MBSR - What Is Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction?

What Is Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction?

The principle of MBSR is mindfulness, which Jon Kabat-Zinn defines as a moment-to-moment non-judgmental awareness. In an introductory speech he gave on the topic of MBSR, Jon gives an example of mindfulness from Sufi poetry, comparing the mind, the body, to a guesthouse and the principle of mindfulness being inviting in all the feelings and thoughts of life, as if they were guests to your house, rolling out the welcome mat in a manner of speaking and reveling in their existence. This whole approach would be seen as sort of the opposite of the rejection or questioning, or hatred and aversion, to our thoughts, feelings, any objects of mind like visualizations, or sensations, and also to actions or people and external objects as well. Through practice the mind is taught to pay attention to the present. Not worrying about the past or future as much can help increase acceptance and decrease stress.

MBSR is described in a 2003 meta-review of current scientific literature on Mindfulness-based stress reduction:

MBSR is a group program that focuses upon the progressive acquisition of mindful awareness, of mindfulness. The construct of mindful awareness originated in earliest Buddhist documents but is neither religious nor esoteric in nature. Several Buddhist treatises detail an elaborate psychological theory of mind, in which mindfulness consistently plays a central role. Mindfulness is characterized by nonevaluative and sustained moment-to-moment awareness of perceptible mental states and processes. This includes continuous, immediate awareness of physical sensations, perceptions, affective states, thoughts, and imagery. Mindfulness is nondeliberative: It merely implies sustained paying attention to ongoing mental content without thinking about, comparing or in other ways evaluating the ongoing mental phenomena that arise during periods of practice. Thus, mindfulness may be seen as a form of naturalistic observation, or participant-observation, in which the objects of observation are the perceptible mental phenomena that normally arise during waking consciousness.

In an article titled, Effective and Viable Mind-Body Stress Reduction in the Workplace : A Randomized Controlled Trial, researchers attempted to verify various aspects of MBSR's effectiveness. 239 individuals volunteered to participate in a randomized controlled trial program designed to reduce stress. The study had two major objectives: the effectiveness of MBSR as compared to other types of treatment and whether or not an online MBSR program was as useful as a class room or workshop type setting. The results of this study were consistent with other similar types of research: MBSR can be a very effective intervention for stress reduction. The following is a quote which effectively summarizes the most important results of the study:

This study demonstrates not only the effectiveness, but also the viability of integrating mind-body stress management programs into the workplace using interventions of relatively short duration (12–14 hr) . . . . By targeting highly stressed employees, and focusing on the overall accessibility and practicality of the program, we developed an intervention that can be deployed easily within corporate settings (rather than being a one-time offering) compared with mind-body programs that historically were developed for consumer, academic, or community-based application" (Wolever, Bobinet, McCabe, Mackenzie, Fekete, Kusnick, and Baime, 2012, p. 255).

An easy way to do it is focus on the body starting at one end and moving all the way through to the other while noting breathing and any areas of discomfort. Pay attention to what is going on at that moment what do you feel, hear, taste, see, smell. When a thought about the past or future does come to mind, acknowledge but don’t dwell on it, and just let it go.

In A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook, authors Bob Stahl and Elish Goldstein provide step by step processes and exercises for someone interested in learning basic MBSR techniques. Meditation for Anxiety and Stress" is a chapter which focuses on how anxiety and stress affect the body. The following is quote from the introduction of this chapter:

While all of the explorations and practices in this book will help you develop mindfulness and better cope with stress, adding self-inquiry to the mix will make your practice more effective by focusing in on the issues and situations most relevant to your life and your stress" (Stahl and Goldstein, 2010, p. 115).

The authors provide an acronym so that the participant can easily remember the basics of self-inquiry: RAIN-R=recognize when a strong emotion is present, A=allow or acknowledge that it's there, I= Investigate the body, emotions, and thoughts, and N=non-identify with whatever is there. The focus of this particular type of meditation is for the individual to figure out the things that cause stress in their life-including thoughts that may be exaggerated or false-and respond to them in such a way that he or she feels empowered rather than overwhelmed by these stressors.