Mindfulness Chapter 4 Summary

The concept of mindfulness has its origins in Eastern spiritual meditation practices. Instructions on the principles and practice of mindfulness are at the heart of the teachings of the Buddha (Thera, 1962; Gunaratana, 1992; Hanh, 1999). Mindfulness involves “paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally” (Kabat-Zinn, 2013, Introduction section, para. 6). The practice of mindfulness focuses on observing and accepting thoughts and emotions as they are without trying to change them. Mindfulness helps the individual to be fully aware of the present moment, without being carried away by thoughts and emotions, without succumbing to an automatic pattern of reaction. Following his own spiritual

On our first day of eighth grade, we were introduced to the word mindfulness. According to Jon Kabat-Zinn (the founder of modern day mindfulness), “Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way; On purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally.” Mindfulness involves a conscious direction of awareness about everything that is happening around you. But, there is a difference of being aware of something to being mindful about something. To be mindful, you have to be purposely aware of something, not just vaguely aware.

The hypothesis is projected that mindfulness interventions will alter and improve the way the teachers score the students and perceive their behaviors as well as the students’ ability to improve academically and behaviorally when extended interventions take place. It is suggested that mindfulness training serves as a benefit to the students as well as the teachers in that it will train the teachers to conduct their classes in a certain manner as well as train students to practice a mindset that is conducive to formulating what is a non-disruptive learning environment to both teacher and student.

In the United States, major depressive disorder (MDD) is listed as one of the most common mental health disorders (NIMH). Medication, such as antidepressants are effective in treating depressive symptoms in the short run but not in the long run (El-Mallakh, Gao & Roberts, 2011). The acknowledged importance for mindfulness intervention in treating depression has gained attention in the recent years. Mindfulness refers to the conscious state in which an individual focuses on experiencing the present moment (Brown & Ryan, 2003). In the practice of mindfulness, exercises such as meditation techniques, breathing techniques, postures and more are used to facilitate the moment-to-moment experience (Kabat-Zinn, 2005). Some preliminary evidence supports mindfulness therapy for treating depressed mood (Manicavasgar, Parker & Perich, 2011; Kuyken et al., 2008; Mathew, Whitford, Kenny, et al., 2010). In particular, mindfulness therapy has shown an equivalent level of depression relapse prevention as maintenance antidepressant drug (Piet & Hougaard, 2011).

God wants us to live in the present because of how, as Screwtape has said, an intersection of our time with eternity. What this means is that by being in the present, we realize how we are in the presence of God. Living in the Future means to focus of our own future well being while living in the present means to be grateful of the things that are and focus on not only our own well being but of others. Only in the present can we truly see God.

Mindfulness practitioners and teachers have been coming forth with the consequences of teachers with minimal training. Some National Health Service (NHS) trusts have been persuading health professionals to teach mindfulness after only going through one round, 8-weeks, of these Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy practices. Lokhadi Lloyd, for example, is an experienced psychotherapist and mindfulness meditation teacher in London and has brought up these problems. Generally, when some people practice, things can get undesirable before desired outcomes surface. With less training being required of a teacher, they are not as prone to help those practicing under them in a beneficial way. Dr. Farias also agrees

Mindfulness should be a basic human quality. When I observe those people in the group, I once took part of, that are completely unaware of not only themselves but everything around them with their lack of manners and obtuse sense of presence; I feel as if it drops all meaning of humanities feats and leads it down an endless spiral of abhorrent barbarity. Once could not even imagine the abundance of obliviousness mixed with the absence of common humanistic qualities, that at first may not be readily apparent. These people hold a complete lack of basic human qualities in which to think about the emotions and feelings of others, let alone themselves. Only going out of their way to do something if they get a tangible benefit. Such ungratefulness

Burnout is commonly found in intensive care personnel. Many studies in recent years showing that mindfulness-based group intervention is effective in reducing stress and burnout in healthcare professionals; however, only few studies have been on individual treatment of burnout among geriatric healthcare professionals in Chinese population. The case illustration and analysis in this study examine the application of individual mindfulness-based intervention to alleviate burnout in geriatric healthcare providers in Hong Kong nursing homes.

