About Mindfulness
Jon Kabat-Zinn defines mindfulness as:
“the awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally to the unfolding of experience moment to moment” (Kabat-Zinn, 2003, p. 145)
Mindfulness involves learning to pay attention to and wisely working with our thoughts, bodily sensations, and emotions. The practice is learned through simple meditation exercises, through which one eventually comes to bring a richer awareness and presence into daily life. This helps to reduce ruminating thoughts, helping to prevent stress, anxiety, and relapses of depression.
Interest in the use of mindfulness is booming in the scientific literature and in the clinical community. The applications of mindfulness in clinical work are receiving growing empirical support, particularly in the prevention and treatment of stress, anxiety,and depression. The use of mindfulness for clients dealing with stress and chronic pain was pioneered by Jon Kabat-Zinn, in a program known as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) (Kabat-Zinn, 1990). Subsequently, mindfulness has been incorporated into a variety of treatments, such as Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) for prevention of depressive relapse (Segal, Williams, & Teasdale, 2002), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) for borderline personality disorder (Linehan, 1993), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) (Hayes, Strosahl, & Wilson, 1999), and Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention (MBRP) for addictions (Witkiewitz & Marlatt, 2007). These programs are now considered evidence-based practices (Didonna, 2009; Germer, 2005).