Mindfulness And Openness

The purpose of this paper is to examine Positive Psychology Mindfulness, and the therapeutic application of Mindfulness in the treatment of dependency, specifically alcohol dependency. This paper will review some of the latest research in the field of Mindfulness, the results of therapeutic interventions, and the author’s personal experience in this field. The relationship between Positive Psychology and Mindfulness (Siegel, 2011) was the focus of a Harvard Health Publication “Positive Psychology, a Special Health Report from Harvard Medical School, is a guide to the concepts that can be helpful in finding well-being and happiness, based on the latest research.” Other authors have reported that the benefits include a reduction in rumination,

Adopted as the latest craze, mindfulness is more than just a passing fad. This meditation technique stretches back thousands of years in Eastern cultures. While it was once a technique used primarily by Buddhist monks, modern researchers have discovered some of the immense benefits of being mindful in every day life.

N.d.). The main purpose for creating this program was to assist patients that were more susceptible to the depression disorder and to make sure these people were able to stay healthy and on medication, if needed. Patterns created by the human mind is what makes people susceptible to repeat depression relapses in which the patient suffers from repeatedly thinking bad or horrible thoughts and feelings, uncontrollably. The course teaches mindfulness abilities that provide various ways to relate to another’s experience, puts a stop to harmful ways that patients feel and think, and prevents depression relapses. “MBCT is now recommended in the guidelines of the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) as a treatment of choice for people who have suffered three or more episodes of depression” (Cornwall, Mindfulness.

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;

Whether mindfulness plays a key role in participants healing and reductions in their addictions, this study says they do and I’m curious if the natural setting alone contributes to the most success. It is very cool to see a study being done on mindfulness and the potential it has to help people move past their suffering but I would like to see more evidence being put out to support the benefits associated with mindfulness and if it truly is effective. I actually talked to Keith about working up at Shunda and I’d really like to be hands on and involved in the work they are doing. I am also seeing some similarities in the readings that refer back to Buddhism and incorporating those teachings into our mindfulness practices which could heal us in the long

The original purpose of mindfulness in Buddhism.Santorellis,(1998)stated objective of mindfulness is to keep up awareness minute by minute, separating oneself from strong connection to beliefs, considerations, or feelings, in this way building up a more noteworthy feeling of passionate adjust and prosperity .

This type of specific meditation plays an instrumental role in helping the meditator come closer to their own mortality and slowly begin to separate from toxic notions of the self. Right mindfulness plays a significant role in bringing awareness to the transitory qualities of all feelings, thoughts, and things: “A monk lives observing the body as body… he lives observing feelings as feelings… mind as mind… mental qualities as mental qualities.” Additionally, mindfulness is traditionally seen as a “unique guard” that protects the body and the six senses from unwelcome states of mind that interfere with the larger practice of Buddhism. It is thought that right mindfulness creates a strong capacity to see emotions, thoughts, and urges for what they are, and to “not let them enter and overwhelm the mind.” At the core of traditional mindfulness is the goal of being able to see reality as it is, without distortion or mental trickery. With this strong mental framework, the many other aspects of Buddhism, including the Noble Eightfold Path, may be

The technique of mindfulness involves “attentional focus on present moment experience and an open, accepting, and non-judgmental attitude toward what unfolds in the present” (Newcombe & Weaver, 2016). This practice is derived from ancient Buddhist traditions. Those struggling with mood disorders being treated with the mindfulness technique are taught to have more compassion and empathy toward themselves as they work through their struggles. The technique of mindfulness trains patients to not be so harsh on themselves, allowing them to heal in an accepting environment. Kearney and Trull (2015) point out that mindfulness allows “greater acceptance of symptoms and how the symptoms can be experienced without severe avoidance” (p. 140). This

This can be done through instruction and practice, including mindfulness-based therapies (MBT). The goal of MBTs is to train participants to cope with experiences more effectively (Piet, Wurtzen, & Zachariae, 2012). Many of the programs that integrate MBT, through activities, such as walking and sitting meditation, body scan and yoga, aim to teach participants to embrace all sensations and emotions, rather than reverting to avoidance (Piet et al., 2012). The key advantage that MBTs provide is the acquired ability to allow experiences to happen in the present moment without the limitations of commentary and analytical thought (Piet et al., 2012). This ability is directed by the attention skills, which are offered to individuals that engage in mindfulness, thus permitting them to identify the incidence of impairing thoughts and feelings (Piet et al., 2012). As previously mentioned, intention is a key element to mindfulness, thus an integrated component of MBT is “loving kindness meditation,” which is intended to encourage the expression of compassion towards one’s self and others (Jones et al., 2013). Mindfulness gives individuals the opportunity to develop a sense of control over their life (Jones et al., 2013). Thus, it becomes evident that there are great implications of these therapies in the treatment of the medically

Siegel, Germer, and Olendzki (2009) present a systematic overview of mindfulness in their book chapter. The chapter covers basic contents of mindfulness, including its construct, Buddhist origins, practice forms, and implications in psychotherapy. Using the definition of Kabat-Zin (2003), the authors approach mindfulness as a practice of full, purposive, persistent, and nonjudgmental attention on present moment of life.

Modern clinical investigators and meditation teachers have offered different explanations of mindfulness (Baer, 2003; Bishop et al., 2004; Kabat-Zinn, 2003b; Salzberg & Goldstein, 2001). Baer (2003) believes that mindfulness is all about awareness, which has a considerable role in individuals’ well-being. Flammia and Sadri (2011) claim that “if we are aware of the requirement to be sensitive to and considerate of the alikeness among cultures, we will be more hopeful to accomplish the crucial movements to achieve the proficiency needed to communicate mindfully” (p. 104). Likewise, according to Kabat-Zinn (1994), mindfulness is ‘‘paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally” (p.4).

For the study’s purpose, MDD is separated into two different categories based on the age-of-onset: EOD and LOD.  Previous studies have indicated that EOD patients suffer more suicide attempts, irritability, sadness, childhood-onset anxiety disorders, neuroticism, and other atypical symptoms than LOD patients. Additionally, it has been found that EOD patients have a high familial risk of MDD. Though psychological and genetic correlations have been studied, little attention has been dedicated to the psychobiological differences between EOD and LOD in MDD.

Prescription of antidepressants and psychotherapy sessions demonstrated an increase in ART adherence. Mindfulness training (MT) involves redirecting attention, avoiding emotional reactions and developing skills of self-regulation. In comparison to a control group the group with an MT intervention had a decreased viral load on follow up suggesting increased adherence. Studies have shown that MT decreases anxiety, depression whilst improving sleep quality and cognitive function.

Mindfulness has enjoyed a massive growth in popularity in the past decade, both in the popular press and in the psychotherapy literature. Recently there has been several studies conducted on Mindfulness. Langer’s (1992) early conceptualization included mindfulness as a ‚state of conscious awareness...openness to novelty in which the individual actively constructs categories and distinctions. From this view mindfulness is a nearly effortful way of attending to the present moment, in contrast to the automatic, shallow processing of mindlessness. In a later conceptualization, Langer and Moldoveanu (2000) revised the definition of mindfulness to emphasize that it is a ‚process of drawing new distinctions, such that a perceiver experiences: greater sensitivity to one’s environment, more openness to new information, the creation of new categories for structuring perception, and enhanced awareness of multiple perspectives in problem solving (Langer & Moldoveanu,