This is a recent Seminar I presented as part of my undergraduate degree

1. MINDFULNESS

2. Group Task:
-Your understanding of what mindfulness is
-OR-
-What is on your mind
right now in this present
moment

3. “Reality, mostly, is not what it is, but what we have
decided it is”
(de Mello, 1988)

4. “First we make our conclusions’ –then we find some
way to arrive at them”
(de Mello, 1988)

5. “Compared to what we ought to be we are
only half awake” (William James,1924)
“The ultimate value of life depends
upon awareness and the power of
contemplation rather than upon
mere survival." (Aristotle, n.d)
“Problems cannot be solved at
the same level of awareness that
created them” (Einstein, n.d)

6. AWARENESS, CONSCIOUSNESS AND MENTAL
PROCESSING
 Consciousness has been distinguished from other
modes of mental processing—namely, cognition,
motives, and emotions.
 Consciousness encompasses both awareness and
attention.
(Brown & Ryan, 2003)

7. DEFINITION OF MINDFULNESS
 “Paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the
present moment, and non-judgementally” (Kabat-Zinn,
1994)
 “Mindfulness involves intentionally bringing one’s
attention to the internal and external experiences
occurring in the present moment” (Baer, 2003)
 “In a state of mindfulness, thoughts and feelings are
observed as events in the mind, without over-identifying
with them and without reacting to them in in an
automatic, habitual pattern of reactivity” (Bishop, Lau,
Shapiro et al, 2004)

8. FACETS OF MINDFULNESS
Self-Regulation of attention
“so that it is maintained on immediate experience,
thereby allowing for increased recognition of mental
events in the present moment”
Orientation to Experience
“orientation that is characterized by curiosity
openness, and acceptance”
(Bishop et al, 2004)

9. APPLIED MINDFULNESS
Date-hopeful:
 Nervous/
self-conscious
 History of
past dating failures

10.  Self-regulation of
Attention
 Orientation to
Experience

11. APPLIED MINDFULNESS
 Negative thought patterns
 Low levels motivation
 Maladaptive coping
strategies

12.  Self-Regulation of
Attention
 Orientation to
Experience

13. FROM ORIGINS TO SCIENTIFIC
INVESTIGATION

14. ORIGINS
Buddhism
 Mindfulness is central to the Buddhism tradition
 “The primary interest of this tradition is the quality of
consciousness in the present moment”, (Didonna,
2009)
 Sati (mindfulness) – awareness, attention and
remembering
 Used to alleviate suffering

15. MINDFULNESS IN THE SCIENTIFIC DOMAIN
“largely unconsidered outside the
fields of philosophical and religious
studies” (Dane, 2011)
“as being ‘seen as’ too mystical or
‘Zen-like’ to merit systematic
investigation” (Dane, 2011)

16. MINDFULNESS IN THE SCIENTIFIC DOMAIN
 Operational Definition
“no systematic efforts to establish the defining criteria of
it’s various components”
“general descriptions of mindfulness have not been
entirely consistent across investigators”
Bishop et. al, 2004
 Empirical Measure
“provides new opportunities for empirical investigations of
the nature of mindfulness and it’s relationships with other
psychological constructs”
Baer et. al, 2006

17. MINDFULNESS MEASURES
 The Toronto Mindfulness Scale (TMS: Lau, Bishop, Segal, Buis, Anderson, Carlson, Shapiro &
Carmody, 2006)
 Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS: Brown & Ryan, 2003)
 The Philadelphia Mindfulness Scale (PHLMS: Cardaciotto, Herbert, Forman et. al. 2008)
 The Cognitive and Affective Mindfulness Scale (CAMS: Feldman, Hawes, Kumar, Greeson &
Laurenceau, 2007)
 The Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills (KIMS: Baer et al. 2003)
 The Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnare (FMMQ: Baer, Smith, Hopkins, Krietemeyer & Toney,
2006)
 The Frieburg Mindfulness Inventory (FMI: Buchheld, Grossman & Walach, 2001)
 The Mindfulness Questionnaire (MQ: Chadwick, Hember, Mead, Lilley & Dagnan, 2005)

