Generality
Mindfulness means the achievement of self-awareness and reality in the present moment and in a non-judgmental way.
This awareness can be achieved by putting into practice particular meditation techniques derived from those employed in Buddhism .
In other words, the practice of mindfulness sees as its main objective the achievement of a degree of maximum awareness through which the individual should reach a state of well-being . In fact, by becoming aware and not critical of themselves and of reality, individuals should be able to control and contain emotions, feelings and negative thoughts that can lead to suffering.
The growing interest in mindfulness has given way to numerous studies to investigate its real potential, particularly in the medical-therapeutic field. The results obtained so far - which will have to be further investigated - are encouraging and outline mindfulness as an extremely useful tool for alleviating the emotional suffering of patients suffering from different types of pathologies.
What is that
What is Mindfulness?
As mentioned, mindfulness means having awareness of oneself by paying attention to reality in the present moment, in an objective and detached way and, above all, non-judgmental .
Not surprisingly, the English word " mindfulness " means " awareness ".
The practice of mindfulness can, therefore, be considered as a sort of process that - through the implementation of particular meditation techniques - leads the individual to be aware of himself, his thoughts, his feelings and reality, understood as here and now, surrounding it.
Mindfulness and Buddhism
At first glance, the concept of mindfulness may seem very complicated. Its origins derive from what is the Buddhist philosophy according to which suffering (understood as psychological suffering) derives from a wrong view of reality that can be corrected through meditation and the attainment of so-called illumination .
Going into more detail and leaving aside the religious aspects, according to Buddhist philosophy, individuals can eliminate suffering by acquiring the correct vision of reality in the present moment (here and now) and acquiring the right awareness of oneself, of one's thoughts and emotions. - in particular, negatives - seeing them for what they really are, that is products of one's mind that, as such, can be controlled .
What is NOT Mindfulness
In order to avoid misunderstandings, it is good to specify that Mindfulness:
- It is NOT a form of trance : mindfulness, in fact, as the word itself says, is a state of awareness that requires the maximum lucidity of the person.
- It is NOT a "mystical" or religious experience : although mindfulness is based on meditation techniques derived from the Buddhist philosophy, it has nothing to do with the homonymous religion.
- It is NOT a way to escape the problems of reality : on the contrary, mindfulness is practiced to understand and analyze reality in the present moment and in a non-judgmental way.
Moreover, it should be pointed out that mindfulness is NOT a psychotherapy, but could be considered as a sort of "intervention strategy" which, if necessary, can be practiced in support of traditional therapeutic methods in order to promote psychological and emotional well-being of the patient.
What is it for
What is Mindfulness for?
As repeatedly stated, the purpose of mindfulness is to reach a state of self-awareness, of one's thoughts and emotions in the here and now, in a deliberate but detached and non-judgmental way. Thanks to this "detachment", mindfulness should help the individual to accept himself and what happens around him and / or within him. Very often, in fact, people tend to judge, criticize and despair because of what happens to them, thus leading to the birth of negative thoughts, malaise and discomfort.
The goal of mindfulness practice is to learn to look and accept reality in the present moment as it is, by looking at the negative thoughts in a detached way and seeing them for what they are, that is, as products of one's mind that - with the right practice - can be understood and controlled, preventing them from having a negative impact on one's life.
All this can be useful to manage stress, feelings and negative feelings that can overwhelm people during their life, especially during particularly delicate periods (for example, during and / or immediately after pregnancy), following traumas or forts shocks (for example, deaths, particularly serious accidents, etc.), or following the onset of diseases. Mindfulness, therefore, can be a useful tool also in the medical-therapeutic field, as a support to traditional medical treatments, in order to improve the patient's emotional state.
History and Program MSBR
History of Mindfulness and Ideation of the Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction Program
Although the origins of mindfulness have sunk in the distant past (Buddhist philosophy), it is possible to say that the introduction of mindfulness and its practice in the medical field is due to the studies conducted by the American biologist and professor of the School of Medicine of the University of Massachusetts Jon Kabat-Zinn .
Based on his own experiences of meditation, Kabat-Zinn became convinced that the practice of mindfulness could be exploited in the medical-therapeutic field. Starting from the union of his scientific knowledge and his knowledge of Buddhist philosophy and yoga, in 1979 the American biologist founded the Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts, where he developed his program for Stress Reduction and for the Relaxation (from English, Stress Reduction and Relaxation Program ). This program was created by Kabat-Zinn by adapting the concepts of Buddhist philosophy and traditional meditation techniques to Western medicine. The intent of Kabat-Zinn, in fact, was to introduce the practice of mindfulness in hospitals, health centers and clinics in order to help patients suffering from chronic pain and / or terminal illnesses to cope with stress and suffering .
The program was then perfected and the Buddhist precepts at its base were re-proposed with a more scientific approach, thus giving rise to the eight-week program known as " Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction " or " MBSR " (Awareness Based Stress Reduction ).
The MBSR program has achieved great success, so much so that, even today, it is adopted in various fields and applied in many situations.
