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Teaching Mindfulness in an Unmindful System

Francis Jonathan Gilbert

British Journal of Educational Studies September 14, 2023 DOI: 10.1080/00071005.2023.2254361 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Case study Case report Peer reviewed
Sample size 1
Population Beth, a mindfulness teacher working with 11- to 16-year-olds in several English schools
Topics Meditation
Citations 5
Key findings Argues that Beth's positioning as a mindfulness teacher within an 'unmindful' school system generated overwhelming demand for her services while placing huge stress on her. Developing McCaw's (2020) concepts, it contends that she shifted from 'thin' mindfulness, aimed at solving pupils' exam stress, to a 'thick' practice that produced profound personal change and ultimately disillusionment with teaching mindfulness in an unwelcoming educational environment.

Abstract

This article explores a case study of a mindfulness teacher, Beth, and her experiences of teaching mindfulness to 11- to 16-year-olds in several English schools. It shows why Beth was drawn to teaching mindfulness, which was both to alleviate the stress amongst her pupils and improve her own mental health. It illustrates how and why she became a confident, successful mindfulness teacher: she learnt about mindfulness at various classes, retreats and teacher-education training sessions, spending thousands of pounds on her own training. It argues that her positioning as a mindfulness teacher in an unmindful school system created an overwhelming demand for her services, but also huge stress upon her. It develops McCaw’s conceptions of ‘thin’ and ‘thick’ mindfulness (2020), arguing that while Beth began by practising ‘thin’ mindfulness – seeing it as a way of solving exam stress amongst her pupils – she became increasingly a ‘thick’ practitioner; her experiences of mindfulness led to profound personal change and, ultimately, to her becoming very disillusioned about teaching mindfulness in an unwelcoming educational, ‘unmindful’ environment.

Comparable studies

Other case reports and case series on meditation, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Brain sources of EEG gamma frequency during volitionally meditation-induced, altered states of consciousness, and experience of the self Advanced meditator 2001 Case study n = 1
Mindfulness Meditation for Alcohol Relapse Prevention: A Feasibility Pilot Study Adult alcohol-dependent graduates of an intensive outpatient program 2008 Prospective case series n = 19
How does it feel to lack a sense of boundaries? A case study of a long-term mindfulness meditator. A single long-term mindfulness practitioner (S) with 40 years of practice in... 2015 Qualitative case study n = 1
Loving‐kindness meditation to enhance recovery from negative symptoms of schizophrenia Individuals suffering from schizophrenia-spectrum disorders with persistent negative... 2009 Case study
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Problem Gambling A female problem gambler 2011 Case study n = 1

Citations in the library

Cited by 2

Cites 3

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