a dichotomy between mindfulness and flow dr nash popovic university of east london, uk...
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A DICHOTOMY BETWEEN MINDFULNESS AND FLOW Dr Nash Popovic University of East London, UK [email protected]. MINDFULNESS. What is mindfulness?. A receptive attention to, and awareness of, present events and experience. (Brown & Ryan, 2003) Bishop et al (2004) 2 components: - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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A DICHOTOMY BETWEEN MINDFULNESS AND FLOW
Dr Nash PopovicUniversity of East London, UK
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MINDFULNESS
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What is mindfulness?A receptive attention to, and awareness of, present events and experience. (Brown & Ryan, 2003)
Bishop et al (2004) 2 components:a) Self-regulation of attention so that it is maintained on
immediate experience;b) Orientation towards one’s experience characterised by
curiosity, openness and acceptance.
Capacity to be aware of internal and external events as phenomena rather than conceptual objects
Similar to Phenomenological Reduction (Husserl)
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Characteristics of Mindfulness• clear awareness of inner and outer world
• non-conceptual, non-discriminatory awareness (no
prioritising)
• direct perception (thoughts become objects to be
noticed just like sights and sounds)
• dis-identification (observer and participant)
• present-oriented consciousness
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The mystery of awareness
• Awareness is different from any other conscious or
unconscious mental process.
• A meta-consciousness, being conscious of
consciousness itself (Eysenck, 2009)
• Non-conceptual
• Outside time
• Mindfulness – a disentanglement of awareness and
mental processes.
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What is good about mindfulness (Brown & Ryan, 2003)
Dispositional Mindfulness correlated with:
Remain significant when other factors controlled.
POSITIVELY:• Clarity of experience (.45 to .50)• Self-actualisation (.43)• Self-esteem (.39 to .50) • Vitality (.35 to .46)• Positive affect (.30 to .39)• Life Satisfaction (.26 to .37)• Mood repair (.25 to .37)• Optimism (.27 to .34)• Attention to feelings (.13 to .19)
NEGATIVELY:• Neuroticism (-.56)• Depression (-.41 to -.42)• Anxiety (-.40)• Negative affect (-.39 to -.43)• Rumination (-.29 to -.39)
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What mindfulness may not be good for
• Concentration (implies restriction of attention to a single object and withdrawal of other inputs)
• Being selective with information
• Goal pursuit
• Making judgements and assessments
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References• Baer, R. (2003). Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and
Empirical Review. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 10, 125-143.• Baer, R., Smith, G. & Allen, K. (2004). Assessment of Mindfulness by self-report: The
Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills. Assessment, 11, 191- 206.• **Baer, R., Smith, G., Hopkins, J., Krietemeyer, J. & Toney, L. (2006). Using self-
report assessment methods to explore facets of mindfulness. Assessment, 13 (1), 27-45.
• Bishop, S. (2002). What do we really know about Mindfulness-based stress reduction? Psychosomatic Medicine, 64, 71-84.
• Bishop, S., Lau, M., Shapiro, S., Carlson, L. et al (2004). Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 11, 230-241.
• Brown, K. & Ryan, R. (2003). The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in Psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84, 822-848.
• ***Brown, K., Ryan, R. & Creswell, J. (2007). Mindfulness: Theoretical foundations and evidnce for its salutary effects. Psychological Inquiry, 18 (4), 211 – 237 (see also some of the commentaries and the authors’ response).
• Buchheld, N., Grossman, P. & Walach, H. (2001). Measuring mindfulness in Insight Meditation (Vipassana) and meditation-based psychotherapy. Journal for Meditation and Meditation Research, 1, 11 – 34 (see newer paper by Walach et al (2006) – Measuring Mindfulness – the Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory in Personality and Individual Differences, 40, 1543 – 1555).
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• Davidson, R., Kabat-Zinn, J., Schumacher, J. et al (2003). Alterations in brain and immune function produced by mindfulness meditation. Psychosomatic Medicine, 65, 564-570.
• Grossman, P., Niemann, L., Schmidt, S. & Walach, H. (2004). Mindfulness-based stress reduction and health benefits: A meta-analysis. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 57, 35-43.
