new moment. ◈ *Digital:* Before opening a new app or tab, pause and ask "what am I looking for?" ◈ *Doorway practice:* Every time you walk through a doorway, feel your feet for one step. 🔧 *API:* Set up a `hook` — when `bar` spikes after sustained `focus` drops (context switch detected), `say "Pause — take three breaths before the next thing"`. `label` transitions for pattern analysis. --- ## STRUCTURED MINDFULNESS FRAMEWORKS **STOP Practice** → acute reactivity, emotional hijack, impulse to act, sudden `bar` spike **S**top what you're doing. **T**ake one breath. **O**bserve (body, thoughts, emotions). **P**roceed with awareness. Total time: 15–30 seconds. ◈ *Before emails:* STOP before hitting send on any emotionally charged message. ◈ *Conflict:* STOP before responding to provocation. ◈ *Child:* "Freeze like a statue, take a dragon breath, look around, then go." 🔧 *API:* Ideal for hooks: `hooks_suggest` → trigger STOP when `bar` spikes above threshold within 10s. `say "STOP. One breath. What do you notice?"`. `label "STOP practice" --context "trigger, bar level"`. **RAIN (Recognize, Allow, Investigate, Nurture)** → difficult emotions, resistance, self-judgment, emotional avoidance **R**ecognize what's happening ("I notice anxiety"). **A**llow it to be there without fixing. **I**nvestigate with curiosity — where in the body? what does it need? **N**urture with self-compassion — hand on heart, kind inner voice. ◈ *Stuck at Allow:* Say "This too belongs" or "It's OK to feel this." ◈ *Stuck at Investigate:* Ask "If this feeling had a shape/colour/temperature, what would it be?" ◈ *Stuck at Nurture:* Ask "What would I say to a friend feeling this?" 🔧 *API:* Track `valence`, `bar`, `faa`, `relaxation`. `say` each RAIN step as a prompt with pauses. After: `label "RAIN" --context "emotion, valence delta, bar delta"`. Longitudinal: `search-labels "RAIN"` to see which emotions recur and whether response patterns improve. **5-4-3-2-1 Grounding** → dissociation, derealization, panic, overwhelm, very high `bar` Name: 5 things you see, 4 you hear, 3 you touch, 2 you smell, 1 you taste. Forces sensory present-moment contact. ◈ *Simplified:* Just "name 3 things you see and 2 you hear" if full sequence is too much. ◈ *Eyes-closed variant:* 5 body sensations, 4 sounds, 3 textures within reach, 2 temperatures, 1 taste. ◈ *Child:* Make it a game — "Quick! Spot 5 blue things!" 🔧 *API:* `say` each prompt with pauses. Track `bar` — should drop rapidly across the sequence. `label "grounding 5-4-3-2-1" --context "bar start=X, bar end=X"`. **Three-Minute Breathing Space (MBCT)** → mid-day reset, between meetings, cognitive overwhelm Minute 1: Awareness — "What is my experience right now?" (thoughts, feelings, sensations). Minute 2: Gathering — narrow attention to breath at belly. Minute 3: Expanding — widen attention to whole body and posture. ◈ *Origin:* Core practice from Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT). ◈ *Calendar integration:* Schedule 2–3 per day as recurring calendar events. 🔧 *API:* `dnd_set enabled:true`. `say` each minute transition. `timer 3m`. Track `focus` and `bar` across the three phases. `label "3-min breathing space"`. After: `notify "Breathing space complete"`. --- ## MINDFUL AWARENESS OF THOUGHTS **Thought Defusion** → rumination, catastrophizing, over-identification with thoughts, low `valence` Observe thoughts as mental events, not facts. Techniques: - "I notice I'm having the thought that..." (prefix) - Visualize thoughts as leaves on a stream, clouds passing, or train cars going by - Say the anxious thought in a cartoon voice (breaks identification) ◈ *Key insight:* The goal is not to stop thinking. It's to change your relationship to thinking. ◈ *Repetitive thought:* Count how many times the same thought arises in 5 minutes — the counting itself creates distance. 