Mindfulness

• What are the aims of mindfulness?


  The aim of mindfulness is to allow people to be in control of their own mind by paying attention to their present, thoughts and emotions. mindfulness will enhance a persons positive characteristics, ultimately allowing them to become happier.
• What is the first main component of mindfulness?


  Gaining control of thoughts. Being mindful trainers to focus on present, thoughts, emotions feelings. This enables us to think about the now and avoid thinking about the past, which creates feelings of worry, guilt, and also to avoid thinking about the future, which creates feelings of anxiousness. Mindfulness helps the individual to recognise when negative thoughts are occurring and order their response to become more positive.
• What is the second main component of mindfulness?

  Meditation and mindful breathing. Meditation is important as it removes the individual from daily interactions so it’s easier to focus. It’s learnt through guided instruction and personal practice. First, they have to get comfortable in a quiet space. Then they sit cross legged or on a chair. After that they get relaxed and close their eyes. Then you focus on your breath and become aware of your breathing. You inhale joy and exhale stress. You bring your thoughts back to centre when it wonders and you have to make a commitment.
• What is the third main component of mindfulness?

  Informal practices. Once you have learned mindfulness, you can practice it in every day life. It’s the opposite of multitasking as you make the mind focus on one single task and absorb your surroundings. This takes your mind away from negative thinking and focuses on the present. For example when you’re waiting in line, be mindful of the sense of urgency with which you enter the bank, mindful of your reaction when you see the line and of your posture and breath focus on physical sensations and don’t look at your phone or watch for distraction.
• Give an example of a mindfulness based program.

  Mindfulness based stress reduction (MBSR): MBSR is a group program developed by Jon Kabat-Zim and it’s a flexible approach to stress reduction. First, you have to make the experience a challenge, not a chore and then emphasise on the importance of individual effort. Then the immediate lifestyle change required to do formal mindfulness happens. You learn the importance of making each moment count by bringing it to awareness. It is educational rather than therapeutical.
• Apply mindfulness to the assumption ‘the acknowledgement of free will’.


  The key to mindfulness is becoming consciously aware of thoughts and feelings and being able to regulate them. Mindfulness is about actively responding to your feelings and encourages people to take control of thoughts/emotions and reduce the amount of time spent focusing on negative emotions. If the choice is made to control your feelings, then we become more productive towards our feelings and increase our sense of well-being, rather than spending time, focusing on negative thoughts
• Apply mindfulness the assumption ‘the authenticity of goodness and excellence’.


  Mindfulness demonstrates that positive human traits are as authentic as negative ones. Engaging in mindfulness indicates that individuals striving to achieve fulfilment by developing course, strengths. It aims to help people develop the signature strength and encourages people to develop stronger traits of perspective, developing optimism, wisdom, gratitude, perseverance, self-determination through mindfulness. Enhance your positive characteristics you have a happier life.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of mindfulness (changing thinking).


  Mindfulness helps the client change the process of how I think not just content. Mindfulness is therefore effective as it creates a new way of thinking which increases the amount of positive thinking. This is a strength, as as you are addressing the process of thinking it can help prevent relapse.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of mindfulness (Patricia Casey).


  Most evidence seems to suggest that mindfulness helps with depression, but some psychologists say that the methodology behind the positive studies has not been as rigorous as it should have been “Many of the studies are small pilot studies, and carried on those who are not extremely ill“ (Patricia Casey) “so they would be at the mild end of the spectrum studies have not frequently investigated how it compares to extreme situations”. this is a weakness as not much evidence shows that it can be used for severe mental illnesses.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of mindfulness (Kuyken).


  He recruited, 424 patients with a history of three or more depressive episodes. All took antidepressant medication and half the group were randomly assigned an eight week course of MBCT. During this, they will also give help to come off the medication. Mindfulness did not prove superior to antidepressants, the relapse rate was more or less identical for both (around 50%). They continued to show symptoms of depression, which suggests mindfulness is not always effective in reducing the symptoms
• Evaluate the ethics of mindfulness (comparison).

  Mindfulness is highly ethical it has very few side effects and takes a highly positive attitude towards well-being. It promotes free will and empowering people to make changes. Compared to psycho analysis mindfulness does not require reliving past trauma. Compared to CBT, mindfulness does not place blame onto the client. Compare to psychosurgery and drug therapy. There are no serious side-effects that would have impacts on the progress of the therapy.
• Evaluate the ethics of mindfulness (accessibility).


  There are many mindfulness courses around the country costing about £25 an hour. Anyone can be taught the basics of mindfulness usually in a group. There are also many websites and that can run mindfulness courses which means that people who may be reluctant to visit a traditional psychologist can still access mindfullness. This means mental health relief can be accessed by people who would otherwise receive no support.
• Evaluate the ethics of mindfulness (untrained practitioners).


  There is a big issue with mindfulness being delivered by untrained practitioners. This is concerning for those who use mindfulness to reduce symptoms of mental illness. Many practitioners only have a week of training before running sessions. However, Dr Florian Ruth said in the Guardian, there is a lot of enthusiasm for mindfulness based therapies but they can have side-effects. Mindfulness is delivered to potentially vulnerable people so it needs to be taught by people who know the basics about those illnesses.