The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR; Kabat-Zinn, 1982, 1990) training on a self-selected adult community sample in the areas of mindfulness, rumination, depressive symptomatology and overall well-being. Targeting rumination was considered particularly important because a tendency toward rumination in nondepressed populations has been found to be predictive of subsequent onset of depression. As hypothesized, completers of the MBSR class showed increases in mindfulness and overall wellbeing, and decreases in rumination and symptoms of depression. Limitations of the study are discussed, as are the implications of these findings.
Studies have shown that dispositional mindfulness, a construct characterized by awareness and attention to present moment experiences, is associated with body image constructs in women. However, little is known about the relationship between dispositional mindfulness and body image among men. Therefore, this study examined the unique associations between dispositional mindfulness and three body image variables in men: overall appearance evaluation, satisfaction with distinct body areas, and drive for muscularity. Undergraduate men (N=296) completed the Multidimensional Body Self-Relations Questionnaire-Appearance Scales, the Drive for Muscularity Scale, the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale, and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule. A series of hierarchical regression analyses revealed that mindfulness was uniquely associated with all three body image variables after accounting for body mass index and negative affect. Results are discussed with regard to the potential role of dispositional mindfulness in body dissatisfaction among men.
<p>Some individuals infected with SARS CoV-2 have developed Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS CoV-2 infection (PASC) or what has been referred to as Long COVID. Efforts are underway to find effective treatment strategies for those with Long COVID. One possible approach involves alternative medical interventions, which have been widely used to treat and manage symptoms of a variety of medical problems including post-viral infections. Meditation has been found to reduce fatigue and unrefreshing sleep, and for those with post-viral infections, it has enhanced immunity, and reduced inflammatory-driven pathogenesis. Our article summarizes the literature on what is known about mindfulness meditation interventions, and reviews evidence on how it may apply to those with Long COVID and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). Evidence is reviewed suggesting effective and sustainable outcomes may be achieved for symptomatology and underlying pathology of post-viral fatigue (PASC and ME/CFS).</p>
Mindfulness is defined as paying attention in the present moment. We investigate the hypothesis that mindfulness training may alter or enhance specific aspects of attention. We examined three functionally and neuroanatomically distinct but overlapping attentional subsystems: alerting, orienting, and conflict monitoring. Functioning of each subsystem was indexed by performance on the Attention Network Test (ANT; Fan, McCandliss, Sommer, Raz, & Posner, 2002). Two types of mindfulness training (MT) programs were examined, and behavioral testing was conducted on participants before (Time 1) and after (Time 2) training. One training group consisted of individuals naive to mindfulness techniques who participated in an 8-week mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) course that emphasized the development of concentrative meditation skills. The other training group consisted of individuals experienced in concentrative meditation techniques who participated in a 1-month intensive mindfulness retreat. Performance of these groups was compared with that of control participants who were meditation naive and received no MT. At Time 1, the participants in the retreat group demonstrated improved conflict monitoring performance relative to those in the MBSR and control groups. At Time 2, the participants in the MBSR course demonstrated significantly improved orienting in comparison with the control and retreat participants. In contrast, the participants in the retreat group demonstrated altered performance on the alerting component, with improvements in exogenous stimulus detection in comparison with the control and MBSR participants. The groups did not differ in conflict monitoring performance at Time 2. These results suggest that mindfulness training may improve attention-related behavioral responses by enhancing functioning of specific subcomponents of attention. Whereas participation in the MBSR course improved the ability to endogenously orient attention, retreat participation appeared to allow for the development and emergence of receptive attentional skills, which improved exogenous alerting-related process.
