Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction

Mindful based stress reduction is an eight week program that helps people with stress anxiety and many other forms of medical related conditions. This program was created in 1979 by Dr John Kabalt Zinn at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. This program is based on yoga and meditation technique. This treatment derives from ancient healing methods as well. This form of treatment is to develop to join the mind and body. Dr Zinn defines this technique as a way to become more mindful.The topic of choice I chose was to test the Effects of Mindful based stressed reduction in military veterans with post traumatic stress disorder and promoting psychological well being. Post traumatic stress disorder is a psychiatric disorder that has

Mindfulness is another way of meditation. Meditation was used to seek to improve one’s psychological or physical health, or spiritual growth. (Brantley, 2007). The history of Mindfulness comes from Buddhism and his search for enlightenment and a foundation of the four noble truths. The Buddha teaching focus on the four noble truths which consist of knowing suffering exists, there is a cause of suffering, there is cessation of suffering and there is a path that leads to the cessation of suffering. (Van Gordon, 2015). The four noble truths were not only there to represent the Buddha’s experiential understanding of suffering, but also to express the truth (Van Gordon, 2015). Studies of Buddhism and the Four Noble Truths teach us that there is always going to be suffering in our life but to find ways to overcome suffering (Tsering, 2005).

Over the past decade, mindfulness based stress reduction training has gained some popularity. This is due to the positive effects the program has brought to different disorders The program focuses on heightening awareness and attention while making automatic cognitive processes more voluntary (Cassone, 2013). Mindfulness-based stress reduction training is a program which is a combination of mindfulness meditation, yoga, tai chi, and qigong (Siegal, 2007). Mindful-based stress Reduction training has many positive benefits for people who suffer with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder because, the treatment helps reduce symptoms association with the disorder. This paper will discuss the symptoms and prevalence of ADHD. Also, included will

MBCT is commonly used in studies as a comparison tool against other treatments to determine which is more effective for that situation. MBCT has been commonly combined or compared with other psychotherapies such as Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). The different psychotherapies each incorporate mindfulness in a different manner. Each practice places emphasis in different areas such as the validation of an individual’s skills used in DBT, or the idea of self-regulation used in MBSR. Combining the primary components of MBSR and cognitive therapy prompted the development of MBCT (Beckerman & Corbett, 2009). MBCT is an eight-week group-training program that

In “Randomized Controlled Trial of Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction for Prehypertension” by Hughes, Fresco, Myerscough, Dulmen, Carlson, & Josephson (2013) 56 patients aged 30- 60 with un-medicated pre-hypertension were randomized into two groups; the experimental group practiced mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) teqniques, and the control group practiced progressive muscle relaxation (PMR). (Hughes et al.2013) Program consisted of 8 group sessions 2.5 hours long each to receive instruction and practice assigned relaxation activities, participants were instructed to practice the exercises for 45 minutes per day 6 days per week using the provided audio guided version of the exercises. (Hughes et al.2013) Each group was encouraged to bring the learned practice to their normal daily activities as well. MBSR consisted three mindfulness skills the body scan, sitting meditation, and yoga.

Meditations have massive advantages for overall wellness and stress management. While there are lots of different meditations that are powerful, each brings something unique, and some meditations may feel less uncomfortable for you than others. The meditations that feel right will be the ones to try, as those really are the ones you are going to continue to practice. The following are some of the most popular, successful, and gratifying meditations for stress relief; see which kind of meditation, and attempt several works best for you. Afterward practice often and let your lifetime is transformed by your chosen meditations.

This essay is about the effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) in the treatment of depression. The purpose of this essay is to address the question, how mindfulness works to improve mental health when used as part of psychological treatment? Firstly, a brief overview is given about what depression is and what the symptoms are, based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition (DSM-5). Secondly, It will discuss mindfulness, as it is defined in mental health treatments. The main body of this essay will cover a description of what MBTC is, where it comes from, how it works, and how this treatment is activated in mindfulness based therapies. The final section will review three studies that have used MBCT in the treatment of depression.

