Mindfulness meditation

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Mindfulness
Buddhism Sati Sampajañña Apramada Satipatthana Mindfulness of breathing Vipassanā Vipassana movement
Psychology Mindfulness Mindfulness (psychology) Mindfulness meditation Mindfulness-based stress reduction Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy Acceptance and commitment therapy
Other Buddhism and psychology
Synonyms Wakefulness Attention Alertness Prudence Conscientiousness Awareness Consciousness Observation
Category:Mindfulness

Mindfulness meditation is an adaptation of Buddhist vipassanā meditation^[1] in which practitioners learn to be mindful, "the intentional, accepting and non-judgmental focus of one's attention on the emotions, thoughts and sensations occurring in the present moment."^[2] Mindfulness meditation can become "a mental position for being able to separate a given experience from an associated emotion, and can facilitate a skillful or mindful response to a given situation."^[2] It has gained popularity in recent years in what is known as the Mindfulness Movement, which took off in the early 2000s, thanks in part to Jon Kabat-Zinn^[3]

Terminology

"Mindfulness" is the common western translation for the Buddhist term sati.^[4] Anapanasati, "mindfulness of breathing", is part of the Buddhist practice of vipassana or insight-meditation,^[5] and other Buddhist meditational practices, such as zazen. Due to the popularity of mindfulness,^[5] the term "mindfulness meditation" is also being used to denote vipassana-meditation,^[6][7][8] conflating the practice of anapanasati with vipassana-meditation, zazen, and other Buddhist meditation practices.^[5]

Practice

Mindfulness meditation is often practiced sitting with eyes closed, cross-legged on a cushion or a chair, with the back straight.^[9] Attention may be put on the movement of the abdomen when breathing in and out,^[1] or on the awareness of the breath as it goes in and out the nostrils.^[10] As thoughts come up, one returns to focusing on the object of meditation, such as the breathing. One passively notices one's mind has wandered, but in an accepting, non-judgmental way. Meditators often start with short periods of 10 minutes or so a day. As one practices regularly, it becomes easier to keep the attention focused on breathing.^[11] With practice, awareness of the breath can be extended into mindful awareness of thoughts, feelings, and actions.^[10]

Research on effects

In a 2014 meta-analysis of scientific studies on mindfulness meditation, the US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality said that "Meditation programs, in particular mindfulness programs, reduce multiple negative dimensions of psychological stress".^[12]:vii In particular, the meta-analysis found "that there is moderate strength of evidence that mindfulness meditation programs are beneficial for reducing pain severity, and there is low to moderate strength of evidence that mindfulness meditation programs may lead to improvement in dimensions of negative affect, including anxiety, depression, and perceived stress/general distress.^[12]:130 The meta-analysis did not conclude that mindfulness meditation was more effective than other therapies "for any outcome" when compared to "therapies as exercise, yoga, progressive muscle relaxation, cognitive behavioral therapy, and medications."^{[12]:ES-10; 131[note 1]}

A study published in the journal Cancer on November 3, 2014 investigated how various psychosocial interventions affected telomere length in breast cancer survivors, who had completed their cancer treatment at least three months prior to participating in the study. In total, 88 participants were split up and randomly placed into two intervention groups and one control group: mindfulness-based cancer recovery (MBCR), which included performing mindfulness meditation and Hatha yoga; supportive-expressive group therapy (SET), which included participating in group therapy sessions for expressing emotions and cultivating coping skills; and stress management seminar participation, which was the control group. While the MBCR group contained a psychosocial intervention and a physical activity intervention (i.e., yoga), the SET group only included a psychosocial intervention without any comparable physical activity intervention. There was statistically little difference on telomere length between the MBCR group and the SET group; however, both MBCR and SET were statistically more effective at preserving telomere length than the control group. It is currently unknown if yoga by itself, mindfulness meditation by itself, or yoga combined with mindfulness meditation was responsible for preserving telomere length in participants.^[13][14]

Mindfulness has been applied in a variety of clinical therapies beyond meditation, including mindfulness-based stress reduction, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, and dialectical behavior therapy, as well as part of some physical treatments. Its effects have been widely studied. According to Khoury, Lecomte and Fortin, mindfulness-based therapies are moderately effective in pre-post studies, superior to some treatments such as psychoeducation, supportive therapy, relaxation, imagery, and art-therapy, but not more effective than traditional cognitive behavioral therapy.^[15]

Mindfulness meditation is a research-based type of meditation that utilizes ancient Buddhist practices to achieve states of awareness of self which leads to calming of the mind and emotions for increased psychological and cognitive clarity. It is a simple technique that can be either self-taught or learned in a group setting. Over time this becomes a very natural state of mind that is effortless for regular practitioners to get to which can drastically improve quality of life. This ability to become grounded through mindfulness meditation, especially in the midst of stress, can have invaluable benefits including true peace of mind, clear headedness and an overall improvement in holistic balance and well-being. ^[16]

See also

• Jon Kabat-Zinn

Notes

References

Sources