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Mindfulness is defined as paying attention in the present moment. We investigate the hypothesis that mindfulness training may alter or enhance specific aspects of attention. We examined three functionally and neuroanatomically distinct but overlapping attentional subsystems: alerting, orienting, and conflict monitoring. Functioning of each subsystem was indexed by performance on the Attention Network Test. Two types of mindfulness training (MT) programs were examined, and behavioral testing was conducted on participants before (Time 1) and after (Time 2) training. One training group consisted of individuals naive to mindfulness techniques who participated in an 8-week mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) course that emphasized the development of concentrative meditation skills. The other training group consisted of individuals experienced in concentrative meditation techniques who participated in a 1-month intensive mindfulness retreat. Performance of these groups was compared with that of control participants who were meditation naive and received no MT. At Time 1, the participants in the retreat group demonstrated improved conflict monitoring performance relative to those in the MBSR and control groups. At Time 2, the participants in the MBSR course demonstrated significantly improved orienting in comparison with the control and retreat participants. In contrast, the participants in the retreat group demonstrated altered performance on the alerting component, with improvements in exogenous stimulus detection in comparison with the control and MBSR participants. The groups did not differ in conflict monitoring performance at Time 2. These results suggest that mindfulness training may improve attention-related behavioral responses by enhancing functioning of specific subcomponents of attention. Whereas participation in the MBSR course improved the ability to endogenously orient attention, retreat participation appeared to allow for the development and emergence of receptive attentional skills, which improved exogenous alerting-related process.
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Mindfulness is defined as paying attention in the present moment. We investigate the hypothesis that mindfulness training may alter or enhance specific aspects of attention. We examined three functionally and neuroanatomically distinct but overlapping attentional subsystems: alerting, orienting, and conflict monitoring. Functioning of each subsystem was indexed by performance on the Attention Network Test (ANT; Fan, McCandliss, Sommer, Raz, & Posner, 2002). Two types of mindfulness training (MT) programs were examined, and behavioral testing was conducted on participants before (Time 1) and after (Time 2) training. One training group consisted of individuals naive to mindfulness techniques who participated in an 8-week mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) course that emphasized the development of concentrative meditation skills. The other training group consisted of individuals experienced in concentrative meditation techniques who participated in a 1-month intensive mindfulness retreat. Performance of these groups was compared with that of control participants who were meditation naive and received no MT. At Time 1, the participants in the retreat group demonstrated improved conflict monitoring performance relative to those in the MBSR and control groups. At Time 2, the participants in the MBSR course demonstrated significantly improved orienting in comparison with the control and retreat participants. In contrast, the participants in the retreat group demonstrated altered performance on the alerting component, with improvements in exogenous stimulus detection in comparison with the control and MBSR participants. The groups did not differ in conflict monitoring performance at Time 2. These results suggest that mindfulness training may improve attention-related behavioral responses by enhancing functioning of specific subcomponents of attention. Whereas participation in the MBSR course improved the ability to endogenously orient attention, retreat participation appeared to allow for the development and emergence of receptive attentional skills, which improved exogenous alerting-related process.
CASE ILLUSTRATION 1Jeffrey Borzak, a patient I knew well, seemed to be recovering from coronary artery bypass surgery. On rounds, I sensed that there was something that was wrong, but I could not put my finger on it. In retrospect, his color was not quite right—he was grayish-pale, his blood pressure was too easily controlled, he was even hypotensive on one occasion, and he seemed more depressed than usual. He reported no chest pain or shortness of breath, and had no pedal edema, elevated jugular venous pressure, or other abnormalities on his physical examination. But still I did not feel comfortable, and although there were no “red flags,” I ordered an echocardiogram which showed a new area of ischemia. An angiogram showed that one of the grafts had occluded. After angioplasty, Mr. Borzak looked and felt better, and he again required his usual antihypertensive medications.
CASE ILLUSTRATION 1Jeffrey Borzak, a patient I knew well, seemed to be recovering from coronary artery bypass surgery. On rounds, I sensed that there was something that was wrong, but I could not put my finger on it. In retrospect, his color was not quite right—he was grayish-pale, his blood pressure was too easily controlled, he was even hypotensive on one occasion, and he seemed more depressed than usual. He reported no chest pain or shortness of breath, and had no pedal edema, elevated jugular venous pressure, or other abnormalities on his physical examination. But still I did not feel comfortable, and although there were no “red flags,” I ordered an echocardiogram which showed a new area of ischemia. An angiogram showed that one of the grafts had occluded. After angioplasty, Mr. Borzak looked and felt better, and he again required his usual antihypertensive medications.
The present study uses data from 35 third through fifth-grade urban classrooms and 531 students to examine the extent to which student-level social and emotional skills (e.g., low hostile attribution bias and low aggressive interpersonal negotiation strategies) and emotionally supportive learning environments predict aggressive behavior over the course of a school year. Results of multiple regression analyses indicated that across teacher-reported measures of aggressive behavior, more classroom emotional support over the course of the school year predicted less aggressive behavior in spring, particularly for children whose hostile attribution bias decreased over the course of the year. According to a child-reported measure of aggressive behavior, declines in aggressive interpersonal negotiation strategies over the course of the year also predicted less aggressive behavior in spring. Moreover, these results operated similarly across all children. Implications for SEL programs are discussed.
