The Art and Science of Mindfulness

About this book

"Our intention is to clearly define mindfulness and its role in psychotherapy and health care, exploring it as an empirically supported clinical intervention across a wide range of populations, a means of fostering self-care for helping professionals, and a catalyst for going beyond the profession??s focus on pathology to include positive growth and development. This volume is divided into three parts. Part I, ??What is mindfulness? and how is it applicable to clinical work?? is composed of four chapters. Chapter 1 defines mindfulness, attempting to elucidate its multifaceted nature as both a meditation practice and a fundamental way of perceiving and being. Chapters 2 through 4 explore applications of mindfulness in psychotherapy from the perspective of the mindful therapist (chap. 2), mindfulness-informed therapy (chap. 3), and mindfulness-based therapy (chap. 4). Part II, ??Does it help? And how does it help?? focuses on a summary of the research on mindfulness-based interventions for psychological (chap. 5) and medical (chap. 6) populations. This section also discusses potential mechanisms of action for the salutary and transformational effects of mindfulness (chap. 7). Part I…