While in graduate school, the first skill taught in many psychology classes is to be skeptical. We are taught to always question theories and research in an attempt to continue to further the field and prevent it from becoming stagnant. So it would make sense to me that many people in the field are questioning the positive and possible negative effects of mindfulness. So what exactly is mindfulness? It has definitely become a buzz word both in the field of psychology as well as in the larger context of the world. It is gracing the covers of many articles and magazines, but still many struggle to figure out what the heck this new miss popularity is.
Mindfulness skills teach people to use awareness of the present experience. In mindfulness based therapies such as DBT, clients are asked to participate fully and nonjudgmentally in an attempt to improve attentional control. The theory is that if you are able to control your awareness, then you will be able to decrease suffering and increase the capacity for pleasure. DBT mindfulness skills focus on observing and describing thoughts and sensations as well as participating fully in the here and now.
So the way this made the most sense to me while learning what being mindful means was by using my senses. One way to practice how to hold attention is by focusing on what your senses are picking up on. For example, touching something and describing its texture, quietly listening to all of the sounds in the room, tasting a food item as if you were tasting it for the first time, or picking an item in the room and describing its properties. If the mind wanders (which it naturally will) you are instructed to be aware of that and gently bring attention to the item you are focusing on. There is no altered state of awareness, on the contrary Marsha Linehan (creator of DBT) instructs people to conduct these exercises with their eyes open. This is done so that mindfulness skills can be generalized to day-to-day life. Recent research has shown that mindfulness techniques can be used to alleviate symptoms of anxiety, depression, binge eating disorder, and borderline personality disorder to name a few.
So are there negative effects of mindfulness like recent posts on social media such as Facebook are suggesting? Research doesn’t seem to support that claim. In doing a review of current research on the subject, results range from very good effect sizes to marginal. But nothing showing that mindfulness techniques led to harmful effects or an increase of negative symptoms in participants. So why are people posting about the “secret negative side of mindfulness” or whether “mindfulness is making us ill”? The recent surfacing of stories upon stories of symptoms such as panic, psychosis, and addiction seem to be focused on various types of meditation and not actually on mindfulness. Despite this, the word mindfulness continues to be used and almost linked to the concept of meditation.
Well aren’t mindfulness and meditation the same thing? The answer is no. There is some overlap, but mindfulness strategies and techniques are not the same as meditation. So while one must be mindful while meditating, meditation is not necessary for mindfulness. Wikipedia defines meditation as a broad group of practices that are designed to promote relaxation. It is in fact a technique where the mind is rested and in a state of consciousness that is different than the waking state. While there are many people who share personal stories of how meditating has enhanced their lives, that is not the case for everyone. In the book The Buddha Pill, authors Farias and Wikholm speak not only of these benefits, but also of the “unexpected negative consequences” where “peace and happiness are not the end result.” Some have come forward discussing how certain meditation practices had profound adverse effects opening up a psychological “can of worms” leading to life long mental illness.
Despite this, I am not clear as to why the term mindfulness is attached to meditation in these accounts as if the two are interchangeable. It appears that some authors’ lack of understanding with regard to these distinct concepts may have led to this confusion. In fact, the word mindfulness is sometimes used in these articles, while it is actually meditation that is being described. Read further in these articles and you will see the word “mindfulness” placed in several places on the page, however, the techniques described are in fact altered states of awareness brought about by meditation.
Most therapists would agree that ruminating on the past is not a functional behavior. The same can be said regarding worrying about the future. In fact both are usually targeted as behaviors to reduce in cognitive behavior therapy. So then what else can be the healthy “in-between” besides mindfulness? I would urge readers of recent articles on the subject to be aware of this dilemma and decide for themselves whether the author is speaking of meditation techniques when discussing various negative side effects. This is not to say that mindfulness strategies only lead to great success, happiness, and peace for all. They can be difficult and uncomfortable especially in the beginning. However, many of my clients – and I myself – have been able to use a spectrum of mindfulness strategies to increase overall well being, and I have yet to see any research conducted that says the opposite.
By Jennifer Sutherland