Jason Palmeri’s Remixing Composition: A History of Multimodal Writing Pedagogy challenges the longheld notion that the study and practice of composition has historically focused on words alone. Palmeri revisits many of the classic texts of composition theory from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, closely examining how past compositionists responded to “new media.” He reveals that long before the rise of personal computers and the graphic web, compositionists employed analog multimedia technologies in the teaching of composition. Palmeri discovers these early scholars anticipated many of our current interests in composing with visual, audio, and video texts. Using the concept of the remix, Palmeri outlines practical pedagogical suggestions for how writing teachers can build upon this heritage with digital activities, assignments, and curricula that meet the needs of contemporary students. He details a pluralist vision of composition pedagogy that explains the ways that writing teachers can synthesize expressivist, cognitive, and social-epistemic approaches. Palmeri reveals an expansive history of now forgotten multimodal approaches to composing moving images and sounds and demonstrates how current compositionists can productively remix these past pedagogies to address the challenges and possibilities of the contemporary digital era. A strikingly original take on the recent history of composition, Remixing Composition is an important work for the future of writing instruction in a digital age.
Descrition from citation: "In the late nineteenth and twentieth century, prominent Indian religious leaders developed systems of Yoga based on Patajalis A gayoga and called them Rjayoga. They have promoted the Yogastra as the most authoritative source on Rjayoga. In contrast to this, there are modern Indian systems of Rjayoga which have very little to do with Ptajalayoga."
In the late nineteenth and twentieth century, prominent Indian religiousleaders such as Svåm= Vivekånanda and Svåm= Çivånanda developed
systems of Yoga based on Patañjali’s A‚†å gayoga and called them Råjayoga. They have promoted the Yogas¨tra as the most authoritative source
on Råjayoga. In contrast to this, there are modern Indian systems of Råjayoga which have very little to do with Påtañjalayoga, such as the one taught
globally by the Brahma Kumaris. It is generally accepted that Råjayoga
refers to types of Yoga which are based more on meditation than physical
techniques such as postures (åsana), yet very little research has been done
to explain why there are variations between modern systems of Råjayoga.
Also, the term “råjayoga” (literally, “king-yoga”) implies superiority,
usually, over Ha†hayoga, but this raises the question of whether there
was ever a justifiable basis for this claim of superiority, which I address
here through examining the history of Råjayoga.
The history of the term “råjayoga” reveals that it did not derive from
Påtañjalayoga. Indeed, it was not until the sixteenth century that this term
was used in a commentary on the Yogas¨tra. The earliest definition of
Råjayoga is found in the twelfth century, Çaiva Yoga text called the
Amanaska, which proclaimed Råjayoga to be superior to all other Yogas
and soteriologies prevalent in India at that time. From the twelfth to the
fifteenth centuries, Råjayoga was mainly used as a synonym for samådhi,
yet after the sixteenth century, the textual evidence reveals many attempts
to reinterpret the name and connect it with different systems of Yoga. This calls into question the presumption that a Yoga tradition’s survival
depends on its success at faithfully preserving ancient teachings. In fact,
the prominence of Råjayoga and even the Yogas¨tra in the twentieth
century is more a consequence of the role they have played in sanctioning
innovation and in promoting the efficacy of meditation within the competitive environment of Hinduism’s diverse soteriological practices
New and evolving technologies provide great opportunities for learning. With these opportunities, though, come questions about the impact of new ways of acquiring information on our brain and mind. Many commentators argue that access to the Internet is having a persistent detrimental impact on the brain. In particular, attention has been implicated as a cognitive function that has been negatively impacted by use of digital technologies for learning. In this paper, we critique this claim by analyzing the current understanding of the cognitive neuroscience of attention and research in educational settings on how technologies are influencing learning. Across the two bodies of literature, a complex situation emerges placing doubt on the claim that the use of digital technologies for learning is negatively affecting the brain. We suggest therefore that a more systemic approach to understanding the relationship between technologies and attention involving researchers examining the relationship at different levels from the laboratory to the real world.
