How do you deal with the trance-like quality of immersion in the digital world?
Mindfulness invites us to live fully in an unpredictable real world where we have no control over what happens next. But in cyberspace, we can inhabit an entrancing virtual reality designed to make us feel competent, in control, and safe.
It should come as no surprise that, in our culture, immersion in cyber activities far outpace the interest in Mindfulness. But according to Tara Brach, author of Radical Acceptance and True Refuge, this seductively numbing cybertrance is not inescapable.
In this quick video with Networker Editor Rich Simon, she speaks—as a parent as well as a mindfulness practitioner—about her experience of challenging the cyberworld’s hold on her teenage son.
Rich Simon
Richard Simon, PhD, founded Psychotherapy Networker and served as the editor for more than 40 years. He received every major magazine industry honor, including the National Magazine Award. Rich passed away November 2020, and we honor his memory and contributions to the field every day.
Tara Brach
Tara Brach, PhD, is a clinical psychologist, an internationally known teacher of mindfulness meditation, and the founder of the Insight Meditation Community of Washington. She is author of bestselling Radical Acceptance and True Refuge, and leads accredited workshops for mental health professionals interested in integrating meditation into the practice of psychotherapy. Tara offers meditation retreats at centers in the United States and in Europe. Her podcasted talks and meditations are downloaded about a million times each month. In addition to her public teaching, Tara is active in bringing meditation into DC area schools, prisons and to underserved populations, and in activities that promote racial justice.
