What is Mindfulness?
One definition of mindfulness is: "The awareness that arises from paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgmentally.” It is a simple practice that involves training ourselves to pay attention to what’s happening here and now (i.e. sensations, thoughts, and emotions) in a non-judgemental way. It’s powerful because it can interrupt the habit of getting lost in thoughts, mostly about the past or future, which often generates more unnecessary stress on top of the real pressures of everyday life.
Evidence-Based Results
Over the last 30 years, academic research in the fields of neuroscience, psychology and physical medicine have documented the wide-ranging benefits of learning to meditate, particularly in an 8-week mindfulness course format. With practice, mindfulness can serve as the perfect antidote to healing stress that can sometimes undermine our health, performance and quality of life, and can provide a sensation of relaxation. Indeed the evidence has shown that it can be an effective aid in the treatment of many mental and physical health issues, as well as generally improving our performance, relationships, and well-being.
One definition of mindfulness is: "The awareness that arises from paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgmentally.” It is a simple practice that involves training ourselves to pay attention to what’s happening here and now (i.e. sensations, thoughts, and emotions) in a non-judgemental way. It’s powerful because it can interrupt the habit of getting lost in thoughts, mostly about the past or future, which often generates more unnecessary stress on top of the real pressures of everyday life.
Evidence-Based Results
Over the last 30 years, academic research in the fields of neuroscience, psychology and physical medicine have documented the wide-ranging benefits of learning to meditate, particularly in an 8-week mindfulness course format. With practice, mindfulness can serve as the perfect antidote to healing stress that can sometimes undermine our health, performance and quality of life, and can provide a sensation of relaxation. Indeed the evidence has shown that it can be an effective aid in the treatment of many mental and physical health issues, as well as generally improving our performance, relationships, and well-being.
8 Week Mindfulness Courses
While there are many ways to learn mindfulness, we recommend the 8-week course format as the starting point, as it is the most widely-researched and evidence-based approach. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) are two of the most popular and well researched of the 8 week courses.
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), is an 8 week mindfulness training program that was created by Jon Kabat-Zinn in 1979. It is supported by a wide body of research showing that it is effective at addressing chronic pain, anxiety, depression, and general stress reduction. Although its roots do come from spiritual teachings, as do all mindfulness meditation programs, MBSR is a secular program. It is largely based on proven medical and psychological research.
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Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy
The Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) programme is closely modelled on MBSR with some important differences designed specifically to help us deal with depressive mood states. The programme has been shown to be highly effective in preventing depressive relapse and in treating other psychological conditions, including anxiety and stress-related conditions. MBCT is included in the NHS NICE guidelines and is increasingly used in therapeutic practice.
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