Evolutions of the MSBR Program
The success of the mindfulness stress-reduction program (MBSR) developed by Kabat-Zinn has been so successful that it has led to the emergence of new therapeutic programs applied in multiple fields and based precisely on the MBSR program. Among these, we recall:
- Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy : is a widespread and scientifically tested program that combines the practice of mindfulness with cognitive therapy used in patients with depression .
- Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention : proposed protocol to prevent relapse in addictions.
- Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting : this is an innovative education program, proposed with the intention of "promoting the mental health of both parents, supporting the self-efficacy of childbirth and facilitating labor, improving relationships with partners and parental sensitivity "(Larissa G. Duncan, Ph.D. and Catherine Shaddix, MA, Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting (MBCP): Innovation in Birth Preparation to Support Healthy, Happy Families, in Int J Birth Parent Educ. 2015 Jan ; 2 (2): 30–33).
- Mindfulness-Based Eating Awareness: program designed to provide support to patients with eating disorders or those with food-related problems.
- Mindfulness-Based Elder Care: program created starting from the one developed by Kabat-Zinn and adapted to the needs of the elderly, their family and staff - health care and non-health care - assigned to their assistance.
- Mindfulness-Based Relationship Enhancement: program designed to enrich relationships, in particular, as a couple.
Applications
Applications of Mindfulness
The practice of mindfulness can be useful both in everyday life, and in the presence of particular pathological conditions that inevitably negatively affect the emotional well-being of the person who is affected, directly or indirectly.
The practice of mindfulness, therefore, can be used to reduce stress and control negative emotions in the workplace, in schools and academia and in all those cases where it may be necessary to face unpleasant situations or those that cause discomfort and / or cause suffering to the person.
Below, a couple of "practical" applications of mindfulness on which several studies have been carried out will be briefly described.
Curiosity
Some industry specialists recommend mindfulness to promote resilience . For more information on this, we recommend reading the dedicated article by clicking here.
Application of Mindfulness in Pediatric and Evolutionary Age
During pediatric and developmental age the practice of mindfulness can be useful both to help children in need and to help children without particular problems to develop their prosocial skills .
The mindfulness applied in the developmental age, therefore, can be considered as a useful tool that can help children - both with and without difficulty - to become aware of themselves and their emotions and to learn to pay attention to others, favoring the development of social and emotional skills .
The effectiveness of the practice of mindfulness in the developmental age seems to be confirmed by studies conducted on the subject. In fact, from these studies it emerged that children who have been taught some mindfulness practices have shown a better ability to regulate and manage stress and a more optimistic and collaborative attitude compared to children who have not been taught any mindfulness practice.
Naturally, the mindfulness techniques applied in the pediatric age must be adapted and adapted to the abilities of the children to whom they are addressed. In this regard, meditation techniques have been proposed that are shorter and easier to perform than those provided for adults.
Did you know that ...
Based on some studies, it seems that children with ADHD can benefit from the practice of mindfulness. The increase in self-awareness and the surrounding environment, in fact, seems to be effective in reducing the typical behaviors of ADHD.
Application of Mindfulness during Pregnancy
During pregnancy, the appearance of stress and low mood is a fairly common phenomenon. However, if stress and bad mood persist, they could interfere with the mother-child relationship and favor the appearance of post-partum mood disorders.
For this reason, the use of mindfulness practices could prove useful. A study carried out in this regard showed that mothers who underwent the MBSR program devised by Kabat-Zinn during gestation showed a 20-25% improvement in mood compared to mothers who did not follow the program during the pregnancy. The improvement achieved mainly concerned the decrease in depressive and anxiety symptoms and the reduction of stress in the postpartum period.
How you do it
How to Practice Mindfulness
The meditation techniques used in mindfulness are usually practiced in a sitting position, on the floor on cushions or rugs, or on a chair. The eyes should be closed and the person's concentration should be directed only to breathing and the movements made by the abdomen during inhalation and exhalation. In this way, the person should be able to reach the awareness of his own breath . With practice, awareness of the breath should then be extended to the awareness of oneself, one's thoughts, one's emotions and the surrounding reality.
Those who approach mindfulness for the first time generally perform short sessions of meditation, lasting about 10 minutes. Meditation time can then be increased as you gain experience and according to your needs.
How the Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction Program is implemented
The Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction program developed by Kabat-Zinn, on the other hand, involves the combined execution of the aforementioned meditation techniques and yoga exercises, either alone - independently - or in group sessions together with others. people and together with qualified instructors. In this regard, it should be pointed out that the latter should not only have a thorough knowledge of the MBSR program, but should also have a good personal meditation experience.
The mindfulness-based stress reduction program developed by Kabat-Zinn has a duration of eight weeks, during which a group meeting is scheduled for about two and a half hours a week. Group meetings include a first part of practical meditation and a final part of sharing experiences during practice. Of course, there is also an individual job to be performed at home daily.
During group meetings, the voice of the instructors guides people through meditation. As for the exercises to be practiced at home, instead, if necessary and foreseen, the instructors will provide special records to each individual.
Did you know that ...
In several Italian cities there are Mindfulness Centers that deal with spreading and promoting mindfulness practices. Furthermore, some of these centers organize different types of courses, such as, for example, the Kabat-Zinn MBSR program and instructor-led mindfulness meditation evenings.
