Mindfulness meditation is a two and a half millennia old Buddhist spiritual practice that focuses on the development of introspective consciousness.

Since the late 1950s Western physicians, psychologists, and health researchers have been studying the psychophysiological effects of various types of meditation, resulting in several literature reviews (Barrows & Jacobs, 2002; Banadonna, 2003; Murphy & Donovan, 1999; D.H. Shapiro & Walsh, 1983). The most widely known and researched techniques are Transcendental Meditation (TM) (Orme Johnson & Farrow, 1977) and Benson’s (1975) relaxation response method.

Of particular relevance is the Buddhist practice known as mindfulness meditation (Skt,smirti; Pali, sati) and its more advanced derivative, insight meditation (vipassana).

Mindfulness comes from the Pali word sati and the Sanskrit word smirti, which connotes awareness, attention, and remembering. The background and foreground of consciousness are, respectively, awareness and attention. Awareness provides global scanning and continuous monitoring of experience, while attention heightens sensitivity towards a restricted amount of experience, allowing for a deepening of one’s focus and investigation. The term remembering is also pivotal, given the fact that mindfulness is the continued intention to remain present, and to volitionally refrain from mental engagement that disrupts the unity of awareness and attention (Gremer, Ronald, & Fulton, 2005).

Mindfulness has been variously defined as “paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally” (Kabat-Zinn, 1994, p. 4); as “bringing one’s complete attention to the present experience on a moment to moment basis” (Marlatt & Kristeller, 1999, p. 68); and, simply as “attentional control”(Teasdale, Segal, & Williams, 1995, p. 54).

A more psychologically oriented description defines mindfulness as a “limber state of mind” (Langer, 1989, p. 70); and as a cognitive process that employs the creation of new categories, openness to new information, and awareness of more than one perspective. According to Hirst (2003), “being mindful requires the person to attend, to be consciously aware of, the emergent nature of phenomena in consciousness, and to recognize the nature of attachments made to these phenomena as they occur” (p. 360).

Mindfulness is more than a cognitive, perceptual function; it is “awareness of present experience with acceptance” (Gremer et al., 2005, p.7). Kabat-Zinn (1990) and Shapiro, Schwartz, and Bonner (1998) list 12 qualities or attitudes that support the practice of mindfulness, including nonjudging, nonstriving, acceptance, patience, trust, openness, letting go, gentleness, generosity, understanding, gratitude, and loving kindness.

Vietnamese Buddhist meditation master Nat Hanh (1976) defines mindfulness as, “keeping one’s consciousness alive to the present reality” (p. 11); while the German Buddhist monk and scholar Nyanaponika (1972)describes it as “the clear and single minded awareness of what actually happens to us and in us at the successive moments of perception” (p. 5).

The Sri Lankan monk, Gunaratana (1991), provides a more esoteric explanation, stating that mindfulness cannot be fully captured in words, because it is subtle, nonverbal, beyond conception, and must ultimately be experienced.


Bibliography:

Banadonna, R. (2003). Meditation's impact on chronic illness. Holistic Nurse Practitioner, 17, 309-319.

Barrows, K., & Jacobs, B. (2002). Mind-body medicine. An introduction and review of the literature. Medical Clinics of North America, 86 (1), 11-31.

Gremer, C., Ronald, S., & Fulton, P. (Eds.). (2005). Mindfulness and psychotherapy. New York: Guilford Press.

Gunaratana, H. (1991). Mindfulness in plain English. Boston: Wisdom.

Hirst, I. S. (2003). Perspectives on mindfulness. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, 10, 359-366.

Kabat-Zinn, J.(1990). Full catastrophe living: Using the wisdom books of your body and mind to face stress, pain, and
illness. New York: Delta Books.

Kabat-Zinn, J.(1994). Wherever you go, there you are: Mindfulness meditation in everyday life . New York: Hyperion Books.

Langer, E. (1989). Mindfulness. Cambridge, MA: Da Copa Press.

Marlatt, G., & Kristeller , J. (1999). Mindfulness and meditation. In W. R. Miller (Ed.), Integrating spirituality into treatment (pp. 67-84). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Murphy, M., & Donovan, S. (1999). The physical and psychological effects of meditation. Sausalito, CA: Institute of Noetic Sciences.

Nhat Han, T. (1976). The miracle of mindfulness. Boston: Beacon Press.

Nyanaponika T. (1965). The heart of Buddhist meditation. York Beach, ME:Red Wheel/Weiser.

Shapiro, D. H., & Walsh, R. (1984). Meditation: Classic and contemporary perspectives . New York: Aldine.

Shapiro, S. L., Schwartz, G. E., & Bonner, G. (1998). Effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction on medical and premedical students. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 21, 581-599.

Teasdale, J. D., Segal, Z. V., & Williams, M. (1995). How does cognitive therapy prevent depressive relapse and why should attentional control (mindfulness) help? Behavior Research and Therapy, 33, 25-29.