Mindfulness används ofta i samband med behandling för depressioner och ångest för att lindra stress hos patienter. Det finns dock inte någon entydig forskning om mindfulness förbättrar måendet för patienter med PTSD. Här har en systematisk genomgång samt metaanalys genomförts för att avgöra om mindfulnessbaserade interventioner har någon inverkan på att lindra symtomen för PTSD. Systematiska sökningar har genomförts i olika databaser som PubMed, Medline, CINAHL och APA för att hitta relevanta randomiserade kontrollerade studier, som är publicerade under de senaste sju åren. Två författare genomförde litteratursökningen oberoende av varandra, samlade in data samt utförde den statistiska analysen. Metaanalysen omfattade 5 studier med 317 deltagare. Samtliga studier använde sig av PCL-5 som mätvärde för PTSD. Behandlingstiden varierade mellan fyra ochåtta veckor. Metaanalysen redovisar före- och eftermätningar av mindfulnessbehandlingarutan att ta med uppföljande mätningar. Resultaten visade att mindfulnessbaserade interventioner hade måttlig effekt (Cohens d = 0.63, 95 % CI: 0.42 – 0.82) gällande att lindra PTSD-symptom jämfört med behandling som vanligt (TAU), ”present-centered group therapy” och väntelista. Enligt den forskning vi sett kan mindfulnessbaserade interventioner vara till nytta för patienter som diagnostiserats med PTSD. Vår metaanalys visar att mindfulness kan vara ett effektivt sätt att minska PTSD-symptom och ge en ökad livskvalitet. Behandlingslängd, antal sessioner och PTSD-graden verkar ha mindre effekt än interventionens innehåll.  Nyckelord: metaanalys, mindfulness, PTSD, PCL, vuxna / Mindfulness is often used in conjunction with treatment for depression and anxiety to relieve stress in patients. However, there is no clear research on whether mindfulness improves the well-being of patients with PTSD. A systematic review and meta-analysis has been conducted to determine whether mindfulness-based interventions have any effect on alleviating the symptoms of PTSD. Systematic searches were conducted in various databases such as PubMed, Medline, CINAHL and APA to find relevant randomized controlled trials, which are published in the last seven years. Two authors independently conducted the literature search, collected the data and performed the statistical analysis. The meta-analysis included 5 studies with 317 participants. All studies use the PCL-5 as a measure of PTSD. The treatment time varied between four to eight weeks. The meta-analysis reports pre- and post-measurements of mindfulness treatments without including follow-up measurements. Results showed that mindfulness-based interventions had moderate effect ((Cohens d = 0.63, 95 % CI: 0.42 – 0.82) in alleviating PTSD symptoms compared to treatment as usual (TAU), present-centered group therapy and waiting list. According to the research we have seen, mindfulness-based interventions can be beneficial for patients diagnosed with PTSD. Our meta-analysis shows that mindfulness can be an effective way to reduce PTSD symptoms and provide an increased quality of life. Duration of treatment, number of sessions and the degree of PTSD appear to have less effect than the content of the intervention. Keywords: meta-analysis, mindfulness, PTSD, adults

No description available.

No description available.

Our study is a collaborative dissertation paper that combines two differentdiscourse analyses, textual and visual, based on a common theoretical background.The introduction guides the reader through the content of the study, at the same timeoffering a brief context of research. The aim of the paper is to address a gap that weidentified in the study of mindfulness, namely a critical approach, from a media andcommunication perspective, of how this concept is represented in social media. Eventhough our research questions are developed separately in the analyses conductedindependently, they can be reduced to three core questions: ‘How is the meaning ofmindfulness constructed on Twitter?’, ‘Are there any power relations in theconstruction of discourse and if they exist, how do they shape the discourse?’, ‘Howdoes the reproduction and circulation of discourse shape its meaning throughintertextuality?’For answering these questions existing research from psychology,sociology and business has been reviewed, with the mention that no relevantmedia and/or communication studies on mindfulness have been found.Therefore, our attempt to open a discussion in the field required a theoreticalframe of analysis. For that we chose Michel Foucault’s discourse theory, addingobservations on relations of power, and Stuart Hall’s theories of representation.The methodologies used for the two analyses are Fairclough’s and Rose’sapproaches of applied discourse analysis. Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) andVisual Discourse Analysis (VDA) are two detailed disseminations of qualitativedata, conducted separately. Results show that there is a mainstream discoursethat portrays mindfulness as a positive practice. This type of discourse might beinvested with power, however our conclusions in this sense are restrained by thelimitations of access to Twitter data. High intertextuality and low reliability onthe scientific discourse further suggested in our case that the understandings ofmindfulness are subject to change due to an advanced grade of interpretabilityamong Twitter users.