🔧 *API:* Track `bar`, `valence`, `rel_beta` (high beta often correlates with ruminative loops). `label "thought defusion" --context "theme, repetition count, valence shift"`. **Awareness of Impermanence** → attachment, clinging to states, frustration that "it's not working" During any practice, notice that every sensation, thought, and emotion changes on its own. Nothing you observe stays constant for more than a few seconds. ◈ *Practice:* Watch a single body sensation closely — notice it pulse, shift, fade, return. ◈ *Meta-application:* When meditation "isn't working", notice that even that judgment is impermanent. 🔧 *API:* Real-time EEG makes impermanence visible — `status` snapshots 60s apart always differ. `say "Notice: your brain state just shifted. Nothing stays."` Use metric variance itself as a teaching tool. --- ## COMPASSION-BASED MINDFULNESS **Self-Compassion Break (Kristin Neff)** → self-criticism, shame, perfectionism, failure response Three phrases: "This is a moment of suffering" (mindfulness). "Suffering is part of life" (common humanity). "May I be kind to myself" (self-kindness). ◈ *Physical anchor:* Both hands on heart, or one hand on heart and one on belly. ◈ *Personalize:* Replace third phrase with what you most need to hear right now. 🔧 *API:* Track `valence`, `bar`, `faa`. `say` each phrase with 10s pauses. `label "self-compassion break" --context "trigger, valence delta"`. **Equanimity Practice** → reactivity to pleasant/unpleasant, emotional volatility, high `valence` variance Notice pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral experiences arising. For each: "This too is impermanent. I don't need to chase or push away." ◈ *Body-based:* Scan for pleasant sensations (warmth, comfort) and unpleasant ones (tension, itch) — hold both with equal attention. 🔧 *API:* Track `valence` stability over session. Equanimity practice should narrow valence variance. `compare` sessions to verify. --- ## MINDFULNESS IN DIFFICULT MOMENTS **Urge Surfing** → cravings, addictive impulses, compulsive checking, digital addiction triggers When an urge arises, don't act on it or fight it. Observe it as a wave: it builds, peaks, and naturally subsides (usually within 15–20 minutes). ◈ *Track the intensity:* Rate 1–10 every 2 minutes. Watch the number fall. ◈ *Body location:* Where is the urge felt physically? Chest tightness? Restless hands? ◈ *Digital:* When reaching for phone, pause and surf the urge for 60 seconds before deciding. 🔧 *API:* `timer` for 15 min. Poll `status` every 2 min — track `bar` and `focus`. `label "urge surfing" --context "urge type, peak intensity, duration until subsided"`. Longitudinal: `search-labels "urge surfing"` to identify patterns. **Mindful RAIN for Pain** → chronic pain, acute discomfort, pain-related anxiety Apply RAIN specifically to physical pain: Recognize the pain. Allow it without bracing. Investigate — where exactly? what quality (sharp/dull/throbbing/burning)? does it have edges? Nurture — breathe warmth toward the area, soften surrounding muscles. ◈ *Key:* Separate the sensation from the narrative ("this will never end", "something is wrong"). ◈ *Discovery:* Pain often has texture and movement when closely observed — it's rarely the solid block it seems. 🔧 *API:* Track `bar`, `stress_index`. Pain-related anxiety (`bar`) often drops faster than the pain itself. `label "mindful pain" --context "location, quality, bar delta"`. --- ## SESSION DESIGN GUIDELINES | Context | Protocol | Duration | |---|---|---| | Acute reactivity | STOP or 5-4-3-2-1 | 15–60 sec | | Mid-day reset | Three-Minute Breathing Space | 3 min | | Daily informal | Any informal practice (eating, walking, transitions) | Varies | | Daily formal | Mindful breathing → noting or sitting mindfulness | 10–20 min | | Emotional difficulty | RAIN or Self-Compassion Break | 5–15 min | | Craving/impulse | Urge Surfing | 10–20 min | | Deepening practice | Sitting mindfulness (full spectrum) | 20–45 min | **Integration rule:** Formal practice builds the skill. Informal practice is where the skill lives. Prioritize weaving mindfulness into daily activities over adding more cushion time. **Attitude foundations:** All practices rest on: non-judging, patience, beginner's mind, trust, non-striving, acceptance, letting go. When practice feels forced, return to these. ---