<p>This chapter of the book <em>Psychology and Buddhism: From Individual to Global Community</em> proposes a synthesis between Buddhist values and "community psychology," a field of psychology that began in the 1960s in an attempt to seek out solutions to community and social problems. Both the Buddhist tradition and community psychology, the authors note, have assisted in transforming the world, one based on internal or spiritual guidance and the other from an external and action-oriented approach. The authors overview the basic characteristics of these traditions and offer ways in which they might be integrated for the sake of helping contribute to social change and community. Many social interventions and theoretical frameworks for attending to community problems have not looked to religious philosophy and mythology. Specifically, Buddhist values could help provide the inspiration and foundation for the development of interventions "that address the structural issues that are predisposing so many contemporary citizens to a sense of isolation and alienation." The authors suggest getting back in touch with the wisdom traditions and their communal mythologies can assist in helping individuals feel connected with their larger community. (Zach Rowinski 2005-01-09)</p>
The authors examined the initial and follow-up effect of Strong Kids, a social and emotional learning (SEL) curriculum, among a sample of 106 third- and fourth-grade students. Students were assigned to either the treatment or the wait-list condition and completed questionnaires on SEL knowledge and perceived use of SEL skills across 3 assessment periods (pretest, posttest, and follow-up). The classroom teachers also completed a social functioning questionnaire on each student at each assessment period. The classroom teachers implemented 12 weekly lessons from September to December, and 1 booster session in January. Generalization of SEL skills was promoted with verbal praise by treatment teachers to students outside of the lessons and by reminders to students to use the SEL skills they were learning. Fidelity of implementation was more than 85% and was measured by observing the number of components of the curriculum implemented. Analyses revealed that the treatment group had greater positive gains across all of the dependent measures from pre to posttest. These gains maintained at the 2-month follow-up period. The authors discuss the results in a schoolwide prevention framework and with implications for school psychologists. (Contains 4 tables and 4 figures.)
Stratigraphic boundaries are ideally defined by distinct lithological,geochemical, and palaeobiological signatures, to which a chronological
framework can be applied. We present a range of observations that
illustrate how the Holocene-Anthropocene transition meets these criteria
in its expression in sediments from remote arctic and alpine lakes,
removed from direct, catchment-scale, anthropogenic influences. In
glaciated lake basins, the retreat of glaciers commonly leads to
lithological successions from proglacial clastic sedimentation to
non-glacial organic deposition. Sediments from the majority of lakes
record marked depletions in the nitrogen stable isotopic composition of
sediment organic matter, reflecting anthropogenic influences on the
global nitrogen cycle. In all cases, siliceous microfossil assemblages
(diatoms and chrysophytes) change markedly and directionally, with
regional nuances. These stratigraphic fingerprints begin to appear in
the sediment record after AD 1850, but accelerate in pulses between AD
1950 and 1970 and again after AD 1980. Our review indicates that recent
environmental changes associated with humankind's dominance of key
global biogeochemical cycles are sufficiently pervasive to be imprinted
on the sediment record of remote lakes. Moreover, these changes are of
sufficient magnitude to conclude that the Holocene has effectively
ended, and that the concept of Anthropocene more aptly describes current
planetary dynamics. The synthesis of these observations pertains
directly to ongoing discussions concerning the eventual formalization of
a new stratigraphic boundary.
Mindfulness and meditation (MM) are increasingly used in trauma treatment, yet there is little research about therapist qualifications and clinical applications of these practices. We surveyed trauma therapists (N = 116) about their clinical uses, training, and personal practice of MM. Most respondents reported use of MM in trauma therapy, primarily MM-related imagery and breathing exercises and mindfulness in session or daily life. Almost a third used mindfulness-based stress reduction, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, or mindfulness-based relapse prevention. Across all respondents, 66 % were trained by a mental health (MH) professional, 16 % were trained exclusively by a spiritual teacher, and 18 % received no training. On average, therapists used four types of MM. Less than half maintained a personal meditation practice and only 9 % reported practicing daily meditation. Therapists who were trained by a MH professional were more likely to integrate MM into trauma psychotherapy; those who were trained by a spiritual teacher were more likely to teach clients to use MM between sessions and reported more personal practice of MM. Results indicate divergence from standard recommendations for therapist personal practice and professional training in manualized uses; however, there is little guidance about requisite training and personal practice to support individualized uses of MM such as breathing exercises and imagery. Further research should address relationships of therapist training and personal practice to clinical outcomes in MM-informed trauma therapy.