18. TMS
 Curiosity
“reflects awareness or present moment experience
with a quality of curiosity”
 Decentering
“emphasising awareness of ones experience with
some distance and this identification rather than
being carried away by ones thoughts and feelings”

19. TMS
 You will now be handed out the Toronto
Mindfulness Scale
 This should just take a few minutes to
complete

20. TMS SCORING
 All items are written in a positively keyed
direction so no reverse scoring of items is
required
 Curiosity score: items 3,5,6,10,12,13
 Decentering score: items 1,2,4,7,8,9,11

21. YOUR MINDFULNESS SCORE
If you have a high mindfulness score
well done
If, however, you do not don’t worry
It is possible to improve your
mindfulness (i.e. meditation)

22. MINDFULNESS
INTERVENTIONS

23. A MINDFULNESS INTERVENTION FOR
EVERYTHING...
 MBCP – Mindfulness based childbirth and
parenting

24.  MBEC – Mindfulness Based Elder Care

25. INTERVENTIONS
1. Mindfulness- Based Stress Reduction
2. Mindfulness- Based Cognitive Behavioural
Therapy
3. Mindfulness-Based Approaches to Eating
Disorders
4. Mindfulness- Based Relationship Enhancement
Training Program.

26. MINDFULNESS-BASED STRESS REDUCTION
 Developed by Dr Jon Kabat-Zinn
 Brought mindfulness into the mainstream of
medicine and society
 MBSR -mindfulness, meditation and yoga

27. AIM OF MBRS
 The mind is known to be a factor of stress and
stress related disorders
 Consciously and systematically working with stress,
pain, illness and demands of everyday life.

28.  Ignite inner capacity and infuse your life with
moment-to-moment awareness
 Such mindfulness helps patients use their inner
resources to achieve good health and well being

29. REASONS FOR JOINING:
 Stress
 Chronic pain and illness
 Anxiety and panic
 GI distress
 Sleep disturbances
 Fatigue
 High blood pressure
 Headaches

30. WHAT THE COURSE CONSISTS OF:
 8 weekly classes and 1 day long class that includes
-
 Guided instruction in mindfulness meditation
classes
 Gentle stretching and mindful yoga
 Group dialogue/discussions
 Individually tailored instruction
 Daily home assignments

31. RESULTS AFTER COMPLETION:
 Decrease in physical and psychological symptoms
 Increased ability to relax
 Reduction in pain levels
 Enhanced ability to cope with pain
 Greater energy and enthusiasm for life
 Improved self esteem
 Ability to cope better in stressful situations

32. MINDFULNESS-BASED COGNITIVE
BEHAVIOURAL THERAPY
 Based on MBSR
 Combines ideas of cognitive therapy with
meditative practices

33. AIMS OF MBCBT
 Helps to understand depression
 Discover what makes one vulnerable to staying at
the end of the downward spiral
 Connection to downward spiral and what makes
like worth living

34. REASONS FOR JOINING:
 Chronic pain
 Hypertension
 Heart disease
 Cancer
 Anxiety and panic
 Depression (reduces relapse 50%)

35. WHAT THE COURSE CONSISTS OF:
 Meeting with instructor prior to commencing
 8 weekly 2 hour classes
 One all day session between week 5 and 7
 Main work is done at home with CD’s

36. RESULTS AFTER COMPLETION:
 To recognise and disengage from mind states
characterised by negative thought
 See thoughts as negative events rather than facts

37. MINDFULNESS-BASED APPROACHES TO
EATING DISORDERS
 Alexithymia
 A change from externally oriented concrete thinking
style to internal orientation
 Tend to use eating as a way to avoid or escape
negative emotional states

38. AIMS OF MB-EAT
 Learn to approach eating in a more relaxed, non
judgemental way
 Improve registration of appetite regulation
 Reduce misappraisal of internal physical states

39.  More attuned to utilizing physiological appetite cues
for initiating and ending eating periods
 Offers a strong opportunity to improve emotion
regulation
 Recognise that thoughts are just thoughts

40. REASONS FOR JOINING:
 Anorexia Nervosa
 Bulimia Nervosa
 Binge Eating Disorder

41. WHAT THE COURSE CONSISTS OF:
Four Mindfulness-based programs combined:
1. Dialectical Behaviour Therapy
2. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
3. Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy
4. Mindfulness-Based Eating Awareness Training

