The following is taken from The Mental Health Foundation website - the original article can be found here
Mindfulness
is a mind-body based approach that helps people change the way they think and
feel about their experiences, especially stressful experiences.
Mindfulness
exercises or mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) are ways of paying
attention to the present moment, using techniques like meditation, breathing
and yoga. Mindfulness training helps us become more aware of our thoughts and
feelings so that instead of being overwhelmed by them, we're better able to
manage them.
It's
been known for millennia that the way we think and the way we handle how we
feel plays a big part in mental health. Taking a mindfulness course can give
people more insight into their emotions, boost their attention and
concentration and improve relationships.
MBCT
is recommended by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) for the
prevention of relapse in recurrent depression. It combines mindfulness
techniques like meditation, breathing exercises and stretching with elements
from cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) to help break the negative thought
patterns that are characteristic of recurrent depression. Mindfulness is a
potentially life-changing way to alter our feelings in positive ways, and an
ever-expanding body of evidence shows that it really works.
Evidence
Mindfulness
meditation has been shown to affect how the brain works and even its structure.
People undertaking mindfulness training have shown increased activity in the
area of the brain associated with positive emotion – the pre-frontal cortex –
which is generally less active in people who are depressed.
More
than 100 studies have shown changes in brain wave activity during meditation
and researchers have found that areas of the brain linked to emotional
regulation are larger in people who have meditated regularly for five years.
Research
shows that Mindfulness can help with:
recurrent
depression
anxiety
disorders
addictive
behaviour
stress
chronic
pain
chronic
fatigue syndrome
insomnia
plus
more mental and physical problems.
There
is growing evidence that Mindfulness in the workplace can improve productivity
and decrease sickness absence, and increasingly employers are looking to
benefit from its effect on workplace wellbeing. Find out more at Mindfulnet.
Almost
three-quarters of GPs think mindfulness meditation would be helpful for people
with mental health problems, and a third already refer patients to MBCT on a
regular basis. (Source: ICM survey June 2009 of 250 GPs). With the increase in
talking therapies being instigated across the UK this is something that you can
raise and discuss with your GP.
Benefitting
from mindfulness therapies
MBCT
is usually a weekly course of classes taught over two months, but there are
also online courses available that can be done in your own time, at home or
even at work. These courses teach people how to manage their thoughts and
feelings in a way that makes depression less likely to occur.
Such
treatment has been shown to cut relapse rates in half for recurrent depression.
Find
out more about mindfulness and its benefits on the Be Mindful website, where
you can:
watch
videos and listen to podcasts
find
out about courses in your area
share
your experience of mindfulness at the The Oxford Mindfulness Centre
give
your support for increased access to mindfulness therapy on the NHS.
Mindfulness
courses don’t require any religious or spiritual beliefs. Mindfulness is
suitable for, and can help people with any religious beliefs or people with
none at all.
Whether
you want to learn new techniques for coping with stress in the workplace or at
home, manage anxiety or depression or improve your concentration, energy levels
and enjoyment of life, Mindfulness is a valuable tool. In fact, mindfulness
meditation can have such a positive impact on our mental and physical
well-being that many GPs say that all people could benefit from learning the
techniques.
Three videos on Mindfulness:
No comments:
Post a Comment