Toward a Phenomenology of Mindfulness: Subjective Experience and Emotional Correlates

Integrating Mindfulness into Positive Psychology: a Randomised Controlled Trial of an Online Positive Mindfulness Program

“…This state of mind is an invitation for the practitioner to attend the full range of internal and external experiences with a non-judgemental stance (Hart, Ivtzan, & Hart, 2013). Studies have shown that mindfulness promotes both hedonic (Brown & Cordon, 2009) and eudaimonic wellbeing (Brown, Ryan, & Creswell, 2007). Hedonic wellbeing is associated with pain relief and increased pleasure; eudaimonic wellbeing stands for living a meaningful, selfrealised, and fully-functional life.…”

Intensive mindfulness training-related changes in cognitive and emotional experience

“…Traditional mindfulness training, for example, conducted in Buddhist contexts, has emphasized the benefits that training may accrue for the enhancement of positive psychological qualities, including acceptance, self-compassion, and psychological wellness or happiness (e.g., Walsh & Shapiro, 2006). Research on trait mindfulness has shown that more mindful individuals report greater capacities for self-compassion, subjective well-being, and other positive psychological qualities (e.g., Baer, Smith, & Allen, 2004;Brown & Ryan, 2003) but, with the exception of one MBSR study by Shapiro, Brown, and Biegel (2007), little research has examined whether such qualities can accrue through mindfulness training. In an attempt to broaden the scope of inquiry into the effects of mindfulness training, the present research examined the effect of intensive mindfulness training on both psychological symptoms and positive psychological functioning.…”

“…Mindfulness concerns a sustained attention to external events and internal (psychological and somatic) experiences as they occur (Brown & Ryan, 2003;Kabat-Zinn, 1990). Decentering (or reperceiving) refers to the capacity to take a detached or objective stance on one's thoughts and emotions (Fresco et al, 2007;Shapiro et al, 2006).…”

“…These two constructs are related, in that decentering appears to be a form of experiential or mindful processing in which attention is turned inward to the observation of psychological states. Both can be contrasted with the conceptually driven mode of processing in which occurrences are habitually filtered through cognitive appraisals, evaluations, memories, beliefs, and other forms of cognitive manipulation (see reviews by Brown & Cordon, 2009;Brown et al, 2007). A third proposed mechanism is acceptance, which refers to the tendency to tolerate, or even approach, unwanted internal experiences rather than avoid them.…”

Prerequisites for Teaching Mindfulness and Meditation, Experienced Teachers from Different Traditions Share their Insights

“…It refers to a ''presence of mind'' wherein attention, informed by a sensitive awareness of what is occurring in the present, simply observes what is taking place, whether external events or internal (psychological and somatic) experiences [7,10,11]. Mindfulness is a form of experiential processing [12]. Mindfulness is the awareness that arises through intentionally attending in an open, accepting, and discerning way to whatever is arising in the present moment [7].…”