Experimental Phenomenology in Mindfulness Research

Experimental phenomenology, the study of how intentionally varying attention and attitude affects subjective experience, is well suited for researching mindfulness. Because mindfulness involves paying attention to present experience with a specific attitude, it can be systematically explored through this method. The scientific value of experimental phenomenology lies in its intersubjectivity: effects described by one person can be replicated by the same or other individuals, and conclusions remain hypothetical and open to revision. The paper illustrates this approach with variations of a body scan practice and the construction of a personalized mindful driving practice. Three research varieties are discussed: qualitative analysis of mindfulness practices, idiographic single-subject and experience-sampling designs, and randomized controlled studies of mindfulness effects on present experience.

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Abstract

AbstractThe present paper argues that experimental phenomenology has an important role to play in research on mindfulness. Experimental phenomenology is defined as a subcategory of phenomenology (defined as the science of our subjective experience of being in the world), which explores the effects of intentional variations of subjective experiencing (direction of attention and choice of attitude) on subsequent experience. To count as experimental phenomenology, both the independent and dependent variable have to be phenomenological. Because mindfulness involves paying attention to present experience with a specific attitude, it is well suited for experimental-phenomenological research. What makes experimental phenomenology into a scientific endeavor is the intersubjective nature of this kind of study: potential effects described by one person can be subjected to replication both by the same person, and by other persons. Also, conclusions drawn on the basis of this kind of study are hypothetical and provisional, and may be modified or specified on the basis of further study. In this paper, the principles of experimental phenomenology are illustrated by (a) variations of a given mindfulness practice (the body scan), and (b) the construction of a personalized mindfulness practice (mindful driving). Finally, three varieties of experimental phenomenology in research on mindfulness are discussed: (1) the use of qualitative methods to analyze mindfulness practices and their potential effects, (2) idiographic research with the use of single-subject designs and experience sampling, and (3) randomized controlled studies of the effects of mindfulness practices on present experience.