Let’s Go Deeper: (Re)contextualizing Mindfulness in Western Psychology

Carey Crooks, SoundMind/ University of Southern California

We need to move away from mindfulness as just a technique towards recognizing mindfulness as a life-long practice with a deep-rooted tradition.

If you are like me, when you think of mindfulness, you think of closed eyes, crossed legs, and counted breaths. Maybe you even recall a college professor’s ardent testimonial about how it changed the way they think. You might also have questions about how and why mindfulness works the way it does. Mindfulness researcher, Jon Kabat-Zinn, defines mindfulness as: “the awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally to the unfolding of experience moment to moment,” (Feldman, et al., 2007). So, what is the significance of paying attention to the present moment, and why is it said to have transformative effects?

The Current Interplay of East and West:

SoundMind’s holistic approach towards understanding and applying new technological applications of mental health therapies has led us to deepen our understanding of mindfulness, as we strive to apply research in culturally competent ways. From our research, we have found that mindfulness, while integrated with some areas of Western psychology, is not often paired with the traditional meanings behind the methods. Relatedly, we find a demonstrated need to shift the narrow practice of mindfulness in Western psychology from use as a patch solution to emphasizing mindfulness as a life-long skill.

Western psychology has found usefulness in the long-standing tradition of mindfulness and its practices, for the treatment of anxiety, depression, and other targeted mental health problems. Mindfulness has been well integrated into effective, clinical psychotherapies like Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and “third-wave” cognitive behavioral therapies like Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), (Hayes, et al., 2006).

However, this is often without accounting for where and why these practices formed, with only the bare mechanics of meditation carried over. Currently, Western psychology uses mindfulness practices but in ways that narrow both the audience and the application, with mindfulness used as a targeted solution for those experiencing immediate problems. According to Rashmi Singla in “Origins of Mindfulness & Meditation: Interplay of Eastern & Western Psychology”, we should make greater efforts to consider the genesis of these practices, rather than viewing them as just “techniques to solve specific problems”. She believes that this would provide for a richer interplay between eastern and western traditions, and more thoughtful implementation of the techniques themselves, (Singla, 2011).

Roots of Mindfulness and A Bigger Picture:

In the literature that prioritizes an eastern roots perspective of mindfulness, we find a great emphasis on:

1) Mindfulness as an “art”, that needs to be consistently practiced

2) That there is a shared, human struggle against suffering that mindfulness can help with

Mindfulness meditation arises from Buddhist tradition, which originated in northern India and has a diverse, 2,500-year-old legacy across Asia. Most people are familiar with the basics: foundations of Buddhism were set forth by Siddhartha Gautama, whose insights into the human condition became the fundamental Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path. Considered to be more a philosophy than religion by Western scholars, Buddhism balances psychological assumptions and theories with an emphasis on the “experiential”, including the practice of theories in daily life (Kumar, 2002).

These Four Noble truths outline that suffering is an inevitable part of the human condition, that suffering is caused by clinging to phenomena, that it’s possible to alleviate suffering, and that you can do so through the practice of the Eightfold Path, a part of which is mindfulness, (Follete, et al., 2006). In other words, everyone tends to cling to things, experiences, and states of mind that are inherently temporary, and this causes suffering. However, everyone can alleviate this suffering through practices, like mindfulness, that train the mind to be more aware and receptive to the ebbs and flows of these phenomena.

Furthermore, in Buddhist tradition, consistent and sustained mindfulness practice leads to greater mental clarity, develops insight, and sets the foundation for progression towards “enlightenment”, (Kumar, 2002). Now, this is key. Though Western psychology is prone to secularization, this spiritual drive towards the betterment of the self is fundamental to the significance of the daily, continual practice. Other researchers would also claim that spiritualism aside, it underlies a common core between the Buddhist roots of mindfulness and Western psychology: a drive to improve the human condition, (Kumar, 2002).

While Buddhism opposes essentialism- the clinging to an elusive fixed and separate self-identity- it embraces the awareness of the interdependencies of self, others, and environment. This emphasizes the impermanence and interdependence of all phenomena. Sameet Kumar gives the example of a “gradually unfolding, fluid latticework” to imagine the non-essentialist view of phenomena: “an infinitely complex and interconnected web of causes and effects simultaneously shaping each other across multiple levels of analyses”. Awareness of this interdependency through lessening the hold on a “fixed and separate self” is at the heart of mindfulness meditation, and a major component to compassionate and altruistic behavior, (Kumar, 2002).

So, what does this all mean for mindfulness? What do ideas like a universal human tendency towards suffering and a “fluid latticework” have to do with getting your 20 minutes of mindfulness in for a calmer mind? Well, according to Sameet Kumar, while mindfulness is used frequently in clinical psychology, its context and methods are mysterious to patients and psychologists, alike. In part, likely because mindfulness is the product of psychological, spiritual, and cultural assumptions about human nature that often are not fully addressed in Western mindfulness practice. Maybe this is due to secularization, and perhaps in part due to a greater emphasis on the “self” in Western science and culture. While mindfulness may be rooted in differing assumptions than those of Western psychology, a common goal is better approached by a diverse set of methods. The point is, these are huge questions that will not be answered in a Medium op-ed. The bigger point is that we should care about and be aware of these larger questions in designing research on mental health.

Closing Thoughts:

A grounded picture of how mindfulness was generated and practiced across Asia helps us understand the role it was intended to play, and how its methods work to reduce “suffering”. Essentially, mindfulness is showing clinical effectiveness in treating those with anxiety, trauma, and other mental health issues, but mindfulness has something to offer for everyone, in everyday life. As our conception of mental health expands from “fixing problems” as they arise to cultivating long-term well-being at scale, I am enthusiastic that the deep-seated significance underlying the methods of mindfulness can be utilized to fuel the shift in Western psychology’s conceptualization of mindfulness from a “technique” to a life-long craft.

References:

Feldman, G., Hayes, A., Kumar, S., Greeson, J., & Laurenceau, J.-P. (2007). Mindfulness and Emotion Regulation: The Development and Initial Validation of the Cognitive and Affective Mindfulness Scale-Revised (CAMS-R). Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 29(3), 177–190. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-006-9035-8

Follette, V., Palm, K. M., & Pearson, A. N. (2006). Mindfulness and trauma: Implications for treatment. Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, 24(1), 45–61. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10942-006-0025-2

Hayes, S. C., Luoma, J. B., Bond, F. W., Masuda, A., & Lillis, J. (2006). Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: Model, processes and outcomes. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 44(1), 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2005.06.006

Kumar, S. M. (2002). An introduction to Buddhism for the cognitive behavioral therapist. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 9, 40–43.

Singla, R. (2011). Origins of Mindfulness & Meditation: Interplay of Eastern & Western Psychology. Psyke Og Logos, 32(1), 220–239.