It is mindfulness that teaches us to listen-instead of merely talk-to our patients, recognize our strengths and our weaknesses, acknowledge our values and prejudices and own our mistakes. When we practice medicine mindfully we become more compassionate and more insightful; even better, our mindfulness becomes a moral compass that directs us to act professionally.

As we discussed in class, a few people had difficulty understanding mindfulness based on the definition. I experienced that same difficult as well. Based on my understanding from class, “Mindfulness” is being fully present wherever you are. Basically, being aware of your surroundings, such as the dog being aware of the trees in the illustration photo. Often times, we are like the human in the photo. We have a mind full of different thoughts not mindful. We think about everything that has happen to us or what we are going to eat tonight for dinner, which takes our minds of the things we should be mindful of. In addition, mindfulness is also about knowing yourself through having a deep understanding of yourself based on past experiences. I would

Mindfulness is gaining a growing popularity as a practice in daily life, apart from buddhist insight meditation and its application in clinical psychology.[32] In this context mindfulness is defined as moment-by-moment awareness of thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment, characterized mainly by "acceptance" - attention to thoughts and feelings without judging whether they are right or wrong. Mindfulness focuses the human brain on what is being sensed at each moment, instead of on its normal rumination on the past or on the future.[126]

Controlling attention, in an attempt to connect inner thoughts and feelings to external reality, is central to the enhancement of experiences that frame one’s perspective of the world. The emerging and continually developing idea of mindfulness is an area of interest to researchers, as it exemplifies the importance of awareness to the psyche of humans. Mindfulness is a multifaceted idea that asks for a demanding definition, as it is challenging to define the full scope of the concept precisely. There are two key components of mindfulness to consider: the identification of mindfulness practices as contributors to individual growth, as well as the direct involvement in these practices (Shennan, Payne, & Fenlon, 2011). There are varying perspectives

Learning mindfulness is a journey, often a life-long journey. And because this journey is a long one, really reflecting upon and establishing our own motivation helps sustain our practice over time. Mindfulness is an art, and as with any art, our skill is honed through consistent attention. Mindfulness requires a considerable investment in time - as well as courage, determination, and self-honesty. Though the practice brings much ease and joy, there will also be times when it can feel difficult or trying. We may wonder, “Why bother?” If we have a clear motivation, our intention to be mindful will be stronger from moment to moment and our whole practice will benefit as a

Studies reveal that success or failure in the performance of students in school is anchored on the students embracing the school culture. The manner in which students carry themselves is greatly influenced by the customs and competencies of their teachers. The wholesome development of the student cannot be separated with the prevailing environment at the institution of learning (Velki, 2016). This paper is a summary of an intuition of how educational leaders try to reclaim wholeness by exploring mindfulness. In a detailed account by the educational leaders, we get an insight on how they were able to incorporate mindfulness in their grueling careers and influence the success of their careers in impacting on the school culture and in turn improving the output of their students.

Mindfulness is a conscious mental state where one practices by focusing awareness on the present moment to an object, thought, or feeling. In recent years, mindfulness practices have been heavily emphasized in the western culture as the way to happiness and a better sense of well-being in a dramatically increasing trend. Neuroscientist Dr. Willoughby Britton, Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, among many others, have researched and concluded many of their findings on mindfulness. The rise in popularity of mindfulness shows immense promotion to its benefits for most; nevertheless, there are nascent findings revealing critique of this practice which show some people who are experiencing negative repercussions. (In this paper I argue - thesis statement, based on this.. This is what I think) The goal of this paper is to examine the effects on the lives of those who have practiced mindfulness by comparing pleasant and unpleasant experiences through research and more research is needed. ____ and ____ have provided evidence that mindfulness is not an essential component of life that needs to be practiced by all people, consequently, due to those who have revealed their negative experiences.