What is mindfulness?
Mindfulness is generally described as a type of meditation that cultivates the ability to be in the present moment in an accepting and non-judgmental way
(Kabat-Zinn, 2004).
Although mindfulness has its origins in secular Buddhism (Gira, 1989), its practice involves several skills that can be learned by people from different religious with distinct belief systems (Baer & Krietemeyer, 2006).
Mindfulness-based interventions can be used to help change the way people react and relate to distressing life events. Through mindfulness practice people can learn to voluntarily pay attention to their own way of being and change the way they perceive the world. This shift in perspective is likely to be helpful for better coping with, for example, an advanced disease.
The advantages of this kind of meditation are described variously as promoting concentration and greater insight enabling one to feel compassion for oneself, and therefore over time to experience an improvement in mood, well-being and happiness (Williams & Penman, 2011), and achieving a sense of peace or tranquillity (Carlson & Speca, 2010).
When I systematically searched the literature, I found evidence of acceptability and benefits for mindfulness-based interventions in addressing the psychological well-being of patients with advanced cancer. Positive findings included patients’ improved quality of life, reduced symptoms and better coping with the disease, as well as patients’ improved mindfulness skills.
For more details about this systematic review, please access the full manuscript.