Mindfulness and meditation (MM) are increasingly used in trauma treatment, yet there is little research about therapist qualifications and clinical applications of these practices. We surveyed trauma therapists (N = 116) about their clinical uses, training, and personal practice of MM. Most respondents reported use of MM in trauma therapy, primarily MM-related imagery and breathing exercises and mindfulness in session or daily life. Almost a third used mindfulness-based stress reduction, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, or mindfulness-based relapse prevention. Across all respondents, 66 % were trained by a mental health (MH) professional, 16 % were trained exclusively by a spiritual teacher, and 18 % received no training. On average, therapists used four types of MM. Less than half maintained a personal meditation practice and only 9 % reported practicing daily meditation. Therapists who were trained by a MH professional were more likely to integrate MM into trauma psychotherapy; those who were trained by a spiritual teacher were more likely to teach clients to use MM between sessions and reported more personal practice of MM. Results indicate divergence from standard recommendations for therapist personal practice and professional training in manualized uses; however, there is little guidance about requisite training and personal practice to support individualized uses of MM such as breathing exercises and imagery. Further research should address relationships of therapist training and personal practice to clinical outcomes in MM-informed trauma therapy.
Mindfulness and meditation (MM) are increasingly used in trauma treatment, yet there is little research about therapist qualifications and clinical applications of these practices. We surveyed trauma therapists (N = 116) about their clinical uses, training, and personal practice of MM. Most respondents reported use of MM in trauma therapy, primarily MM-related imagery and breathing exercises and mindfulness in session or daily life. Almost a third used mindfulness-based stress reduction, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, or mindfulness-based relapse prevention. Across all respondents, 66 % were trained by a mental health (MH) professional, 16 % were trained exclusively by a spiritual teacher, and 18 % received no training. On average, therapists used four types of MM. Less than half maintained a personal meditation practice and only 9 % reported practicing daily meditation. Therapists who were trained by a MH professional were more likely to integrate MM into trauma psychotherapy; those who were trained by a spiritual teacher were more likely to teach clients to use MM between sessions and reported more personal practice of MM. Results indicate divergence from standard recommendations for therapist personal practice and professional training in manualized uses; however, there is little guidance about requisite training and personal practice to support individualized uses of MM such as breathing exercises and imagery. Further research should address relationships of therapist training and personal practice to clinical outcomes in MM-informed trauma therapy.
Attention is a central theme in cognitive science — it exemplifies the links between the brain and behaviour, and binds psychology to the techniques of neuroscience. A visionary model suggested by Michael Posner described attention as a set of independent control networks. This challenged the previously held view of attention as a uniform concept. The idea that disparate attentional networks correlate with discrete neural circuitry and can be influenced by focal brain injuries, mental state and specific drugs has since been supported by converging data from several modern methodologies. Given the recent explosion in empirical data, attentional typologies provide powerful conceptual tools with which to contextualize and integrate these findings.
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This paper asks how the social sciences can engage with the idea of the Anthropocene in productive ways. In response to this question we outline an interpretative research agenda that allows critical engagement with the Anthropocene as a socially and culturally bounded object with many possible meanings and political trajectories. In order to facilitate the kind of political mobilization required to meet the complex environmental challenges of our times, we argue that the social sciences should refrain from adjusting to standardized research agendas and templates. A more urgent analytical challenge lies in exposing, challenging and extending the ontological assumptions that inform how we make sense of and respond to a rapidly changing environment. By cultivating environmental research that opens up multiple interpretations of the Anthropocene, the social sciences can help to extend the realm of the possible for environmental politics.
This paper asks how the social sciences can engage with the idea of the Anthropocene in productive ways. In response to this question we outline an interpretative research agenda that allows critical engagement with the Anthropocene as a socially and culturally bounded object with many possible meanings and political trajectories. In order to facilitate the kind of political mobilization required to meet the complex environmental challenges of our times, we argue that the social sciences should refrain from adjusting to standardized research agendas and templates. A more urgent analytical challenge lies in exposing, challenging and extending the ontological assumptions that inform how we make sense of and respond to a rapidly changing environment. By cultivating environmental research that opens up multiple interpretations of the Anthropocene, the social sciences can help to extend the realm of the possible for environmental politics.
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