Mindfulness is widely used and effective, but easily misunderstood in ways that limit its benefits. The concept rests on five seemingly contradictory dialectical positions: activity versus passivity, wanting versus non-wanting, changing versus non-changing, non-judging versus non-reacting, and active acceptance versus passive acceptance. Understanding these paradoxes is necessary for proper application. The article discusses practical implications and potential caveats for medical professionals.
An 8-week mindfulness program adapted for university students, Mindfulness-Based Coping With University Life (MBCUL), led to significant reductions in anxiety, depression, and perceived stress, along with increased mindfulness, compared with a wait-list control group. The study involved students from the University of Northampton (mean age 25 in the mindfulness group, 28 in controls). Attrition was high and the sample small, limiting generalizability, but the results suggest MBCUL is an acceptable and useful program that merits further study with larger samples.