Lecture 5 - mindfulness tuesday september 17 Flashcards
how long has mindfulness been around
Not a new phenomenon - 2,500 years
where are the roots of mindfulness
Roots in ancient spiritual traditions – particularly Buddhism
Historical origins of mindfulness?
the ancient Pali word “sati”
define sati
“memory”
• remember what you are paying attention to
what did mindfulness come to pop culture
1970s
who popularized mindfulness int he west
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)
what is the Buddhist definition of mindfulness
- Lucid awareness of the present-moment
- Rooted in ethical principals
- Goal: Spiritual development and freeing oneself from suffering
what is the Western definition of mindfulness
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
what are the two main
Buddhist vs. Western Conceptualizations
(1) Interconnected (vs. disconnected)
2) Internal (vs. global
explain the buddhist vs. western conceptualization of (1) Interconnected (vs. disconnected)
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!
explain the buddhist vs. western conceptualization of (2) Internal (vs. global)
- 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
mindfulness is Effective in addressing common forms of psychological distress, why/how
- 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
what are the positive Associations between trait mindfulness and psychological health
Positively associated with: Higher levels of life satisfaction, agreeableness, conscientiousness, self-esteem, sense of autonomy, positive affect;
what are the negative Associations between trait mindfulness and psychological health
Negatively associated with: Higher levels of depression, neuroticism, rumination, cognitive reactivity, social anxiety, problems with emotional regulation etc.
Trait mindfulness is____ associated with lots of GOOD STUFF______ associated with lots of BAD stuff
POSITIVELY
NEGATIVELY
what is a popular
Mindfulness-Based Interventions
Mindfulness-based therapy (MBT) has become a popular intervention
Since MBSR, several interventions have been developed such as…
- MBSR & MBCT & MB-EAT = meditation oriented interventions
- DBT-ACT (third-wave) = mindfulness- oriented interventions
Mindfulness-Based Interventions have clinically sig. improvements in…
depression, anxiety, chronic pain, stress, psychosis, bipolar disorder, etc.
vFor example, MBCT for depression relapse…
- 8-week (Segal et al., 2002)
- Prevent relapse in recurring depression • Combine CT & minduflness training
- May be more effective than TAU
How do we get it to grow?
1) Formal Meditation Practice
2) Informal Mindfulness Practice
how to Formal Meditation Practice
vBread and butter of mindfulness training vDesignate specific times vStrengthening fundamental skills vTraining wheels = Spillover effect
how to Informal Mindfulness Practice
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”
what are the pros and cons of formals meditation practice
Pros: High-quality, controlled env., consistent practice = strong muscle
Cons: Difficult, resistance, not for everyone, self-selection bias in MBTs
what are the pros and cons of informals meditation practice
vPros: Easy to integrate, more accessible, less daunting, more of a “buy-in”
Cons: Too brief, “impure” type practice, irregular = mediocre muscle
explain Mindfulness & Eating Behaviors
OW & OB are the leading cause of preventable disease in North America
Overeating is one of the strongest predictors of OB
Effective eating regulation largely depends on what
an individual’s responsiveness to internal cues of hunger and fullness
–IA lower in OW/OB = Increased Ibs gain
how does mindfulness help with eating behaviours
vMindfulness = help increase internal insight • Specific skills deficits
• using mindfulness to address this
are Mindfulness Eating behaviours effective
vAlthough ME programs are effective
• Inaccessible to wider community
• Limited impact
explain the mcgill mindful eating program
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
give a summary of the results for the mcgill mindfulness eating program
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)
