In a nutshell, mindfulness is an approach to strives to being constantly engaged in the present emotional life state, while not becoming immersed in it or judging it, but rather noticing and observing (at a distance) with compassion. This modern application is in fact drawn from the theistic tradition of Buddhism.There are plenty of resources available online and books, so I won't going into this in further detail. I have included a couple of resources below.
As a practitioner, I had taken an experiential attitude towards my practice. That is, to be a good practitioner I believe that it is important to experience as much as possible what being a client is like and to engage in modalities we ask clients to use. As such, I confess that I have long found engaging in mindfulness very difficult.
It wasn't until I developed a debilitating mental illness myself that I feel that I have been able to come closer to mastering mindfulness. By 'mastery', I mean using it more often than without deliberately (consciously) needing to engage the skill, perhaps akin to driving a car or some other process that was once very complex but no longer requires all of one's attention.
I find that there are still times when I need to place more conscious energy into it. For example, I was recently recounting how the night before I had to do the whole process very purposefully. During this recounting, I found myself having to again consciously engage my mindfulness skills of observing, and consciously not allowing the imagery form too strongly in my mind.
As this instance was very conscious at every step and I want to demonstrate how the process can begin at a subconscious level, I will describe another time.
I was out doing some food shopping, which involved going to two separate shops where I could use the same carpark. I had returned the trolley from the first shop after unloading it, and was having a short break in my car before moving onto the next shop. When sitting in the car I'd realised I had left a collection of my cloth bags that I use for shopping on the trolley. I went back to where I had returned the trolley and I was glad to see that they were still there (I had collected these over the years, including some from conferences I'd presented at so I'm a bit attached to them). Returning to the car I noticed I was starting to feel that I didn't want to go on and do the other shopping now. I ask myself, why might this be? The ensuing line of enquiry resulted in my realising that I felt awkward and inadequate, was worrying about making another mistake and thus if I went home I would not have to run the risk of doing something like this in public. Part of the context for this was that I had made a mental note to not forget to collect the bags from the trolley as I was handling everything (handbag, keys, trolley, and shopping bags) walking away from the car to return said trolley...and yet I had forgotten. When I realised why I was feeling inadequate and awkward, I told myself that it was understandable to be experiencing these feelings but that now that I know these feelings are there I can let them be without trying to force a fight/flight response.
In this example, I am especially pleased that I began it without actually having to start it consciously, that it was something that started 'on its own'. This is but one of the instances that I take as a sign that I am managing to work towards mastery. At a more unconscious level I have noted that I can actually not engage in thoughts that can lead to distress if I am to try to either avoid or fully engage with them. I also suspect that I don't even have to consciously make this decision all of the time because I experience a particular thought but no longer do they always continue along the path they once did.
My experience with mindfulness thusly has left me wondering if there are some conditions that are required for successful mastery?
When I used to struggle with committing to practicing mindfulness, I would chide myself for being lazy (yes, not a compassionate stance!).
Now, however I look back and wonder if in part I didn't have enough experiences with the emotions that we typically consider 'negative' and therefore didn't have enough reason to consciously commit to change? Sure, I had spates of depression and even a bit of anxiety at times since my late teens, but it wasn't until I was thrown into the deep end following a significant traumatic and life changing event that I was overwhelmed by both of these. Now, it is possible that I did lack the drive to engage in practicing mindfulness till I reached a realisation that this was really going to be the best way I knew how to live and begin thriving again.
This leads me to another condition: energy, in that I did not have the internal resources to start practicing mindfulness until I was out of the depths of my illness. By 'internal resources' I refer to having a level of resilience able to deal with the really tough triggers arising from the trauma that resulted in my illness (those that can bring on a visceral, physiological response). Looking back, yes having a mindful approach already established may well have resulted in my being less unwell or perhaps for as long.
Lastly, when I really unwell, I did not have the commitment. It wasn't until I made the commitment myself to living again about 7 months previous to writing this that I was able to start making headway in extending my myself skills in a consistent manner.
I admit that I do have times when I wish that I didn't have to live in such a mindspace, as it is still effortful and does take energy. Overall, however I recognise that this is important for my continuing well being and will no doubt always be.
I'd be interested in hearing from you about your experiences with mindfulness, so please feel free to comment below about this and/or include resources you've found useful.
Resources
There is a growing collection of applications both online and for smartphones that aim to guide users through mindfulness, or meditation.
The Wikipedia entry provides an overview the psychology approach to mindfulness.
I've also found that Russ Harris's approach mindfulness rather helpful. You can find resources on his website ACT Mindfully. Take a look at the free resources page, which includes some free articles on the basic concepts behind Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Harris' book The Happiness Trap is a self-help book that I and friends have found a very accessible way to engage in a more mindful life.
