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Client Experiences of Mindfulness Meditation in the Counseling Setting: A Qualitative Study

Veronica L O'Brien

Digital Commons - East Tennessee State University 2017 DOI: 10.13140/rg.2.2.16800.02568 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Qualitative study Peer reviewed
Population Clients receiving counseling in which mindfulness meditation was used within the session
Intervention Mindfulness meditation
Topics Meditation
Key findings The authors report that clients' experiences of mindfulness meditation used within counseling sessions varied individually and included mental, physical, and emotional components. Themes also covered perceptions of and preferences for mindfulness meditation and implications for continued practice. The authors argue that a qualitative approach provides richer, more descriptive data than prior quantitative research on the topic.

Abstract

Mindfulness meditation is an emerging trend, and previous research conducted focused on benefits of mindfulness meditation as a training technique for beginning counselors, symptoms mindfulness meditation may alleviate, and specific types of mindfulness meditation (e.g., Feldman, Greeson, & Senville, 2010; Greason & Welfare, 2013; Khoury et al., 2013; Sedlmeier, et al., 2012). Little research exists on the client’s experiences when mindfulness meditation is used within the counseling session; therefore the primary goal of the present study was to explore experiences and potential benefits of mindfulness meditation and its clinical application in session. Because previous research done on mindfulness meditation used a quantitative approach, the present study utilized a qualitative approach which allows richer and more descriptive data from the participants. Themes which emerged from the data included: (1) variations of individual experience, (2) mental, physical, and emotional components, (3) perceptions of mindfulness meditation, (4) preferences for mindfulness meditation, and (5) continued practice implications.

Comparable studies

Other qualitative studies on meditation, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
The varieties of contemplative experience: A mixed-methods study of meditation-related challenges in Western Buddhists Western Buddhist meditation practitioners and experts in Theravāda, Zen, and Tibetan... 2017 Qualitative study with mixed-methods
The Effects of Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction on Nurse Stress and Burnout Nurses in a hospital system 2004 Implementation study with mixed methods
An exploratory mixed methods study of the acceptability and effectiveness of mindfulness -based cognitive therapy for patients with active depression and anxiety in primary care Primary care patients with recurrent depression or recurrent depression and anxiety 2006 Exploratory mixed methods study n = 13
A qualitative study of mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy for depression Participants in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in a mental-health context 2001 Qualitative study n = 7
Effortless awareness: using real time neurofeedback to investigate correlates of posterior cingulate cortex activity in meditators' self-report Meditators 2013 Qualitative study using grounded theory methodology

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Meditation