What Mindfulness can learn about Dissociation and what Dissociation can learn from Mindfulness
C. Forner
Journal of Trauma & Dissociation August 10, 2018 DOI: 10.1080/15299732.2018.1502568 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key points | Argues that mindfulness, viewed through attachment and human development, is a developmental achievement tied to connected relationships and care-giving, and that adapting mindfulness practices can help individuals with dissociative disorders, while mindfulness therapists can learn from dissociation to improve their practice. |
Abstract
ABSTRACT Mindfulness based psychotherapeutic interventions have shown to be an effective intervention for quite some time now. These intervention, however, have not been that successful with individuals who experience dissociative disorders. There is a very clear disconnect between these two fields. In an attempt to close the gap, reviewing what mindfulness might be from an attachment and human developed lens, one can learn that there is a lot more occurring in a mindful state other than relaxation. There is a level of human development achievement that comes from a regular mindfulness practice that seems to play a role in raising our young and being part of a complex social group. Evidence suggests that the end product of mindfulness is likely deeply connected human relationships and balanced care-giving abilities. In knowing the benefits from a relational perspective of mindfulness those in the dissociative world can utilize adaptations of mindfulness so that their clients can eventually learn to developed mindfulness and, in turn, have the same deeply connected relationship that they often missed. Conversely those in the mindfulness based therapeutic world can learn a lot about dissociation and harmed people by understanding the real difficulties that individuals with dissociative disorders have in experiencing a mindful state. They can learn to understand the need to adapt mindfulness based practices to accommodate individuals who have a system that is phobic of awareness, terrified of being calm and who have no concept of what non-judgement means. Both fields would benefit greatly by knowing more about the other.
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 11
- Psychedelic iatrogenic structural dissociation: an exploratory hypothesis on dissociative risks in psychedelic use. Frontiers in Psychology March 4, 2025
- The Role of Mindfulness and Embodiment in Group-Based Trauma Treatment Psychotherapy and Counselling Journal of Australia March 27, 2024
- Survival, Attachment, and Healing: An Evolutionary Lens on Interventions for Trauma-Related Dissociation Psychology Research and Behavior Management June 1, 2024
- Integrating choice points into mindfulness training for the dissociative subtype of PTSD: A case report Psychiatry Research Case Reports March 8, 2024
- The Relationship Between Mindfulness and Dissociation Among Mental Health Service Users: A Cross-Cultural Study with Implications for Nursing Interventions. Issues in Mental Health Nursing July 24, 2026
and 6 more in the library
Cites 13
- How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective Perspectives on Psychological Science October 14, 2011
- Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Neuroreport November 7, 2005
- Attending to the present: mindfulness meditation reveals distinct neural modes of self-reference Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience August 13, 2007
- The meeting of meditative disciplines and western psychology: A mutually enriching dialogue. American Psychologist 2006
- Functional brain mapping of the relaxation response and meditation Neuroreport May 1, 2000
and 8 more in the library