Annotated Bibliography: Mindful-Based Approaches

In the late 19th century, a civil officer by the name of Thomas William Rhys Davids was put in charge of judging Buddhist ecclesiastical disputes. He became familiar with the language of the Theravada Buddhists, and thereafter went on to translate the Buddhist concept of sati into English as “mindfulness”(1). In the modern West, mindfulness is often spoken of as a secular term used to describe the practice of bringing one’s attention to experiences occurring in the present moment; thus expectantly making them more “mindful” of various aspects their lives; whether it be relationships, thoughts, or actions. The intensely studied psychological benefits behind mindfulness—which have become a focal point in its Westernized

Mindfulness is a yoga practiced used to self-assess for awareness in the present moment (Leland, 2015) When practiced in the moment, mindfulness has been shown to reduce the negative effects of excessive worry, in the moment, and self-doubt (Jennings & Jennings, 2013). Mindfulness is an important component of Eastern religions but has been used in schools to help students increase their awareness of their focus and anxieties in an attempt to overcome them. In the classroom, the purpose of mindfulness is not an attempt to permanently move mountains, but rather to find a way around the stumbling block in the mental path.

Mindfulness-based interventions (MBI) piqued the Western world’s interests through; its beneficial capabilities in stress reduction while enhancing the practitioner’s overall well-being.  Margaret Cullen’s suggests MBI programs have created this lineage for a new American Dharma (p.190). This emerging trend incorporates Eastern philosophies and practices, in secularized settings, so that practitioners learn to incorporate these foundations in coping with their emotional, psychological, and physical challenges. In this context, the practice has the capability to liberate the mind from greed, hatred, and delusion (187). This involves a non-devotional space, that teaches “Brahma viharas, sampajanna and appamada, and suggests a very particular

Mindfulness is a relatively new phenomenon to the Western world although has been practiced in other countries across the world for thousands of years as a form of meditation. Thought to have first been introduced before Buddhism thousands of years ago, mindfulness was taught to Buddha as a way of alleviating suffering. Today, mindfulness focuses on helping people in secular ways to develop skills that can be used in daily life and

Mindfulness is a concept that emerged thousands of years ago within Buddhist mediation practices, but only recently has become popular as a meditative technique (Roberts & Danoff-Burg, 2010). Mindfulness can be defined as, “a way of paying attention, moment-to-moment and a non-judgmental awareness focusing on the experiences of the present moment” (Roberts & Danoff-Burg, 2010, p.165). The Eastern world suggests mindfulness can be attained through regular practices of meditation, and by embracing our thoughts, emotions and body sensations (Roberts & Danoff-Burg, 2010). In the general population today, any individual can practice mindfulness with little to no experience of meditation. Multiple studies have found greater mindfulness to be associated with perceptions of better physical and psychological health (Berndt, 2002; Harlow, 1983; Carmody & Baer, 2008; Chang et al., 2011;

Through this log I have discovered how much mindfulness can affect my life. Doing just six straight days of doing a single five-minute endeavour of mindfulness, I noted that I went to sleep better, my mood was generally more positive and mindfulness as the first activity in the morning made me feel refreshed and awake instantly each day. was only by feeling less stressed and tired, I realised how drained and high-strung I felt on a regular basis. I may return to the five-minute meditations because that feels more appropriate for a daily practice, another adaption I may make is that I will trade listening to a guided meditation or silence, I may listen to classical music.

Being a certified mindfulness professional who has personally taught thousands I often get questions about Mindfulness and Meditation especially from people looking for a natural solution to many of today's common ailments.

Mindfulness is the human ability of awareness, to be present in where we are and what we are doing and not overreacting to surrounding situations. Mindfulness is naturally possessed, but readily available if we practice it daily. As a continual practice, mindfulness can help transform suffering to bring happiness to ourselves and others alike. Growing research shows that when you train your brain to be mindful, you’re actually remodeling the physical structure of the brain. Mindfulness can put space between ourselves and our reactions, conditioning the way we respond throughout the day. Some basics of mindfulness are; setting aside some “quiet time,” observing the present moment as it is, let all judgments roll by, returning the present moment,

First, Lykins and Baer (2009) examined psychological differences between long-term practitioners of mindfulness meditation and demographically similar non-meditators, which highlighted the benefits of utilizing mindfulness practice over time. The results from the study indicated that the meditators scored significantly higher on mindfulness and well-being, as well as reported

We alto often underestimate the reality of mindfulness. Countless of stressors will arise that presents itself to individuals in our society today. These stressors influence the climax of our restrictions in life on how much we can bare. Frequently, individuals lose sight of their emotions and reaction upon impulse rather than reasoning. To successfully obtain mindfulness, an individual must develop the ability to harness their consciousness while in their present surroundings. During this process, the individual becomes knowledgeable about their emotions, organize thoughts, and implement positive solutions. Thus, individuals acquire an increase of their self-confidence and become a resilient person.

The article provided a combination of the benefits of mindfulness that are empirically supported by different research. Mindfulness is defined as a moment-to-moment awareness of one’s experience without judgment. According to the article, it is viewed as a psychological state of awareness rather than a trait. Mentalization and intersubjectivity are some of the concepts that have similarities with mindfulness in a sense that mentalization also includes understanding of others, while intersubjectivity enables a sense of connection with others. Meditation, as a way to enhance mindfulness, causes different brain activity patterns such as the stimulation of the middle prefrontal brain. The benefits of mindfulness discussed in the article were divided into three: affective

I believe the mindfulness movement sprung from monastic requirements, rather than from academic psychology or practical medicine, even though

Mindfulness in therapy is putting your attention toward what you are experiencing currently in the present moment i.e. Feelings or emotions, without judging it. As well seeing and accepting things as they are without modifying them. This is something Buddhist monks have been doing for a very long time. The ancient Buddhist Monk used this tool to acquire what they consider “enlightenment”. Enlightenment in simple terms means extreme clarity and peace of mind.

While the origin of mindfulness meditation dates back at least 2,500 years ago branching from Buddhism (Wilson, 2014), its application in the healthcare setting is in its early stages as the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction program was developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD in 1979 at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center (Gotink, 2015). Nejati et al. (2015) explains that the MBSR Program is centered on judgment

The first experience that I thoroughly enjoyed and will be examining, is the insightful discussion and mindfulness meditative exercise conducted by the guest speaker, Bob McClure. Bob’s perceptive talk about the