Western Vs. Western Therapeutic Culture

The prolific success rates of mindfulness-based therapeutic techniques among the body of evidence only highlights how we can further incorporate mindfulness into not only psychological treatments, but also into our daily lives as preventative measures against unnecessary distress. The cognitive perceptual and interpretive control afforded via mindfulness practices seems to influence the appraisal of the situation at hand affects our reaction and response to it. The advantageous ability to objectively reflect on an issue before responding is not confined only to the realm of treating psychological symptoms.

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

Matousek and Dobkin conducted a very similar study to Lengacher. They looked at MBSR and how it may benefit those who participate in a program. Their study enrolled 59 women in an 8 week MBSR program. They completed questionnaires which pertained to outcomes (stress and depression) and process variables (mindfulness, coping skilled, coherence), before and after the program. The MBSR program used was for 8 weeks and designed by Kabat-Zinn. One instructor conducted the program to 5 different groups of 10-15 women per group; they met weekly for 2.5 hours for 8 weeks. They received a home practice manual and 4 compact-discs made by the instructor to teach body scan, sitting meditation, hatha yoga, and meditation involving visual imagery. The classes

Rooting back to its’ ancient times, meditation has been around for thousands of years, especially in the Eastern part of the world and has spread to the Western countries in early 1970s.

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

Dickinson, Friary and McCann (2016) state that Kabat-Zinn’s (2011, 1991) Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program is connected to mindfulness. Bishop et al (2004) claim that suggesting Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) as a means of treating people’s sufferings has significantly increased the clinical uses of mindfulness.

The bulk of literature examining the effectiveness of mindfulness consists of qualitative studies. Of those studies, the focus has been on how effective mindfulness interventions and therapies are for clients and not so much regarding mindfulness practices of clinicians and its implications.

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.

Mindfulness is a yoga practiced used to self-assess for awareness in the present moment (Leland, 2015) When practiced in the moment, mindfulness has been shown to reduce the negative effects of excessive worry, in the moment, and self-doubt (Jennings & Jennings, 2013). Mindfulness is an important component of Eastern religions but has been used in schools to help students increase their awareness of their focus and anxieties in an attempt to overcome them. In the classroom, the purpose of mindfulness is not an attempt to permanently move mountains, but rather to find a way around the stumbling block in the mental path.

In accordance with Cullen’s definition, to act, mindful requires a clear comprehension (sampajanna) and heedfulness (appamada), to avoid altering mental states of emotions. Together with, the mental capacity to monitor inherent attention. The mind then explores conscious awareness. In relation to the Buddha’s teachings, these eight-week MBSR programs, teach ethics through direct insight, placing emphasis on exploring behaviors that lead to suffering and those which lead to happiness. Through the application of the four foundations of mindfulness, teachers encourage practitioners to delve into deeper exploration and how to pay attention in cohort groups that inspire bonding and empathy. Nonetheless, the integrity of the ethics taught in mindfulness-based stress reduction programs is questioned. Cullen disputes these ethical concerns. Similarly, calls attention to, the challenges faced by said programs, much like teacher qualifications and the requirements needed to establish the legitimacy of an MBI. In addition, the emergence of support for the implementation of cohort contemplative programs in hospitals, business, and school

Mindfulness meditation is an alternative way to treat symptoms related to psychological disorders. Neuroscientists define meditation as a grouping of emotional and attentional training regimes developed to cultivate well-being and improve emotional regulation (Khusid & Vythilingam, 2016). Traditional cultures view meditation as a practice to train the mind to achieve spiritual and health benefits. Although there are many types of meditation, mindfulness meditation shows the most evidence for mental health (Khusid & Vythilingam, 2016). Khusid and Vythilingam (2016) describes mindfulness as the ability to maintain open, accepting, nonjudgmental awareness in each moment. Mindfulness meditation

Mindfulness meditation is referred to as mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, or MBCT. MBCT is increasing in popularity among new techniques in therapy around the globe. Studies have proven that mindfulness meditation can help to reduce daily turmoil such as depression, anxiety, and stress. It has been stated that “mindfulness is believed to promote good health, and many studies have associated mindfulness with decreases in depression and anxiety. (Good Therapy, 2016). There are many factors that cause one to experience depression, anxiety, or stress. During MBCT individuals are taught new techniques to control their emotions, which plays a big role in depression, anxiety, and stress.

Mindfulness is a Buddhist-based concept centered around self-awareness and acceptance that makes heavy use of meditation to achieve these goals (Hofmann 169–171). Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy adapts traditional cognitive–behavioral therapy to include the practices of mindfulness (Hofmann 170). Although a recent phenomenon, considerable research has been conducted in order to ascertain the efficacy of this new psychotherapy in treating anxiety and mood disorders. So far, the majority of research indicates that mindfulness-based cognitive therapy does indeed have positive effects on both anxiety and mood disorders (Bystritsky 38; Hofmann 169–183). Despite these assertions, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy has yet to become a regular form of treatment for mental illnesses (due in large part to its religious connotations), although it has slowly begun to be used more often in the treatment of anxiety disorders (Bystritsky 38; Hofmann

Life can be stressful with no end in sight. To some that can put them over the edge and need an out for all of their frustrations. An abundant of options are out there in today’s culture. One of those options is Transcendental Meditation. This technique involves one to become fully immersed in the spiritual world. It takes People out of the physical realm and allows them to “spirit walk.” Many may see this meditation as a solution to the stress and problems in their lives. The hard truth is that this New Age religion is insufficient for one looking for redemption and freedom.

great for treating psychological conditions. The author explains that meditation awareness training follows more of a traditional Buddhist approach. From the participant’s results, it shows the effectiveness of meditation. (Shonin, E., Van Gordon, W., & Griffiths, M. D. 2014). The results proved that the participants with stress issues improved significantly due to receiving meditation awareness training. This article is meaningful to me because it shows how meditation can reduce stress levels which can boost an individual’s self-esteem.