The word “mindfulness” has acquired two opposite reputations: for some it is a serious tool with a research base, for others a corporate fashion for meditation. Let us be clear about the skill in question.
Definition
Mindfulness is the ability to direct attention to what is happening in the present moment and to notice it without immediately judging it or trying to change it.
Three components, each of which matters:
- Intention. Attention is directed deliberately rather than wandering by itself.
- The present moment. Not a memory and not a forecast, but what is here now: sensations in the body, sounds, the breath, thoughts as they appear.
- Non-judgement. Noticing “anxiety has appeared” rather than “here I go failing again”.
What it is not
Not relaxation. Relaxation may be a pleasant side effect, but it is not the aim. Sometimes practice makes the unpleasant more noticeable — and that is a normal, working part of the process.
Not stopping thoughts. Thoughts do not cease, and trying to make them cease is the commonest beginner’s mistake. What changes is the relationship: a thought is noticed as a thought rather than taken as a direct report on reality.
Not a religious practice. The method does come from the Buddhist tradition, but in clinical programmes it is separated from its worldview context and standardised for research.
Not a universal remedy. Mindfulness helps with certain conditions and does not replace therapy for others.
How it connects to CBT
Mindfulness practices entered what is called the third wave of CBT. The reason is clear if you look at the mechanism.
Classical CBT works with the content of a thought: it checks whether it fits the facts. This works well — but not always. In chronic anxiety or rumination, arguing with every thought is pointless: there are too many of them, and the argument itself becomes part of the problem by sustaining engagement.
Mindfulness offers a different move: not evaluating the content but changing the relationship to the process itself. The thought “I will not cope” can be tested — or it can be noticed as an event in the mind and not followed. The second often turns out to be more practical.
Standardised programmes
Two main formats grew out of the clinical applications, and both are well researched.
MBSR — the stress reduction programme created by Jon Kabat-Zinn in 1979. Eight weeks, weekly meetings, 30–45 minutes of daily independent practice. Used in chronic stress, chronic pain and anxiety.
MBCT — mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, developed specifically to prevent relapse of depression. The structure resembles MBSR, but the content is adapted: cognitive elements are added, along with work on recognising the early signs of a downturn. It is included in the clinical guidelines for preventing recurrent depressive episodes.
What is required of the practitioner
One thing: regularity. That is what distinguishes a working practice from an acquaintance with the idea. The eight-week programmes are built around daily exercises between meetings, and without them the meetings give almost nothing.
This is also the main reason people give up: mindfulness cannot be mastered in a single seminar, just as you cannot learn to play an instrument in one lesson.
When to be more careful
In an acute depressive episode daily practice is hard to sustain, and it is not the place to start. In post-traumatic stress disorder, attention work on bodily sensations can intensify symptoms if it is done without preparation and outside therapy. In psychotic conditions, intensive practices require caution and the involvement of a specialist.
In all these cases mindfulness can be useful — but as part of therapy rather than instead of it.
For business
A separate topic is mindfulness practice in organisations. There is a lot of nonsense here, but there is real benefit too: short practices built into the working day lower stress levels and restore concentration. More on this on the corporate programmes page.