Mindfulness is ubiquitous these days. It is purported to be helpful with mind, body, and soul, and everything in between. But is mindfulness everything it’s hyped up to be?
Well, mindfulness is a technique that originated from Buddhist meditation practice, which has been around for over 2,500 years. So if it is a hype, then it is definitely a hype that has some staying power!
All joking aside, the real question seems to be, “is mindfulness, as the way it is presented today, a hype?” That is a very good question. A recent study investigates this question and provides a broad and unbalanced overview of the mindfulness landscape (Van Dam et al., 2018). Entitled “Mind the Hype,” this peer-reviewed article is a joint effort by numerous leading institutions, including Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, Brown, and Center for Mindfulness-UMass.
According to the study, “misinformation and poor methodology associated with past studies of mindfulness may lead public consumers to be harmed, misled, and disappointed” (Van Dam et al., 2018). The authors expressed concerns over trends in overinterpretation of research findings, tendency to view mindfulness as a panacea, inconsistent definitions of “mindfulness,” and limited research on adverse effects of meditation. In other words, mind the hype of “mindfulness.”
What does that mean for those of us who are turning to a practice like mindfulness in hopes that it could help us with the challenges of our lives? First of all, it might be helpful to take what we read about mindfulness in the media with a grain of salt (including this blog post). After all, what’s most important is our personal experience with the practice and whether we can trust this experience.
Furthermore, given that there is so much that is unknown and unclear—even in the field of mindfulness research—about exactly what “mindfulness” is, how to do it, and what to expect in the process, it may be helpful to find a qualified instructor to provide some guidance and support in this journey. In addition to a competent and compassionate teacher, it may also be supportive to have a kindred community to practice mindfulness meditation with on a regular basis.
A sustainable mindfulness practice includes a stable personal routine practice, regular practice with a group, and practicing under the guidance of a qualified teacher. If we have the above supports integrated into our practice, then we can grow in a safe and steady fashion. Then we will be less susceptible to any winds of hype that blows our way.
REFERENCES:
Van Dam, N. T., van Vugt, M. K., Vago, D. R., Schmalzl, L., Saron, C. D., Olendzki, A., Meissner, T., Lazar, S. W., Kerr, C. E., Gorchov, J., Fox, K., Field, B. A., Britton, W. B., Brefczynski-Lewis, J. A., & Meyer, D. E. (2018). Mind the Hype: A Critical Evaluation and Prescriptive Agenda for Research on Mindfulness and Meditation. Perspectives on psychological science : a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, 13(1), 36–61.
Mindfulness FAQ 