Introduction to Mindfulness
Sarah Silverton
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is....
”....paying attention on purpose,
in the present moment,
non-judgementally....”
Jon Kabat Zinn
Mindfulness meditation is NOT:
• Positive thinking
• A relaxation technique
• Going into a trance
• Trying to blank your mind
Background to Mindfulness Courses
Mindfulness has its origins in Eastern,
Buddhist philosophy.
It was adapted to a secular, 8 week
programme format Mindfulness Based Stress
Reduction(MBSR) in the USA by Jon KabatZinn in 1979.
It was initially offered in a hospital setting
for people with a variety of health
conditions.
Coming to our Senses!
Learning through meditation practice to approach
our experience in new ways
Moment by moment non-judgmental awareness of
body sensations, thoughts and emotions
• Formal meditation practice - bodyscan, mindful
movement, sitting practice
• Informal practice - awareness of present moment
experience during daily life
Breathing and Body Practice
Being here in this moment.
Focus of Attention
Like a torch beam?
• Has a limited capacity
• Can be “caught”
• Can be directed
• Capacity for a broad or narrow focus
Environmental Input
Two Modes of Self-focus: Conceptual
and Experiential
Conceptual
Experiential
/ Direct
Noticing
Seeing
Tasting
Hearing
Smelling
Visceral sensations
Proprioceptive sensing
Touching
Labeling
Elaborating
Analyzing
Judging
Goal-setting
Planning
Comparing
Remembering
Self-reflecting
Becoming Aware of our Mind’s
Activity.
As we practice mindfulness it becomes apparent that
the mind will “have its say” in all that we do. The mind
thinks just as the heart beats!
We will notice:
Judgements = liking or disliking
Associations = memories, stories, comparisons
Emotional inter-relationship with thoughts
Thoughts don’t occur singularly or without some
emotional “flavour”.
Commentary = our thoughts comment on all our
experiences.
Dealing with Stresses in our Lives
• When we perceive a threat we tend to react
automatically using one of two ancient doing
mind strategies:
• Adrenalin based reactions – saving ourselves
from danger by fighting with, running away from,
protecting or camouflaging
ourselves...
....fight, flight and freeze.
• Problem-solving processes where we attempt to
fix or resolve the perceived problem
Problem Solving
Discrepancy Monitoring : mind the gap thinking.
Perceived gap between how things are and how they
should be. Focus is on closing the gap and will remain
forefront of our awareness until the gap is closed.
Appropriate for some tasks and problems we encounter.
The mind becomes very active trying to resolve emotional
problems through thinking. This ruminative thinking often
increases the problem.
Let’s try this.....
But also......
...........a third way
Approaching our experience and responding
mindfully
Mindfulness: Being With and Approaching
our Experience
• Seeing things as they actually are, here and now/in
this moment
• Bringing a friendly curiosity to our experience,
however that is
• Investigating the detail of our experience
• Non-fixing, not trying to change what’s here.
• Choices to respond based on full and current
information - rather than habitual reacting.
• Opening to a broader view including what is “right”
as well as perceived problems.
Managing Stress Mindfully
Responding wisely and appropriately rather than
adding to the difficulty, as it is perceived,
through habitual reactions.
Taking a Breathing Space
Refreshments
What do you notice as you have this
break?
Movement Practice
Early research into MBSR
Chronic pain
(See Kabat-Zinn, Lipworth & Burney, 1985, The clinical use of mindfulness
meditation for the self-regulation of chronic pain, J. of Behavioural Medicine, 8,
163-190; Kabat-Zinn, Lipworth, Burney & Sellers, 1987, Four-year follow up of a
meditation program for the self-regulation of chronic pain: Treatment outcomes
and compliance, Clinical J. of Pain, 2, 159-173)
Anxiety
(See Kabat-Zinn, Massion, Kristeller et al., 1992, Effectiveness of a meditationbased stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders, American J.
of Psychiatry, 149, 936-943)
Psoriasis
(See Kabat-Zinn, Wheeler, Light et al., 1998, Influence of a mindfulness meditationbased stress reduction program on rates of skin clearing in patients with moderate
to severe psoriasis undergoing phototherapy… Psychosomatic Medicine, 50, 625632)
Recent research into MBSR
Mindfulness research now mainstream in
USA e.g.:
– MBSR for cancer patients (Carlson & Speca), for
medical students (Shapiro) etc.
– Neuroscience research on mindfulness
meditation (Davidson)
– Tools to measure mindfulness have been
developed
Research into Mindfulness Based
Cognitive Therapy
• Williams, Teasdale, Segal (2000)
MBCT was adapted MBSR for a specific population of
depressed patients, incorporating some CBT. A multi-site
randomised control trial explored the effectiveness of
Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) for people
with a history of depressive illness. Found that MBCT
reduced the likelihood of depressive relapse by half for
those with 3 or more episodes of depression.
• Teasdale and Ma (2004)- replicated findings of previous
trial.
• MBCT has NICE guidelines approval and is now the
recommended treatment for recurrent depressive illness
(ahead of anti-depressant medication).
Further research on MBCT
• Kuyken et al (2008) - comparing MBCT to
continuation antidepressant medication
• Suicidal depression (Williams et al 2006)
• Cancer patients (Ingram (2005)
• Treatment resistant depression (Kenny and Williams
2007)
• Bipolar disorder (Williams et al 2007)
• Residual depression (Kingston et al, 2007)
• Chronic fatigue Surawy and Roberts (2005)
Mindfulness Practice Is a Radically Different
Approach to Living Our Lives and Managing
Stress...
•Increasing awareness - We co me to realise that we are
usually operating on “automatic pilot “ - our tendency for our
minds to be more frequently in the past or in the future rather
than with our experience in this moment.
•Placing our attention where we want it to be (concentration
meditation) and...
•Developing a new relationship with our experience
(mindfulness meditation).
•Being Mind rather than Doing Mind - making space for and
turning towards rather than resisting or working to change
experiences we don’t like. (Discrepancy-based processing.)
•Responding to experience based on awareness of what’s
actually here rather than habitually reacting
Thank you!