E-Book, Englisch, 80 Seiten
Witkiewitz / Roos / Colgan Mindfulness
2017
ISBN: 978-1-61676-414-2
Verlag: Hogrefe Publishing
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: 1 - PDF Watermark
E-Book, Englisch, 80 Seiten
Reihe: Advances in Psychotherapy - Evidence-Based Practice
ISBN: 978-1-61676-414-2
Verlag: Hogrefe Publishing
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: 1 - PDF Watermark
Clear and compact guidance on integrating mindfulness into practice
This clear and concise book provides practical, evidence-based guidance on the use of mindfulness in treatment: its mechanism of action, the disorders for which there is empirical evidence of efficacy, mindfulness practices and techniques, and how to integrate them into clinical practice.
Leading experts describe the concepts and roots of mindfulness, and examine the science that has led to this extraordinarily rich and ancient practice becoming a foundation to many contemporary, evidenced-based approaches in psychotherapy. The efficacy of mindfulness-based interventions in conditions as diverse as borderline personality disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, alcohol and substance use, emotional dysregulation, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, chronic stress, eating disorders, and other medical conditions including type 2 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis is also described. The book is invaluable reading for all those curious about the current science around mindfulness and about how and when to incorporate it effectively into clinical practice.
Zielgruppe
Clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, psychotherapists, and
counselors, as well as students.
Autoren/Hrsg.
Fachgebiete
Weitere Infos & Material
1;Mindfulness;1
1.1;Preface;6
1.2;Contents;8
2;1 Description;10
3;2 Theories and Models;20
4;3 Assessment and Treatment Indications;32
5;4 Treatment;44
6;5 Further Reading;70
7;6 References;72
8;7 Appendix: Tools and Resources;86
1 Description (p. 1-2)
1.1 Terminology and Definitions
Mindfulness is often translated as seeing with discernment. Mindfulness practice is a form of mental training that enhances one’s ability to nonjudgmentally attend to the present moment: a phenomenological process oriented toward a gradual understanding of one’s direct experience (Goldstein, 1980). As a type of consciousness, it has the quality of a presence of mind with a certain stability of focus (Bodhi, 2011). Increased mindfulness can afford an individual freedom from misperceptions, rigid and problematic thinking patterns, and self-imposed limitations that interfere with optimal mental and physical health. Mindfulness can also be understood by its contrast to restlessness, forgetfulness, behavioral and cognitive automaticity, and states of mind in which attention is focused elsewhere, such as preoccupation with memories, anticipation of the future, rumination, and worry (Brown & Ryan, 2003).
Western psychology often conceptualizes mindfulness as a collection of techniques, but also as a psychological process, a psychological trait, and the positive emotional outcomes of the practice itself (Hayes & Wilson, 2003). A commonly cited definition by Jon Kabat-Zinn (2002) is “the awareness that emerges by way of paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally to the unfolding of experience, moment by moment” (p. 732). Similarly, two salient components of mindfulness are described by Bishop and colleagues as (a) the intentional regulation of attention to and awareness of the present moment and (b) a nonjudgmental and curious willingness to experience the content (thoughts, sensations, and feelings) of the present moment (Bishop et al., 2004). Shapiro and colleagues further distinguished attentional focus from intention (purpose of the focus) in her three factor model of attention, intention, and attitude (Shapiro, Carlson, Astin, & Freedman, 2006). Baer and colleagues proposed a five facet model of mindfulness characterized by observing, describing, nonreactivity to inner experience, nonjudging of inner experience, and acting with awareness (Baer, Smith, Hopkins, Krietemeyer, & Toney, 2006). While additional models have been proposed, most of these contemporary models contain three essential elements: awareness of the present moment, attentional allocation, and the cultivation of specific qualities pertaining to the attention and awareness of the present moment.
Foremost of the processes of fostering mindfulness is developing a clear awareness of one’s present internal or personal experiences, including thoughts, emotions, sensations, and behaviors, as well as attention to perception of elements in the surrounding environment, such as sights and sounds. For this reason, some have defined mindfulness as bare attention, or mindfulness reveals what is occurring before or beyond ideas, judgements, or analyses. The Zen metaphor of a polished mirror, through which the mind is able to simply reflect what passes before it, unbiased by conceptual thought about what is taking place, describes this state of pure awareness. This can be contrasted with automatic cognitive and behavioral reactions that occur without conscious awareness. Awareness is often at the forefront of contemporary explanations of and training in mindfulness, and is indeed a necessary and foundational element of mindfulness; however, most (if not all) individuals’ awareness is shaped by conditioning, and contains both valence (positive or negative) and evaluation. Therefore, awareness may be better understood as a precondition to, or elemental factor for, mindfulness, rather than its complete definition.
A second inherent process of mindfulness is attentional allocation, which involves sustained attention, monitoring, and attentional shifting (Garland, Froeliger, & Howard, 2014; Malinowski & Lim, 2015). As an individual attempts to attend to an object (the breath, bodily sensations, sustained attention), one is also acknowledging discursive thoughts and emotions that may arise (a process of monitoring). The ability to notice getting “caught up” in thoughts or emotions, and subsequently returning to the object of attention, requires a purposeful and fluid shifting of attention (attentional shifting). As the mind wanders off into concerns about the future, ruminations about events that occurred in the past, or evaluations of the present moment, the mindfulness practitioner notices these processes and then gently redirects attention back to the sensations and experiences occurring in the present moment. A third, and perhaps most important, aspect of mindfulness is the cultivation of particular qualities of awareness. Attitudes that exemplify this quality include kindness, curiosity, acceptance, nonreactivity, and equanimity. A kind, curious, and nonreactive awareness is developed so that one simply notices the object, or series of emerging objects, and the secondary evaluations and appraisals that occur. With continued practice, this nonreactive awareness eventually allows for the de-automatization of habitual reactions to the present moment and the associated secondary appraisals, predictions, analyses, critiques, or judgments about what has or is taking place. This process can be understood as the further development and temporal extension of bare attention, thereby adding clarity and depth to the typically shorter periods, or momentary flashes, of time occupied by bare attention (Keng, Smoski, & Robins, 2011; Olendzki, 2011).
Furthermore, the meditator practices meeting all internal experiences that arise – positive, negative, or neutral – with equal interest and equanimity. This is in contrast to the typical human tendency to seek and hold onto pleasure and to avoid and escape from discomfort. Instead, the mindful practitioner remains aware of what is happening internally, with an even and unbiased deportment, as if gazing upon the internal landscape without interference (Desbordes et al., 2014). It is purported that it is only when one can regard an experience, or object of attention, with a balanced objectivity that one is free from emotional agitation, and the understanding of the experience or object is potentially transformative (Olendzki, 2011).