Retirement is one of the major life crises.1 Post-retirement depressive symptoms and stress generate from moving to a new place cause a higher incidence rate of mental health issues among the residents living in a retirement community.2 Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn (1990) is promoting a positive and non-judgement thinking combined with mindfulness meditation practice to help reducing stress and learning skills to cope with daily events. Thus, the purpose of the randomized control trial is to investigate the effectiveness of MBSR program among older adult living in a retirement community.

“So although there was a psychiatric term for depression in Japan, utsubyo, what it described was a mental illness that was as chronic and devastating as schizophrema” (516). In the Japanese view, utsubyo is dangerous which would make people lose confidence to hold their job or have a normal behavior. The meaning of utsubyo is easily transferred the Japanese conception that how their culture shapes the illness experience. However, in American’s view, the Japanese have the wrong interpretation of depression but they find out that in Japan, the small percentage of doctors would prescribe the drug to the patients and also to the small percentage of patients would be interested in taking it. As Watters’ observes, “for the small percentage of the population diagnosed with a debilitating mental illness, long hospital stay were the norm,. The average stay in a mental hospital in Japan was over a year, versus just ten days in the United States” (516). Because of the different cultural cognizes, Japanese and American have different solution to deal with the mental illness. On the other hand, talk therapy is nonexistent in the Japan but normally in America. In the West, the definition of depression tends to sadness. However, the Japanese see the depression as mental pressure of their job and personal relationships. Due to this, the different cultural communities also have different attribution

Once the participants learn the mindfulness techniques they can practice them on their own time and at their leisure. The MBSR program can be applied as a course in a university, college, or trade school curriculum. It can be applied on the job, offered as an opportunity for the agency’s workers to learn about stress reduction and as a safe space to practice mindfulness. Mental health professionals are not the only ones who can benefit from this program, as stress reduction can be beneficial to individuals from all occupations and walks of life.

Mindfulness meditation is a form of meditation that has been prevalent for thousands of years, and is only becoming increasingly more popular. “Over the past decade, neuroscientists like myself have become increasingly interested in studying how meditation affects the brain and body. The number of studies conducted per year in this new field of contemplative science is rising exponentially, with more than 200 studies published last year alone,” (Hasenkamp). It’s a form of meditation in which a person builds a practice of awareness, intentionally focuses their attention on the present moment, and accepts whatever the present moment brings, without any judgment.

The primary topics I experienced this week included: mindfulness, stress, and the environment. This experience presented an introduction into self-discovery and the affects that the environment positions on an individual’s ability to acquire mindfulness. This consumption rests alleviated with the support of meditation, which taught me the importance of erasing distractions and concentration this week. Though meditation, individuals remain qualified to appreciate the simplest forms of life – breaths and movement. Individuals exist so apprehensive with meeting the requirements and expectations of an ideal life that they ignore the aspects of life they keep them alive. Without the simplicity of these forms, the complexities of life would not endure.

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).

As a result of practicing mindfulness I was able to understand that it is important to think about the here and now principle when performing an activity. I learned to disconnect myself from social media when doing everyday activities, or to be focused on what I am doing at that time. In the past I would perform certain tasks while listening to music or watching TV, as a result I would not enjoy the activities completely because my attention was divided in two different things. However, because of the mindfulness log, I learned to prioritize what I am doing at that moment. For example, I learned that I should not worry about small things that can interfere with my happiness, and on the other hand, to enjoy each moment in my life. When I did the star gaze activity I was able to spend time with myself, and I enjoyed my solitude, I think it had been a while since I had not been by myself, and I relaxed by appreciating what nature gives us. After experiencing relaxation through the practice of Yoga, I incorporated it into an everyday routine, and I have learned to relax and relieve myself from stress. With the help of each activity I learned to enjoy life to the fullest.

Family is where your heart grows the most. Being away from them can make you feel stressed. There are ways to cope with this stress through the techniques of mindfulness. Mindfulness is being aware of the world around you and adjusting your mind to peace within. Being away from my family is my number one stressor. I have been away from my family for a few weeks, but never four years. I know that I can go home to visit, but my schedule for the upcoming semester looks tight, unless it’s for a break. I feel like I’m missing out on what will be happening with my family. There are a lot of family outings but I’ll be in college making them proud. I don’t want to be away for so long and come back home on a break and be a stranger to my family