Abstract The use of mindfulness meditation in teaching social work represents a shift in social work education toward a broader holistic approach that utilizes bodily, cognitive, and emotional personal experiences in the learning process (Canda & Smith, 2001). The social work literature tends to be limited to describing the emotional and educational benefits associated with mindfulness...
Abstract What is mindfulness? What are its foundations, and how can it help social workers in their practice? Mindfulness is an orientation to our everyday experiences that can be cultivated by means of various exercises and practices. By opening up in a particular way to their internal and external experiences, social workers and clients are better able to understand what is happening to them...
Abstract Laura Pulido (2003) suggests that political action is not just about changing the external world but is also an ‘‘exercise in creating and changing ourselves’’ (p. 51). For Pulido, the interior includes ‘‘such things as our emotions, psychological development, souls and passions, as well as our minds’’ (47). In this chapter I explore the ways that mindfulness practices can be useful in...
Abstract As described in chapter 1, there is a range of different ways of consider- ing mindfulness and incorporating it into social work practice. This chapter defines mindfulness as the practice of intentionally focusing attention on what is occurring in the present moment in a nonjudgmental manner, with an interest in being rather than doing (Kabat- Zinn, 1990).
Abstract Spiritual paths are replete with techniques to help adherents let go of the dominating ‘‘monkey mind’’—the constantly active, evaluating, worrying, anticipating, remembering activity that is going on in our heads—and be open to the present moment and what it has to offer. The ‘‘monkey mind’’ is also the purposeless babbling that is always in the background in our minds. What we know...
This meta-analysis was conducted to investigate the effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) on the mental and physical health status of various cancer patients. Ten studies (randomized-controlled trials and observational studies) were found to be eligible for meta-analysis. Individual study results were categorized into mental and physical variables and Cohen's effect size d was...
Fibromyalgia, a chronic pain syndrome, is often accompanied by psychological distress and increased basal sympathetic tone. In a previous report it was shown that mindfulness-based stress-reduction (MBSR) reduced depressive symptoms in patients with fibromyalgia with gains maintained at two months follow-up (Sephton et al., Arthr Rheum 57:77-85, 2007). This second study explores the effects of...
The aim of this article is to review the literature on Tai Chi and meditation. A coherent construct is developed that includes a comparative analysis and conceptual synthesis of existing theories. The authors discuss a set of assumptions that justify this synthesis; they also argue that this construct would facilitate greater understanding of Tai Chi from the perspective of meditation. Such...
Abstract This chapter will discuss both theoretical and practice applications of mindfulness to family therapy from the perspective of affect regulation. I see affect regulation and mindfulness as overlapping concepts that can be used in family therapy and are implicitly central to family therapy even when not explicitly discussed and crafted into interventions. Before defining affect...
BMC PsychiatryMay 13, 2009C. Catani, Mahendran Kohiladevy, M. Ruf et al.
BackgroundThe North-Eastern part of Sri Lanka had already been affected by civil war when the 2004 Tsunami wave hit the region, leading to high rates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in children. In the acute aftermath of the Tsunami we tested the efficacy of two pragmatic short-term interventions when applied by trained local counselors.MethodsA randomized treatment comparison was...
This study examined the effects of meditation on mental imagery, evaluating Buddhist monks' reports concerning their extraordinary imagery skills. Practitioners of Buddhist meditation were divided into two groups according to their preferred meditation style: Deity Yoga (focused attention on an internal visual image) or Open Presence (evenly distributed attention, not directed to any particular...
The authors used a 5-round Delphi study with a panel of 7 experts in meditation research to achieve agreement on a set of criteria for a working definition of “meditation” for use in a comprehensive systematic review of the therapeutic use of meditation. Participants agreed that essential to a meditation practice is its use of (a) a defined technique, (b) logic relaxation, and (c) a...
This study examined the role of intensive mindfulness training on changes in day-to-day experiential processing, psychological symptoms, resilience, and well-being in two groups of community adults (N = 69). Using both quasi-experimental and longitudinal methods, the study found that intensive training, operationalized as 10–12 hours of formal mindfulness practice per day for 1 month, was...
OBJECTIVE: Despite the growing interest in the neurobiological and clinical correlates of many meditative practices, in particular mindfulness meditations, no review has specifically focused on current evidence on electroencephalographic, neuroimaging, biological, and clinical evidence about an important traditional practice, Zen meditation. METHODS: A literature search was conducted using...
BACKGROUND: Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) is a clinically standardized meditation that has shown consistent efficacy for many mental and physical disorders. Less attention has been given to the possible benefits that it may have in healthy subjects. The aim of the present review and meta-analysis is to better investigate current evidence about the efficacy of MBSR in healthy...
Dansk SociologiApril 8, 2009Kristina Grünenberg, Hanne Kjærgaard Walker, Jakob Skov Knudsen
Meditation er ikke et nyt fænomen i det danske samfund. Det er den fokus som meditationsformen Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) har været genstand for i de senere år imidlertid. Inden for en sundhedssociologisk ramme undersøges nogle af grundene til, at netop MBSR er blevet populær både i virksomheder og blandt individer med fokus på selvudvikling i en dansk kontekst. Artiklen tager...
People often respond with distress and avoidance to their own negative experiences, such as the physical, cognitive, and emotional aspects of depression or anxiety. When people with chronic pain respond this way, their overall level of distress may increase, they may struggle to avoid their emotional experiences, and their daily functioning may decrease. The purpose of this study was to examine...
Natural Stress Relief (NSR) Meditation, a mental technique practiced for 15 minutes twice a day, reduces stress and anxiety by inducing a physiological state of deep rest. Regular practice of this technique appears to reduce trait anxiety and to develop qualities associated with self-actualization, such as inner peace, satisfaction, and creativity. This article reports new research that...
BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to examine the effect of a mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program on women diagnosed with conditions such as multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), and fibromyalgia (FM). METHODS: The intervention group underwent a 10-week MBSR program. Symptoms Checklist Inventory (SCL-90R) was used as outcome measure and was...
As the field of psychology continues to expand and evolve, one fruitful avenue of exploration has been the integration of mindfulness into psychological theory and practice. Mindfulness is defined as the awareness that arises out of intentionally attending in an open and discerning way to whatever is arising in the present moment. Two decades of empirical research have generated considerable...