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eshonin · 9 years ago

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A New Generation of Mindfulness-based Intervention

In one of our research papers that was published this summer in the journal Mindfulness, we identified and discussed a recent development in mindfulness research and practice. Until a few years ago, mindfulness research within psychology has primarily focussed on what have been termed First Generation Mindfulness-Based Interventions (FG-MBIs). FG-MBIs refer to interventions such as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) developed by Kabat-Zinn in the late 1970s and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) developed by Segal, Williams, and Teasdale in 2002. According to Professor Nirbhay Singh and colleagues, one of the primary purposes and achievements of FG-MBIs has been gaining acceptance of mindfulness within Western clinical and scientific domains.

However, due to the speed at which mindfulness has been integrated into western research and public healthcare settings, concerns have been raised by scientists and Buddhist teachers regarding the ‘authenticity’ of FG-MBIs and whether they actually teach mindfulness in a manner that still bears any resemblance to the traditional Buddhist model. These concerns do not detract from the fact that there is a growing evidence-base that supports the efficacy of FGMBIs as clinical and behavioural interventions, but they give rise to a number of questions that have important implications for mindfulness research and practice:

1. If mindfulness is efficacious when it is taught in isolation of many of the practices and principles that are traditionally deemed to make it effective, then how much more effective will it be when taught in a manner that includes and embodies these supporting elements?

2. Is it ethically correct to inform service users and members of the public that they are receiving training in a method that is grounded in Buddhist practice (a claim often made about FG-MBIs), when in fact this is not the case?

3. Is it essential to “de-spiritualise” psychological interventions before they can be used in clinical contexts, or – based on a “what-works approach” – can interventions that are openly spiritual in nature be considered as viable and mainstream public healthcare treatments?

In an attempt to overcome some of the above issues concerning FG-MBIs, efforts have been made in recent years to formulate and empirically evaluate a second generation of mindfulness-based interventions. Second Generation Mindfulness-based Interventions (SG-MBIs) are still intended to be used in public healthcare contexts (i.e., they are still secular in nature) but – as explained in the following quote from our recently published Mindfulness paper – they are openly spiritual in nature and are more traditional in the manner in which they construct and teach mindfulness:

Due to the suggestion that some individuals may prefer to be trained in a version of mindfulness that more closely resembles a traditional Buddhist approach, recent years have witnessed the development and early-stage evaluation of several Second Generation Mindfulness-Based Interventions (SG-MBIs) … Although SG-MBIs still follow a secular format that is suitable for delivery within Western applied settings, they are overtly spiritual in aspect and teach mindfulness within a practice infrastructure that integrates what would traditionally be deemed as prerequisites for effective spiritual and meditative development. At the most basic (but by no means the least profound) level, such prerequisites include each element of the Noble Eightfold Path. The Noble Eightfold Path comprises each of the three quintessential Buddhist teaching and practice principles of (i) wisdom (i.e., right view, right intention), (ii) ethical conduct (i.e., right speech, right action, right livelihood), and (iii) meditation (i.e., right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration). Each of these three fundamental elements (Sanskrit: trishiksha – the three trainings) must be present in any path of practice that claims to expound or be grounded in authentic Buddhadharma and they apply to (and form the basis of) the Fundamental or Theravada vehicle just as much as they do the Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhist vehicles. Thus, for mindfulness practice to be effective, it must be taught as part of a rounded spiritual path and it must be taught by a spiritual guide that can transmit the teachings in an authentic manner.

The development and empirical evaluation of a second generation of mindfulness-based intervention appears to represent an emerging trend in mindfulness research. Outcomes from our own research work with the eight-week SG-MBI known as Meditation Awareness Training (MAT) suggest that SG-MBIs may have applications in the treatment of (i) workaholism, (ii) work-related stress, (iii) stress, (iv) anxiety, (v) depression, (vi) schizophrenia, and (vii) pathological gambling. Recent MAT studies that we have conducted have also demonstrated that SG-MBIs can help to improve work effectiveness, decision-making competency, and leadership/management skills more generally. SG-MBI studies by other researchers also indicate a range of clinical and non-clinical applications for SG-MBIs. For example, studies led by Professor Nirbhay Singh indicate that SG-MBIs may have utility as (i) a smoking cessation program for individuals with mild intellectual disabilities, (ii) an anger regulation method for individuals with schizophrenia, and (iii) a training and support program for parents in order to reduce the aggressive and disruptive behaviour of their children/adolescents. However, it needs to be remembered that research into SG-MBIs is still at a very early stage and so although the abovementioned outcomes are promising, further empirical investigation is obviously required. Furthermore, it is our view that rather than directly compete with FG-MBIs, SG-MBIs simply provide an alternative approach to practising mindfulness that – for some individuals – may be more appealing.

Please note: This article provides a summary of, and is adapted from, a discussion that first appeared in a paper we published in the journal Mindfulness.

Ven Dr Edo Shonin & Ven William Van Gordon