42. EMPOWER APPROACH
Nine Core Skill Sets:
1. Nonjudgmental observation of reactivity
2. Separating out emotions
3. Separating out thoughts
4. Separation & tolerance of behavioural urges

43. 5. Recognition of hunger and satiety
6. Recognition of taste
7. Discernment of appetite cues from other internal
events
8. Identification of true needs
9. Addressing true needs

44. MINDFULNESS-BASED RELATIONSHIP
ENHANCEMENT TRAINING PROGRAM
 Foster greater awareness, ease and fresh
discovery of life’s experiences
 Enhances access to innate resources of joy,
compassion and connectedness

45. AIMS OF MBRE:
 Enrich the relationships of the relatively happy, non-
distressed couples
 Beneficially affecting individuals:
 Optimism
 Spirituality
 Relaxation
 Psychological distress

46.  Favourably impacting couples levels of:
 Relationship satisfaction
 Autonomy
 Relatedness
 Closeness
 Acceptance of one another
 Relationship distress

47. WHAT THE COURSE CONSISTS OF:
 8 weekly 150mins group sessions & 1 full day
retreat
 Sample Session (week 3) -
 Sitting meditation
 Group discussion on practices and homework with
focus on pleasant experiences
 Individual yoga
 Homework assignments

48. RESULTS AFTER COMPLETION:
 Enriching of current relationship functioning
 Improvement of individual psychological well being

49. CASE STUDY
 44 participants – married or cohabitating for at least
12 months
 Completed questionnaires prior to course and after
course
 Kept daily diaries of:
Relationship happiness Relationship distress
Stress Coping Overall Stress

50.  Results provided empirical support for MBRE
 Couples found ‘a way of being’ in all of life’s
experiences rather than a way to cope with specific
troublesome aspects of life

51. MINDFULNESS
EXERCISE

52. MINDFULNESS MEDITATION
Stage 1:Mindfulness of Breath
Stage 2: Mindfulness of Thoughts

53. MEDITATION TIPS
 Bringing the mind
back to the breath
 ‘Noting’
 Using metaphors:
-Sky

54. POSITIONS
Option A:

55. Option B:

56. Option C:

57. REFERENCES
Carson, J. W., Carson, K. M., Gil, K. M., & Baucom,
D. H. (2004). Mindfulness-based relationship
enhancement. Behaviour Therapy, 35, 471-494.
Mindful Living Programs (2011). What is Mindfulness-
Based Stress Reduction? Retrieved from:
www.mindfullivingprograms.com/whatMBSR.php
UMASS (2011). Stress Reduction Program. Retrieved
from: www.umassmed.edu

58. Baer, R. A. (2003).Mindfulness training as a clinical
intervention: A conceptual and empirical review.
Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 10,
125–143.
Bishop, S.R., Lau, M., Shapiro, S., Carlson, L.,
Anderson, N.D., Carmody, J., Segal, Z.V., Abbey,
S., Speca, M., Velting, D., Devins, G. (2004).
Mindfulness: A Proposed Operational Definition.
Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 11 (3),
230-240.
Kabat-Zinn, J. (1994). Wherever you go, there you
are: mindfulness meditation in everyday life. New
York: Hyperion.

59. James, W. (1924). Memories and studies. New York:
Longmans, Green, & Co. (Original work published
1911)
De Mello, A. (1988). The Prayer of the Frog: Vol 1: A
book of story Meditations.
Didonna, F. (Ed.), The Clinical Handbook of
Mindfulness (221-243). New York: Springer.
Dane (2011). Paying Attention to Mindfulness and Its
Effects on Task Performance in the Workplace.
Journal of Management, 37(4), 997-1018.

60. Baer, R. A., Smith, G. T., Hopkins, J., Krietemeyer, J.,
& Toney, L. (2006). Using self-report assessment
methods to explore facets of mindfulness.
Assessment, 13, 27–45.

61. EXTRA RESOURCES
 Kabat-Zinn: Intro to mindfulness
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nwwKbM_vJc
 Cognitive Neuroscience of Mindfulness Meditation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sf6Q0G1iHBI
 Malcom Huxter, Guided Meditation: Body Scan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJjafJouvt4