| Foreword |
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xviii | |
| Preface |
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xx | |
| Acknowledgment |
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xxiv | |
| Section 1 Overview of Mindfulness and Mindfulness-Based Practices |
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Chapter 1 Meditation, Mindfulness, and Mental Health: Opportunities, Issues, and Challenges |
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1 | (14) |
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In the last six decades, the concept of mindfulness has been widely studied, researched, and practiced in mainstream psychology, mental health, and health disciplines. |
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Over a period of time, clinical practitioners have integrated meditation and mindfulness practices or techniques in the mainstream psychological interventions for emotional and behavioral disorders such as anxiety, depression, chronic pain, borderline personality disorder, and eating disorder. |
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This chapter highlights the application of Mindfulness-Based Interventions in various clinical and non-clinical samples. |
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It also covers the importance of mindfulness practices for the crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic, discusses integrating technology into mindfulness training, and presents various issues and challenges related to mindfulness practices. |
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Chapter 2 An Overview of Mindfulness and Its Implications for Children and Adolescents |
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15 | (20) |
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Mindfulness is focusing on the present moment while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's thoughts, feelings, and body sensations as they are. |
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The use of mindfulness practices on children and adolescents is burgeoning. |
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This chapter covers the meaning and elements of mindfulness, their measurement, the various techniques, and exercises exclusive for children. |
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Such techniques are typically individualized, tailor-made, personalized, contextualized, play-based, activity-oriented, reward-oriented, and maintained at the child's developmental level. |
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Mindfulness parenting is vital. |
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A mindful parent is aware of one's thoughts and feelings; is responsive to the child's needs, thoughts, and feelings; is better at regulating own emotions; is less critical of oneself or the child; is better at standing back from situations and avoiding an impulsive reaction. |
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Issues related to professionalism, formal institutions for training mindfulness, and ongoing research on this theme, their achievements, and setbacks are listed before providing future directions for work in this area. |
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Chapter 3 Is There a Right Way to Parent? Focusing on Mindful Parenting |
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35 | (20) |
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The chapter focuses on bringing mindfulness into the parent-child relationship. |
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The concept of mindfulness is discussed and its dimensions are examined as having an impact on effective parenting and a harmonious relationship between the parent and child. |
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A model of mindful parenting emphasizing on the social context of parent-child relationship is described. |
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The chapter highlights the significance of mindful parenting which includes being mindful to one's self as well as being mindful of the relationship between the parent and child, indicating a shift from doing mode to being mode. |
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Thus, mindful parenting requires the parent to be mindful of the parent-child relationship itself rather than considering parenting as a task to be carried out and just doing or acting in this relationship. |
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Infusing mindfulness into the dynamics of the parent-child relationship will usher in the well-being of both child and parent. |
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Chapter 4 Mindful Eating: A Novel Therapeutic Tool |
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55 | (13) |
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The chapter is an attempt by authors to highlight the scope of mindful eating as an adjunct therapeutic tool. |
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There is a close link between emotional states and eating, specifically intense emotional states and unhealthy eating practices. |
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Mediating factors such as an individual's perception of food-related cues, changes in cognitive control, and eating as an emotional coping strategy influence the relationship between emotion and eating behavior. |
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Mindful eating can be utilized as an adjunct in therapy by helping clients to practice cognitive control and by breaking the cycle of unhealthy coping strategies like emotional eating. |
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Similar to other mindfulness techniques, mindful eating involves paying attention to the food intentionally, in the moment and without judgment. |
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The chapter covers various approaches to mindfulness eating. |
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Authors have compiled guidelines for therapists on how to introduce mindful eating as an adjunct in therapy settings for clients who have unhealthy eating patterns along with anxiety and depressive symptoms as well as for those suffering from eating disorders. |
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Chapter 5 Mindfulness-Based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: A Practitioners View |
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68 | (21) |
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Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is one of the latest mindfulness-based behavior therapies shown to have compelling evidence and efficacy with a wide range of clinical conditions. |
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ACT is so hard to categorize that it is often described as an amalgamation of existential, humanistic, cognitive-behavioural therapy. |
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ACT is often referred as process-based CBT and is one of the 'third-wave' of behavioural therapies. |
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It is currently the fastest growing evidence-based therapy in the world, with currently at least 304 Randomized Control Trials (RCTs) being recorded all over the world. |
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It has proven effective in different cultural contexts with a diverse set of clinical conditions, from depression, Obsessive-compulsive disorder, chronic pain, grief, loss and terminal illness, anxiety, and workplace stress. |
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Chapter 6 Mindfulness and the Elderly |
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89 | (21) |
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With growing life expectancy, age-related mental health issues are rising in the elderly. |
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Whether normal aging or pathological senility, mindfulness practices are useful, economic, and accessible. |
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The elderly experience many forms of anxiety with varying severity. |
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There can be stress, anxiety, depression, and negative emotions. |
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Quality of life and sleep, cognitive impairments, chronic pain, decreased social contacts are common concerns of the elderly. |
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There is growing evidence that mindfulness practices mitigate their suffering. |
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This chapter covers details on mindfulness-based tools for the elderly, their practices, exercises, and techniques. |
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The recommended techniques are group-based, participatory, age-appropriate, and reflective. |
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Given the vulnerability of the elderly, the chapter cautions about latent medico-legal and ethical issues in using mindfulness for the elderly. |
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They must be blended with cultural, religious, moral, and spiritual elements to derive optimum benefits for the individual or small groups of such persons. |
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A future road map is given. |
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| Section 2 Clinical Application of Mindfulness-Based Interventions |
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Chapter 7 Mindfulness-Based Interventions and Parent-Child Relationship in Parents of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Brief Narrative Review |
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110 | (17) |
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Kamlam Gopalkrishnan Iyer |
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Mindfulness has been noticed in the domain of psychology and neuroscience for the last two decades. |
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With the plethora of studies based on interventional benefits of mindfulness-based techniques in various populations, the present review assesses if parent-child relationship studies effectively use mindfulness-based interventions on parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). |
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The children are in the age group of below 5 years. |
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The aspects of ASD, mindfulness techniques, and parent-child relationship importance are explored, albeit briefly. |
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One study could be reviewed and was assessed for its treatment fidelity. |
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The conclusion was based on the need to conduct more mindfulness-based intervention studies for the parent population of children in the younger ages and with ASD. |
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This review recommends such replication of studies on the parents of the Indian subcontinent as well. |
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Chapter 8 Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Caregivers (Parents) of Children With Cerebral Palsy |
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127 | (17) |
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Families of children with disabilities often experience high levels of stress associated with taking care of a child with disability. |
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The perceived stress by the caregivers may often lead to negative outcomes in day-to-day functioning for caregivers themselves as well as the child. |
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Mindfulness as an element of consciousness has been acknowledged to promote positivity and well-being among individuals. |
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It is a mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations. |
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This chapter focuses on the application of mindfulness-based therapies for caregivers (parents) of children with cerebral palsy. |
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This chapter also entails in detail therapeutic techniques like Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), its in-depth description, background, and applications as an effective approach for the intervention of caregivers. |
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Chapter 9 Mindfulness-Based Interventions in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder |
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144 | (9) |
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Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the most prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder in children and adolescents. |
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It is marked with deficits in behavioral symptoms of hyperactivity/impulsivity along with cognitive deficits in the domain of attention, self-regulation, and executive function. |
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Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBI) have come up as an intervention of choice for various psychological disorders such as anxiety disorder, depression, substance abuse, and eating disorder. |
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Mindfulness at its core is paying non-judgmental attention to the present moment. |
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Despite the robust evidence for both of the treatment modalities available, the cognitive symptoms of ADHD still progress towards adulthood affect the individual's achievement and overall psychosocial adjustment. |
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A number of recent studies have found preliminary evidence about the effectiveness of MBI as an adjunct treatment in ADHD. |
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The chapter will discuss the evidence-based interventions that incorporate mindfulness. |
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Chapter 10 Mindfulness-Based Interventions in Psychosis |
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153 | (22) |
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Individuals suffering with psychotic disorders face lifelong emotional dysregulation and may have impairments in their thought processes and perceptual experiences despite the availability to pharmacological treatment and good compliance. |
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They feel extreme distress with their psychotic experiences that may result in avoidance of these experiences which may further warrant for residual symptoms and frequent hospitalizations. |
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Fora few decades literature has focused on exploring the possibilities of acceptance-based interventions in psychosis. |
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Mindfulness interventions employ the strategies of direct use of meditation practice or combined use of meditation with acceptance-based or compassion-based practices. |
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This chapter tends to summarize the various mindfulness interventions used for psychosis and review their feasibility in terms of evidence base and therapeutic specificity. |
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Furthermore, it recommends the guidelines for protocol to be used with psychotic individuals and advocates the need for more methodologically rigorous evidence. |
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Chapter 11 Mindfulness-Based Therapy in the Management of Tinnitus |
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175 | (9) |
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Mindfulness-based interventions are one of the recent techniques that have proven to be very useful in tinnitus management. |
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Mindfulness therapy refers to experiencing the present, which helps control the attention system, which significantly contributes to getting relief from the adverse reactions due to tinnitus. |
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Several systematic reviews and randomized controlled trials report relief from tinnitus perception even with the heterogeneity of the patients with mindfulness therapy. |
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The different study designs and outcome measures reported similar results suggesting the efficacy of mindfulness-based training. |
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Thus, psychologists and audiologists dealing with individuals suffering from tinnitus can attempt this technique in management. |
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The mindfulness-based training can be combined with formal Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT) approaches to enhance tinnitus treatment. |
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Chapter 12 Medical Burnout: Is Mindfulness an Effective Coping Strategy? |
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184 | (11) |
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The WHO defines burnout as an inadequate response to chronic workplace stress, with emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced professional efficacy. |
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Its growing incidence among physicians may adversely affect their personal and professional lives. |
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Mindfulness aims to reach a state of consciousness in which one's attention is purposefully focused on the present. |
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This chapter uses a narrative review of articles published between 2015 and 2019, with the MeSH terms "Burnout," "Professional," "Mindfulness," and "Health Personnel." Sixty-six articles were obtained, of which one meta-analysis, two systematic reviews, and two randomized clinical trials (RCT) met the inclusion criteria. |
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All studies showed some degree of burnout improvement, more statistically significant as regards emotional exhaustion. |
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One RCT also showed a reduction in heart rate. |
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Available evidence suggests that mindfulness may improve physicians' well-being, mental health, and resilience, asserting itself as a possible coping strategy for burnout, namely regarding emotional exhaustion. |
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Chapter 13 Mindfulness-Based Well-Being Interventions in Organizations and the COVID-19 Pandemic |
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195 | (19) |
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Dramatic changes in social, economic, and working life have occurred with the COVID-19 pandemic. |
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These changes cause stress for employees. |
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Therefore, it is important to implement cost-effective and purposive interventions targeting employee well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. |
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One of these interventions is Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs). |
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MBIs are generally implemented as a face to face with 8-session program. |
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However, in the COVID-19 pandemic, remote work has been adopted widely by organizations, causing an urgent need for digital well-being interventions. |
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This study aims to investigate effectiveness of digital mindfulness-based interventions on employees' well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. |
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To do this, the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on employee well-being will be explained in the first part. |
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In the second part, mindfulness and mindfulness-based interventions will be discussed. |
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In the last part, digital mindfulness interventions and their effects on employee well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic will be clarified. |
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| Section 3 Meditation, Mindfulness, Health, and Healing |
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Chapter 14 Mindfulness Through Mantram and Inspired Passage Meditation: Toolkit for Diversity |
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214 | (23) |
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Mindfulness is sometimes misunderstood as solely a Buddhist or secular practice. |
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This chapter offers a toolkit for enhanced sensitivity and flexibility toward patients and populations of diverse spiritual and religious orientations and backgrounds. |
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It explains a set of eight interrelated practices known as Passage Meditation (PM), and a subset known as the Mantram Repetition Program (MRP), both derived from Indian-born spiritual teacher Eknath Easwaran (1910-1999). |
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These practices support mindfulness and can be pursued within any major religious tradition or outside all and facilitate drawing on spiritual resources within each tradition. |
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Two empirical research programs based on these practices have generated more than 30 published research studies and seven randomized controlled trials. |
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Each program has documented both enhanced mindfulness and a variety of improved mental health outcomes, often mediated by mindfulness gains. |
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Guidance is provided for implementation, implications for diversity-related ethical obligations, and needed expansion of contemporary mindfulness toolkits. |
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Chapter 15 Interpersonal Aspects of Mindfulness and Concentrative Meditations |
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237 | (18) |
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The chapter discusses the interpersonal aspects of mindfulness and concentrative meditations in terms of the four Brahmavihara/bhavana, also known as four immeasureables. |
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These are maitri/metta (loving-kindness), mudita (empathetic, appreciative joy), karuna (compassion), and upeksha/upelddia or samata (equanimity). |
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This practice is considered pre-Buddhist (Hindu) and extra-Buddhist (Jain) in its origin, with references present in Vedas, Upanishads, Tantras, Bhagawad Gita, Yoga Vashistha, and Patanjali Yoga Sutras and further elaborated in Buddhism. |
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This chapter will cover both conceptual and application dimension of the Brahmaviharas. |
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Chapter 16 The No-Self of Zen/Gen: Examining the Interpersonal Aspects of Mindfulness |
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255 | (18) |
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The Buddhist practice of mindfulness has enjoyed a tremendous surge in popularity in the last few decades, both in the popular press and in the psychotherapy literature. |
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However, the philosophy and practice of mindfulness has often been erroneously equated with quietism or a withdrawal from the world of action, misconceived as a practice of sterile, self-absorbed contemplation. |
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On the contrary, the core Buddhist conception of existential freedom lies in the belief of doing over thinking, and intersubjectivity over introspection. |
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Moreover, the cultural differences in how one conceives oneself, particularly in relation to others around, prove to be a critical factor in determining the efficacy of various clinical techniques including mindfulness practice. |
