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. It is very interesting that in this chapter, Siegel, Germer, and Olendzki (2009) layout the common misunderstandings of mindfulness which are critical when mindfulness becomes a trend in not only psychotherapy, but also daily life currently. The authors list the common misconceptions of mindfulness, including: (1) having a
Teaching mindfulness might be thought to be simple, but in real sense it’s actually not easy to do effectively because one must first
Thich Nhat Hanh introduced the “Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings of Buddhism,” and these principles ultimately guide the audiences to see a different perception and the ways to deal with the hardships of everyday life. Throughout this article, humans’ minds will be closer to nature and help them to have a comfortable time in the modern life.
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).
This paper is about my experience with mindfulness based meditation and scientific inquiry of these experiences. Mindfulness based meditation is describes as technique used to cultivate nonreactive, non-judgmental and stable awareness of the present moment (Garland and Gaylord, 2009). The end goal is to sustain this meta-cognitive state for a long period of time. I practiced non-denominational form of mindfulness based meditation for the first time in my psychology class, which was devoted towards intellectual and experiential examination of meditation. The practice was conducted in a group it was instructed by our own professor and it begun at the end of class. There was one sessions per week and each session was structured meaning it was
With the acknowledgment of the root cause, I stood adept to search deeper and find acceptance. This meditation experience prompted the separation between my mindsets- positive and negative. Both of these mindsets entail different requirements to reach mindfulness, but with my increased knowledge, I can meet the
The principle of mindfulness is based on Zen Buddhism which can be problematic when mindfulness and acceptable are not based on Biblical truth (Tan, 2011, p. 247). Mindfulness principle is emerged from spirituality and religious beliefs and involves self-regulation of attention and adopting a particular orientation to event around an individual. Self-regulation is done through maintaining attention on the immediate experience which allows for an increased recognition of mental events in the present moment (Tan, 2011, p. 243).
Mindfulness practice has received immense attention in recent years. Specifically, mindfulness practice has been explored by professional athletes, from organizations attempting to improve productivity, and even politicians for stress reduction. Nevertheless, educators have begun to explore mindfulness practice effectiveness for enhancing educational, emotional, and behavioral outcomes for students. Fundamentally, mindfulness practice is established on spirituality principles that teach attention focusing. Moreover, the technique facilitates open communication regarding emotions and feelings. Thus, mindfulness practice aims to silence distractions of the mind while enhancing awareness. As a relatively new practice, it is
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.
Mindfulness meditation has been reported for generating long-term, positive psychological effects of individuals whom incorporate the practice as a routine in their daily lives. In recent years, psychotherapeutic programs have made advances in research proving reduction of symptoms in chronic, psychosomatic, and psychiatric disorders. Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) are two of many non religious programs designed to enhance an individual’s veridical perception and have a moment-to-moment understanding of their own mental processing. The practices are nonjudgmental and are meant to reduce negative effects of their disorder while improving vitality and coping (Grossman et al., 2004). An
Mindfulness is the word commonly use in meditation practice in Buddhist psychology. Two increasingly popular therapeutic practices using Buddhist mindfulness techniques are Jon Kabat-Zinn's Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR), (Kobat Zinn, 1990) and Marsha M. Linehan's dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), (Linehan, 1993). Other prominent therapies that use mindfulness include mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), (Segal Mark, 2002, Williams, Teasdale, 2002) and Steven C. Hayes’ Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). (Hayes, Steven, Kirk, Kelly, 2003). Chris Mace mentioned about mindfulness based stress reduction; the technique was developed for use in general hospitals with patients suffering from conditions that may be painful chronic, disabling or terminal (Chris Mace, 2007). But patients have to take their responsibility about their health when they follow the method of mindfulness. Mindfulness based eating awareness training represents an extension of MBSR and MBCT designed for people with binge eating disorder (Chris Mace 2007). This concept of Mindfulness basically came from The Discourse on the Establishing of Mindfulness (satipattāna sutta).
In this day and age practicing mindfulness has become more common in pop culture, but many eastern cultures have had mindful practice embedded in their culture for centuries. Some may achieve a mindful state of mind when they aware of the present moment, can calmly acknowledgment others feelings, and bodily sensations. Many people use in their everyday life to help them with physical and mental health issue they may have. Some benefits are reduced anxiety, improved sleep, OCD, reduce chronic may, and many more. However, researchers have said that over practicing mindful thinking could actually harm you more than it is helping you.
Mindfulness meditation can help clinicians in training become better therapist regardless of the therapeutic approach they use. In a study conducted in Germany both patients and psychotherapist in training participated in Zen meditation. The course that was offered included motionless sitting in the lotus position or half lotus position on a mediation pillow. The Zen training was directed meditation focusing on the breath and in part in silence without assistance (Grepmai, Mitterlehner, Lowe and Nickel, 2007). The patients were treated with a variety of skills and techniques from varying orientations such as individual therapy, gestalt therapy, art and music group therapy, indicative group therapy, sports therapy, kinesiotherapy and physical therapy to name a few.
During the last decade scientific interest in meditation and mindfulness has bloomed like a lotus flower. There are numerous studies demonstrating various positive outcomes of mindfulness meditation (MM). But, what is mindfulness? What are the mechanisms behind MM that help facilitate these positive outcomes including improved physical health, psychological well-being, and cognition? The concept of mindfulness has its roots in Buddhist philosophy and is a key element of Buddhist meditation practices. The word mindfulness derives from the Pali word Sati which can be found in early Buddhist scriptures like the Abhidhamma which is a compilation of Buddhist psychology and philosophy (Chiesa & Malinowski, 2011). The word Sati
I found it interesting that one of the purposes of this study was to determine if training teachers is necessary for implementing mindfulness curriculum and activities. It was determined that it was not necessary for a formal training on mindfulness techniques in order for it to be successfully used within the classroom. As a certified teacher, I have not received any formal training on mindfulness or mindfulness curriculum. However, after doing research on strategies and ways to implement mindfulness, I was able to successfully implement strategies in my classroom.
Before taking the class, and before really understanding the benefits of mindfulness, I must admit, I did not really take mindfulness exercises seriously. I tried a few exercises, led by a phone application, but I constantly wondered what these exercises were supposed to achieve. I always thought to myself, “I know what happens around me, being mindful is great, but specific exercises for this seemed exaggerated.”