Introduction to Mindfulness - Dean Amory

However, what we are now seeing is a widespread secularisation of
the approach, thanks to the work of people such as Jon Kabat-Zinn,
founder of the Centre for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and
Society at the University of Massachusetts medical school.
Kabat-Zinn's mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program
has been widely adapted and implemented worldwide, along with a
variation referred to as mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT)
that was developed at the Oxford Mindfulness Centre.
The National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence's
recommendation of MBCT as the go-to therapy for recurrent
depression has also contributed to mindfulness extending beyond the
spiritual arena.
Kabat-Zinn defines mindfulness as "paying attention in the present
moment, non-judgmentally".
Mindfulness is a way to train the mind, but also includes paying
attention to the body and the world around us. It helps us recognise
that we are not a slave to our thoughts and that we can choose how
we respond, two strands highlighted by the Mental Health
Foundation (MHF).
Interest in mindfulness is also growing because people are seeking
ways to cope with the challenges, complexities and ambiguity of our
times.
Many are not coping - mental health problems are on the rise, with
stress topping the league of reasons for long-term sickness absence,
according to research by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and
Development (2011). People are turning to mindfulness as an
antidote to all the doing, thinking and struggling, and discovering it
offers much more besides.
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