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The chapter explores the interpersonal dimensions of mindfulness philosophy and practice, and the implications of such paradigms to question whether the current methods of intervention and training based on internality are sufficient for the clinical application. |
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Chapter 17 Yoga for Attaining the State of Mindfulness |
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273 | (15) |
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Mental peace, inner peace, and spiritual enlightenment are often emphasized in ancient scriptures for the holistic development of man. |
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Every culture and religion of the world teaches, preaches, and practices these virtues for a vertical development of love and restating the brotherhood in society. |
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Yoga and Mindfulness are two prominent and popular practices to achieve the good values and virtues. |
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These two practices are dissected by philosophers, researchers, and physicians to the threshold only to conclude that the effects are inevitably gainful. |
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This chapter brings together yoga and mindfulness on same page to show their complementary relationship. |
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Here are mentioned few challenges and issues that both the practices have to face often. |
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Chapter 18 Experiences of Meditation on Twin Hearts by Naive Practitioners |
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288 | (13) |
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Meditators' subjective experiences mostly focus on the psychological and physiological benefits the practice offers. |
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While most investigations understand meditation to have commonly induced a meditative state, the bioplasmic experiences are vital in sensitizing the practitioner to the subtle changes in the body that are often overlooked, and Meditation on Twin Hearts serves as a platform to highlight these experiences. |
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The present study aims to understand the bioplasmic experiences and other sensations of the participants during Meditation on Twin Hearts in a two-hour session. |
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Using an exploratory study design, 24 participants', aged between 28 to 59 years, responses were analyzed, and results were drawn using thematic analysis. |
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The results indicate that 70.8% of participants experienced bioplasmic energy in novel forms. |
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Further, it can be elucidated that in the meditation process, one's awareness of the subtle bioplasmic or transcendental changes is also enhanced. |
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Chapter 19 Spiritual Emergency: Channelizing a Fire Within |
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301 | (18) |
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Mindfulness meditation has been proven efficient in treating many physical and psychological disorders. |
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Mindfulness meditation techniques are also subjected to specific indications and contraindications. |
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Scanning of gross body, thoughts, emotions, and memories are the essential components of any form of meditation. |
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During those scannings, some unwanted memories and some unusual experiences are very much apparent. |
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There are many energy points in the gross human body, which are correspondent to the endocrine system of the human body, known as Kundalini or Chakra. |
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During meditation, those chakras are stimulated, and hidden energy is exploded; increased psychomotor activities manifest in the behaviors of the person. |
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This behavioral manifestation is called a spiritual emergency. |
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Professionals often confused this behavioral manifestation with psychotic illness. |
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A spiritual emergency requires specific therapeutic management. |
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Against this backdrop, this chapter attempts a review of research articles on spiritual emergencies and therapeutic guidelines to handle them in clinical settings. |
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| Section 4 Mindfulness and Education |
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Chapter 20 Digital Distractions, Mindfulness, and Academic Performance With Undergraduate College Students |
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319 | (18) |
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This study examined the relationship between digital distractions, mindfulness, and academic performance with undergraduate college students. |
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A total of 199 students completed surveys that examined digital distractions and the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (Baer et al., 2006). |
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The results indicated that 96.5% of participants had a digital device near them when studying, and 94.0% used a digital device to help them study. |
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The major purpose for using a digital device in the classroom was to check the time on their phone (91.0%) and text someone (88.9%). |
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Some reasons for using a digital device for non-classroom purposes included to fight boredom (39.2%) and to stay connected with others (25.1%). |
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Participants who had fewer digital distractions tended to be more mindful and a significant positive relationship (r = .192, p <; .05) was obtained between overall mindfulness and academic performance. |
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Chapter 21 Mindfulness in Education: The Need of the Hour |
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337 | (20) |
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Complexity of the modern era has led to increased difficulties of people, especially the youth. |
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Living in the current stressful, uncertain, and highly stimulating technological era is not very easy for the young ones. |
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Hence, there is an urgency to teach skills of stress management and resilience among children through mindfulness-based practices. |
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This change in the present scenario has attracted the attention and interest of psychologists and educationists to the practice of mindfulness-based interventions with children and adolescents for enhancing their overall well-being. |
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The last few years have observed a growing number of research and applications of mindfulness in educational settings because of its effectiveness and the urgent need of prevention and interventions of the youths' problems. |
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In this chapter, the author has discussed research supporting the idea of mindfulness in education for both students and teachers and its usage to increase the academic performance, enhance overall wellbeing, and reduce the stress level of youth. |
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| Compilation of References |
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357 | (70) |
| About the Contributors |
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427 | (8) |
| Index |
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