Lecture 5 - mindfulness tuesday september 17

Question 1

how long has mindfulness been around

Answer 1

Not a new phenomenon - 2,500 years

Question 2

where are the roots of mindfulness

Answer 2

Roots in ancient spiritual traditions – particularly Buddhism

Question 3

Historical origins of mindfulness?

Answer 3

the ancient Pali word “sati”

Question 4

define sati

Answer 4

“memory”

• remember what you are paying attention to

Question 5

what did mindfulness come to pop culture

Answer 5

1970s

Question 6

who popularized mindfulness int he west

Answer 6

Kabat-Zinn
• • • • •
Father of Western mindfulness traditions
Brought mindfulness into mainstream medicine and science
Created MBSR
Treating patents with chronic pain (1982) Full Catastrophe Living (1990)

Question 7

what is the Buddhist definition of mindfulness

Answer 7

• Lucid awareness of the present-moment
• Rooted in ethical principals
• Goal: Spiritual development and freeing oneself from suffering

Question 8

what is the Western definition of mindfulness

Answer 8

Paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment and non-
judgmentally” (Kabat-Zinn, 1994, p.4)
-Many different definitions/conceptualizations
-Two (essential) features: awareness & non-judgmental acceptance
->note: “acceptance” does not equate to passivity or resignation
• Rather, its one’s ability to experience events fully, without resorting to either extreme

Question 9

what are the two main

Buddhist vs. Western Conceptualizations

Answer 9

(1) Interconnected (vs. disconnected)

2) Internal (vs. global

Question 10

explain the buddhist vs. western conceptualization of (1) Interconnected (vs. disconnected)

Answer 10

Buddhism mindfulness is viewed as one feature of a interconnected system
Western mindfulness is generally void of any specific circumscribed philosophy, ethical code, or system of practices
-Cherry picking!

Question 11

explain the buddhist vs. western conceptualization of (2) Internal (vs. global)

Answer 11

• Buddhism = introspective awareness
• Western= awareness of internal & external experiences
  
  • – A focus on sensory features (e.g., sight/smell) vs. observing one’s reactions to sensory features

Question 12

mindfulness is Effective in addressing common forms of psychological distress, why/how

Answer 12

• Alters emotional and cognitive processes that contribute to psychological distress
• Psychological distress = maladaptive tendencies to avoid, suppress, or over-engage with one’s problematic thoughts and emotions
• Learn to tolerate instead of react or avoid

Question 13

what are the positive Associations between trait mindfulness and psychological health

Answer 13

Positively associated with: Higher levels of life satisfaction, agreeableness, conscientiousness, self-esteem, sense of autonomy, positive affect;

Question 14

what are the negative Associations between trait mindfulness and psychological health

Answer 14

Negatively associated with: Higher levels of depression, neuroticism, rumination, cognitive reactivity, social anxiety, problems with emotional regulation etc.

Question 15

Trait mindfulness is____ associated with lots of GOOD STUFF______ associated with lots of BAD stuff

Answer 15

POSITIVELY

NEGATIVELY

Question 16

what is a popular

Mindfulness-Based Interventions

Answer 16

Mindfulness-based therapy (MBT) has become a popular intervention

Question 17

Since MBSR, several interventions have been developed such as…

Answer 17

• MBSR & MBCT & MB-EAT = meditation oriented interventions
• DBT-ACT (third-wave) = mindfulness- oriented interventions

Question 18

Mindfulness-Based Interventions have clinically sig. improvements in…

Answer 18

depression, anxiety, chronic pain, stress, psychosis, bipolar disorder, etc.

Question 19

vFor example, MBCT for depression relapse…

Answer 19

• 8-week (Segal et al., 2002)
• Prevent relapse in recurring depression • Combine CT & minduflness training
• May be more effective than TAU

Question 20

How do we get it to grow?

Answer 20

1) Formal Meditation Practice

2) Informal Mindfulness Practice

Question 21

how to Formal Meditation Practice

Answer 21

vBread and butter of mindfulness training vDesignate specific times vStrengthening fundamental skills vTraining wheels = Spillover effect

Question 22

how to Informal Mindfulness Practice

Answer 22

vExercises integrated into daily life
v Completely aware of sensations experienced during everyday activities (e.g., walking, eating)
vIndefinite opportunities to be mindful
v“mini meditations”

Question 23

what are the pros and cons of formals meditation practice

Answer 23

Pros: High-quality, controlled env., consistent practice = strong muscle
Cons: Difficult, resistance, not for everyone, self-selection bias in MBTs

Question 24

what are the pros and cons of informals meditation practice

Answer 24

vPros: Easy to integrate, more accessible, less daunting, more of a “buy-in”
Cons: Too brief, “impure” type practice, irregular = mediocre muscle

Question 25

explain Mindfulness & Eating Behaviors

Answer 25

OW & OB are the leading cause of preventable disease in North America
Overeating is one of the strongest predictors of OB

Question 26

Effective eating regulation largely depends on what

Answer 26

an individual’s responsiveness to internal cues of hunger and fullness
–IA lower in OW/OB = Increased Ibs gain

Question 27

how does mindfulness help with eating behaviours

Answer 27

vMindfulness = help increase internal insight • Specific skills deficits
• using mindfulness to address this

Question 28

are Mindfulness Eating behaviours effective

Answer 28

vAlthough ME programs are effective
• Inaccessible to wider community
• Limited impact

Question 29

explain the mcgill mindful eating program

Answer 29

How to effectively address limitations AND increase impact? • Develop a brief program that is manualized
• No experts required – e.g., undergrads

vHow to make it brief?
• Target the specific deficit
• Informal exercises

v9-week, 5-10 min group sessions
Increase internal awareness Identifying/differentiating hunger
Goal: decrease automatic impulsivity
• creating a “breathing” space between urge & behavior
e.g., STOP – technique

Question 30

give a summary of the results for the mcgill mindfulness eating program

Answer 30

v Brief program resulted in statistically sig. changes in outcomes
vTreatment changes were maintained at 3 and 6-month follow-ups
vPositive results from treatment satisfaction items
vHowever, weight regain occurred
• Also at 6-months

v Why?
• Not a new phenomenon
• Poor outcomes for emotional eaters
• Only looking at OE
• What ME dimensions address problematic eating behaviors?
• Limited by our understanding of the construct
• “Mindful eating can be used to describe a non-judgmental awareness of physical and emotional
sensations while eating or in a food-related environment” (Framson et al., 2010)
• Over-emphasis on attentional features of mindfulness
• FFaMES (awareness, purposeful attention, disidentification, non-judgmental awarenesss and non- reactance)