Mindfulness in cultural context
Transcultural Psychiatry August 1, 2015 DOI: 10.1177/1363461515598949 (opens in new tab)
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Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Meditation |
| Citations | 188 |
| Key points | Argues that extracting mindfulness meditation from its original Buddhist cultural context may change the nature and effects of the practice, and that a cultural and contextual view is important for dialogue between Buddhism and psychiatry. |
Abstract
Mindfulness meditation and other techniques drawn from Buddhism have increasingly been integrated into forms of psychotherapeutic intervention. In much of this work, mindfulness is understood as a mode of awareness that is present-centered and nonevaluative. This form of awareness is assumed to have intrinsic value in promoting positive mental health and adaptation by interrupting discursive thoughts that give rise to suffering. However, in the societies where it originated, mindfulness meditation is part of a larger system of Buddhist belief and practice with strong ethical and moral dimensions. Extracting techniques like mindfulness meditation from the social contexts in which they originate may change the nature and effects of the practice. The papers in this issue of Transcultural Psychiatry explore the implications of a cultural and contextual view of mindfulness for continued dialogue between Buddhist thought and psychiatry. This introductory essay considers the meanings of mindfulness meditation in cultural context and the uses of mindfulness as a therapeutic intervention in contemporary psychiatry and psychology.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. | 2004 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mechanisms of mindfulness | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective | 2011 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression | 2006 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART): a framework for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness | 2012 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cited by 47
- The State of Dispositional Mindfulness Research Mindfulness March 18, 2022
- Sitting with the Demons – Mindfulness, Suffering, and Existential Transformation Asian Studies August 10, 2016
- Exploring Buddhism as a ‘Tool’ to Support Well-Being: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of Western Adopters’ Experiences Pastoral Psychology July 14, 2021
- The Role of Mindfulness and Embodiment in Group-Based Trauma Treatment Psychotherapy and Counselling Journal of Australia March 27, 2024
- The nature of nonduality: The epistemic implications of meditative and psychedelic experiences Anthropology of Consciousness July 5, 2024
and 42 more in the library
Cites 30
- Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression August 21, 2006
- Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences November 8, 2004
- Loving-kindness and compassion meditation: potential for psychological interventions. Clinical Psychology Review July 26, 2011
- The psychological effects of meditation: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin May 14, 2012
- A systematic review of neurobiological and clinical features of mindfulness meditations Psychological Medicine November 27, 2009
and 25 more in the library