Mindfulness Practices: A Short Summary And Analysis

This source discusses the basis of mindfulness and the general aspects of mindfulness itself. This source will be used extensively throughout the paper to provide any necessary information regarding mindfullness. This book is the basis for mindfulness and will be used as so.

Based on the evidence, mindfulness could be expanded to be included in teaching individuals not only intrapersonal skills but also the

To understand the effects of mindfulness meditation we first must understand how it is practiced and what the purpose of this practice is. Throughout my research I have found many definitions of mindfulness meditation. Three of which I found to be helpful when understanding the research conducted on the psychological effects of mindfulness meditation. One article described it as “Generally defined to include focusing one’s attention in a nonjudgmental or accepting way on the experience occurring in the present moment”. (BELLIN, ZVI J 221) Another article described the practice as “A process that leads to a mental state characterized

Mindfulness is an incredible skill, it is a practice that is taking the world by storm and helping more and more people live in their present.

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).

Mindfulness has slowly crept into modern day America and has become commonly thought as unattached from its Buddhist origin. In order to attract customers and adherents, writers and teachers of mindfulness separated it from Buddhism. Secular practitioners still benefit from mindfulness, not as a religious meditative ritual, but as a concentration and thinking technique that can improve their wellbeing and efficiency. Even if mindfulness is used as an improved thinking tool and health practice, it remains linked to the Buddhist religion and ideals, and a clear ignorance of that relationship is wrong no matter the benefits. The appropriation of mindfulness into secular America also definitely waters down core Buddhist principles such as the

There are many reasons why you might feel like your efforts to incorporate mindfulness into your life haven't worked for you. Here are some common mistakes that interfere with successful mindfulness practice followed by effective ways to avoid and overcome these obstacles.

In terms of stress reduction, mindfulness refers to the development of skills “characterized by a nonjudgmental awareness, openness, curiosity and acceptance of internal and external present experiences” (Chiesa & Serrety, 2009. p. 593). The constant practice of mindfulness exercises accounts for the reduction of stress. In their review of ten articles relevant to the effectiveness of mindfulness practices on stress reduction (MBSR), Chiessa and Serretti, (2009) found a significant positive effect of mindfulness practices compared to no treatment, in reducing stress levels in healthy people. MBSR is a psychoeducational group intervention (Cadwell et al, 2010), where participants receive formal training in various

The second stated “long-term meditators would show superior performance to short-term meditators”. And the third stated “concentrative meditators would be more subject to expectancy effects…mindfulness meditators would show superior performance relative to concentrative meditators when the stimulus was unexpected” (Valentine & Sweet, 1999, p. 63). Using the Wilkins’ Counting Test (a measure of sustained focused attention) the control group was placed in a classroom to perform the test while the meditation groups were tested post meditation sessions in a separate room. The test was comprised of a series of tones which each group was asked to count (the meditation groups were told there would be three rather than two sets). The results confirmed the three hypotheses, overall concurring the use of meditation leads to improved concentration with little difference between concentrative and mindfulness meditation (Valentine & Sweets, 1999).

(2015) states, “Stress costs American companies an estimated $200 billion to $300 billion in lost productivity each year, and research suggests that mindfulness could be an effective antidote.” According to Hansen (2012), many researchers have conducted tests with results suggesting that becoming mindful reduces stress, lowers blood pressure, and decreases depression and anxiety levels. Other benefits include the ability to build self-confidence as a leader (Smith, J.A, 2014). “The Benefits of Meditation,” (n.d) suggests that there are many physical and physiological benefits when an individual becomes mindful: the following lists are suggested

I learned by reading this article how much more there was to mindfulness than just being mindful of people’s emotions. It is amount being aware of everything in your life. To not let yourself becoming distracted by all of the technology in the world and to really just live in the moment and be totally locked into everything happening around you. The thing that I found the most surprising was the amount of science they had being mindful and how much they were pushing that part of it. They weren’t just trying to creating a FAD, but an actual science in making people feel better. I would be curious to know the numbers on how it helped the marines with stress disorder because that is really a situation in which it is as high stress as it gets.

Many people think that mindfulness meditation consists solely of sitting still and thinking about nothing for twenty or thirty minutes and are put off by the thought. In fact, mindfulness

Neuroscientist Richard Davidson of the Center for Investigating Health Minds also found that mindfulness changes how the brain functions. His studies found that mindfulness improves cognitive flexibility, creativity and innovation, well-being, emotional regulation, and empathy. Regular practice also improves attention (Mindful Brain staff, n.d.).

The primary research question that the paper is attempting to investigate is whether or not going under training to prevent mind wandering will help the mind to focus on the task on hand. The paper is investigating whether external distractions may be reduced with the use of a mindfulness training course. It is exploring whether decreasing external distractions to keep the mind concentrated on a task may improve and enhance cognitive performance.

In this paper, I will describe my initial thoughts about the practice of mindfulness and my development regarding practicing it. Furthermore, I will explore the idea of being a mindful therapist and how I am hoping to apply this with patients in the future.