• Kabat-Zinn, J., Wheeler, E., Light, T., Skillings, A. et al (1998). Influence of a mindfulness meditation-based stress reduction intervention on rates of skin clearing in patients with moderate to severe psoriasis undergoing phototherapy (UVB) and Photochemotherapy (PUVA). Psychosomatic Medicine, 60, 625-632.
• Kristeller, J. L. & Hallett, C. B. An exploratory study of a meditation-based intervention for binge eating disorder. Journal of Health Psychology, 4, 357-363.
• Shapiro, S., Astin, J., Bishop, S. & Cordova, M. (2005). Mindfulness-based stress reduction for health care professionals: Results from a randomised trial. International Journal of Stress Management, 12, 164-176.
• Shapiro, S., Carlson, L., Astin, J. & Freedman, B. (2006). Mechanisms of mindfulness. Journal of Clinical Psychology,
• Shapiro, S., Schwatrz, G. & Bonner, G. (1998). Effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction on medical and pre-medical students. Journal of Behavioural Medicine, 21, 581-599.
• Speca, M., Carlson, L., Goodey, E. & Angen, M. (2000). A randomized, wait-list controlled trial: The effect of a mindfulness meditation-based stress reduction program on mood and symptoms of stress in cancer outpatients. Psychosomatic Medicine, 62, 613-622.
• Tacon, A., Caldera, Y. & Ronaghan, C. (2004). Mindfulness-based stress reduction in women with breast cancer. Families, Systems & Health, 22, 193-203.
• Tacon, A., McComb, J., Caldera, Y & Randolph, P. (2003). Mindfulness meditation, anxiety reduction and heart disease. Family and Community Health, 26, 25-33.
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THE CONCEPT OF FLOW
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjXqdAYUG48
Mihaly CsikszentmihalyiOne of the founders of Positive
Psychology – the science of optimal human functioning
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Experience of flow• “My mind isn’t wandering. I am totally involved in what I am
doing and I am not thinking of anything else. My body feels good... the world seems to be cut off from me... I am less aware of myself and my problems”.
• “My concentration is like breathing... I never think of it.. I am quite oblivious to my surroundings after I really get doing in this activity. I think that the phone could ring, and the doorbell could ring or the house burn down or something like that. When I start, I really do shut out the world. Once I stop I can let it back again”.
• “I am so involved in what I am doing... I don’t see myself as separate from what I am doing”.
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Characteristics of flow• Complete concentration
• An effortless control over your actions
• Action and one who act merge
• No sense of self (or self-consciousness)
• No sense of time
• Being absorbed (rather than absorbing)
• You’re no longer a participant observer, only a
participant.
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Conditions of the flow experience
• There are clear goals every step of the way
• There is immediate feedback on the progress. For example, in a competition you know exactly how well you are doing, i.e. whether you are winning or losing.
• There is a balance between challenges and skills
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The original Flow Model
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Challenges to this view
• Can we get into flow when we are washing dishes (a low
challenge)?
• Can we get into flow when we daydream, watch a movie,
or read (low skills)?
• Another researcher of flow Antonella Delle Fave thinks
yes!
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What's good about flow?
• It feels good
• It enhances achievement
• It improves your capacities and skills
• It enhances one’s self-esteem and contributes to well-
being
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Is flow always good?
• How about gambling and other activity addictions?
• Flow is amoral
• It can make you forget the larger perspective (e.g. a
meeting)
• It can make you feel overconfident
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What do mindfulness and flow have in common?
• They both relate to activity
• They both relate to our awareness
• They belong to the same species
• They both have potential to contribute to well-being
• They both have limitations on their own
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Why dichotomy?
MINDFULNESS:• Broad awareness• Awareness of self and time• Low skill and challenge • Observed participant
FLOW:• Focused awareness• Not being aware of self and time• High skill and challenge• Participatory observer
They seem to be on the opposite side of the spectrum:
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MINDFULNESS FLOW
The question: can we be in flow and mindful at the same time?
IF NO
MINDFULNESS
FLOW
IF YES