Mindfulness and Mindfulness Meditation, Hanh, Thich Nhat
by Andrew Samelian
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Hanh, Thich Nhat. (1987). The Miracle of Mindfulness. Boston: Beacon Press.

Thich Nhat Hanh helped popularize the concept of Buddhist mindfulness in the United States with his book The Miracle of Mindfulness. The basic premise of mindfulness meditation is to bring attention into the present and to reduce the judgments the mind constantly makes. Mindfulness, by one definition, is “Awareness of present experience with acceptance.” It is often taught through examples, as Buddhism generally is: Thich Nhat Hanh is well known for teaching “When washing dishes you should wash the dishes.” Many aspects of daily life we just endure, such as washing the dishes. The time spent washing the dishes is not valued and its only purpose is to get the task over with. Mindfulness mediation teaches us to slow down and process what we are doing in the moment as a way to live more fully in the present and to appreciate the miracle of each second of life.

To practice mindfulness meditation one runs a dialog or narration of thought that specifically concentrates on what one is doing right now, being aware of the sensations, the shapes, the smells, and noting each consciously. Breathing techniques may be a component but are not necessary, though being aware of breathing is quite valued. The stereotype of meditation is that it is something one does in a quiet room by oneself. Mindfulness mediation can occur while actually doing things to bring into significance the everyday and the mundane.

Mindfulness (dropping the meditation) is a related concept that has become integral to many clinical therapeutic interventions.

How does change happen?:

Changing the running commentary in the mind. When one can convert “Washing dishes is irritating” to “the water coming out of the faucet is refreshing and pleasing feel.” change has begun to happen.

Target populations:

--Chronic pain, depression, anxiety, stress reduction, and (in clinically adapted form) for those with strong emotional reactivity such as people with borderline personality disorder.
--And for everyone who wants to quiet the mind and live more in the present.

Where mindfulness is used:

--Has been studied and shown to be effective as a way for the elderly to mange and increase acceptance chronic back pain, (e.g. assisted living settings).
--Has been studied and shown to be effective as a way to reduce depressive symptoms for women with fibromyalgia, (e.g. outpatient settings).
--Can be practiced just about anywhere at almost anytime, though can be integrated into therapies by professional health care providers.

How can it be integrated into other psychotherapies?:

--In dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), developed by Marsha Linehan, mindfulness is considered a key “skill” to help persons with emotional disregulation often found in borderline personality disorder, but has other applications for self-injurious and suicidal behaviors.
--Mindfulness-based cognitive therapies (MBCT) can help reframe people’s responses to negative thoughts. (One study compared brain scans of those who took anti-depressants to those who practiced mindfulness and found the changes to be similar.)
--Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) has become quite mainstream and is used at over 200 hospitals.

Limitations:

--Therapy occurs within, very internal process.