While mindfulness has its origins in Buddhist teachings and meditation practices, over the past few decades it has been increasingly investigated by scientists with a view to assessing its potential social and health benefits (Kabat-Zinn, 2003). Mindfulness training programs like Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) are non-religious scientifically tested programs that aim to increase mindfulness and thereby help ease physical and psychological suffering, and build greater happiness and contentment in life.
Core aims of mindfulness training:
- Learn how to step out of automatic ways of thinking and reacting.
- Build present moment focus and concentration.
- Cultivate a more stable and relaxed response to difficulties.
- Gain clarity and insight into the workings of your mind and body.
- More gentle, non-judgemental, and accepting towards experience.
- Develop psychological and behavioural flexibility.
- Increase tolerance of negative emotions and discomfort.
- Regulate rather than react to changing mood and emotion.
However, what exactly is mindfulness itself? A number of key definitions of mindfulness have been proposed, although there are other perspectives on what mindfulness is.
Definition 1: “paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally” (Kabat Zinn, 1994, p. 4).
Definition 2: mindfulness appears to reflect certain qualities of mind, such as non-reactivity, observational awareness, acting with awareness and concentration, describing current experience, and a non-judgemental attitude towards experience (Baer, Smith, Hopkins et al., 2006).
Mindfulness practices and mindfulness training in this context encourage moment to moment attention to internal and external experiences such as thoughts, feelings, body sensations, sights, and sounds via meditation practices and other related exercises (Kabat Zinn, 1990; Linehan, 1993). However, mindfulness training does not aim to dwell on thought, feelings, and body sensations in an unhelpful way, rather it aims to cultivate a new relationship to such experiences. This new relationship, which can be called “mindfulness”, involves a more gentle, present moment focused, accepting, and kind approach to experience that may eventually reduce stress and prevent the spiral of negative thinking and negative mood (Segal, Williams, & Teasdale 2002). With mindfulness you can learn to experience difficult thoughts, emotions and pain, but in a way that is less overwhelming, less judgemental, and less reactive. In so doing you can bring about a balance between accepting experience, and taking more mindful and considered action.
Mindfulness training thus aims to build the previous qualities through practice. Relaxation, reduced stress responses, and better mood often comes with greater mindfulness, but this is not its primary aim. In a way mindfulness training is paradoxical, the harder you try to relax or eliminate unpleasant experiences the more it can allude you. Mindfulness is a discipline and way of living and relating to yourself and the world around you.
These definitions aside, mindfulness can only truly be understood from the experience of developing your own practice. This usually means some type of mindfulness training course (see link to Mindfulness Training Programs) such as MBCT or MBSR. Each of these courses typcially involve an 8-week program that consists of a weekly 2 to 3 hour class with a large meditation component, as well as other exercises. However it is also possible to practice with an individual teacher/practitioner, although in some ways it is easier and more effective using a class-based approach. Some psychologists may also include a mindfulness component within a broader psychotherapy approach.
- Self-Compassion - Link to website.
- How mindfulness may work.