Landscape architects design healing gardens at healthcare facilities to support patients, visitors, caregivers, and staff. Many acknowledge that medical staff regularly visit healing gardens to escape work-related stress (Marcus and Sachs, 2014). Rarely, however, are healing gardens on medical campuses designed specifically to support physicians' well-being. There is a void in healing garden design theory. Reports on the prevalence of physician burnout, warn of a widespread crisis and dismal reality within the medical community (T. D. Shanafelt et al., 2015). Researchers pronounce an urgent need for evidence-based interventions, which address individual contributing factors to burnout (Christina Maslach, Jackson, and Leiter, 1986). By investigating the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program, an evidence-based therapy, clinically proven to cultivate emotional healing, for physicians suffering burnout, this research reveals how a therapeutic garden could meld mindfulness-based practices with environmental theory; healing garden design precedents; and healthcare design typologies. Finally, mindfulness-based landscape design guidelines describe how a private, restorative, healing garden could help maintain physicians' well-being and rehabilitate physicians experiencing burnout due to emotional exhaustion within the workplace. / Master of Landscape Architecture

“Adapt or die” is the spreading philosophy that shapes how organizations respond to change. Although change has always been inevitable in the business landscape, the pace of change has arguably increased during the 21st century. Simultaneously, there is a projectification happening, where projects are used for organizing work in more and more settings, increasing demands for flexible project managers. This has led to a heightened focus on concepts such as mindfulness and agility among academics and practitioners alike. However, the relationship between the two is sparsely investigated, and primarily set within a software development context. This paper therefore answers the call for more research investigating the two, and more specifically in the context of project management. This study explored the effect of mindfulness on project managers’ ability to be agile and lead agile work through a qualitative research approach, utilizing a case study with interviews. The study took place at a medium sized IT consultancy company in Sweden, where nine respondents were interviewed through semi-structured interviews. Additionally, an agility expert was interviewed to provide professional input on the complex concept of business agility. The data collected was analyzed through coding and thematic analysis techniques based on a previously defined theoretical framework, with five mindfulness principles and a definition of agility in project organizations as the foundation. The results validate the five mindfulness principles as a framework for assessing mindfulness in organizations. The study identified connections between mindfulness, agility, and project management within the case company. By understanding these connections, the study suggests that mindfulness can enhance agility and flexibility in project management, addressing the specific research gap. By incorporating an interdisciplinary approach and reviewing research from various organizational fields, the study provides a holistic perspective on mindfulness and agility in the project management context. Additionally, the study highlights the importance of a shared mindset in achieving successful agility, emphasizing the role of openness to change and organizational learning in agile work environments. Finally, the study suggests several practical implications for managers and organizations. Firstly, it emphasizes the role of mindfulness as an enabler of agility, highlighting the importance of a shared mindset and openness to change within teams. The five mindfulness principles are recommended as a concrete way to implement and assess mindfulness in organizational settings. Additionally, the findings suggest that project managers can play a crucial role in initiating and driving the mindfulness and agility processes within their organizations. The study provides insights into how mindfulness practices can support agile work environments and enhance organizational flexibility.

The focus of this work is to bring the idea of mindfulness closer, in terms of connection with other personality traits. Additionally it highlights the use of mindfulness in psychotherapy practice, specifically in regard to homosexually orientated clients. The study summarizes the main findings on the mindfulness phenomenon, highlighting the important aspects of adopting a new identity within this demographic. The study also monitors the connection of coming out process with particular aspects of mindfulness. In the empirical section the results of the FFMQ questionnaire, in which participated 294 persons of both male and female gender and of both heterosexual and homosexual orientation are compared using quantitative methods. By means of statistical analysis of variance (ANOVA) it was determined that the homosexually orientated do not differ significantly from those of heterosexual orientation. Furthermore there was no significant statistical difference in mindfulness between genders within the research sample. Keywords: mindfulness, psychotherapy, mindfulness definitions, Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, sexual orientation, coming out, homosexual identity, personality

xv, 173 p. : ill. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / Both Buddhist scholars and psychological researchers have suggested that mindfulness practice may result in greater empathy, but previous research has found mixed results. In addition, Buddhist philosophy suggests that mindfulness should influence the perception of and felt connection to others. Little research, however, has examined such an influence. The present studies examined the effect of dispositional mindfulness, as well as short- and long-term mindfulness meditation practice, on trait and state empathy, social perception, and felt connection to others. Study 1 manipulated mindfulness with a guided meditation CD and found that participants in this condition experienced more serenity and less negative emotion relative to control conditions. Study 1 also clarified the relationship between dispositional mindfulness (measured with the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire), empathy (Interpersonal Reactivity Index), and felt connection (Allo-Inclusive Identity Scale). Results showed that different facets of mindfulness had different correlates. Higher observing scores were related to greater empathic concern and perspective taking; higher nonreactivity scores were related to less personal distress; and higher describing scores were associated with greater felt connection to others. Mindfulness was also associated with social perception such that higher nonreactivity scores were associated with greater ease in making emotion inferences from short video clips and higher describing scores were associated with making more mental state inferences in a modified empathic accuracy task. In Study 2, a randomized 8-week mindfulness intervention caused increases in dispositional mindfulness, especially describing scores, relative to a waitlist control condition. The intervention also resulted in increased serenity and joy and decreased negative affect and tension. Except for changes in serenity, these changes were fully mediated by increases in dispositional mindfulness. Those in the intervention condition decreased in personal distress to others' suffering, increased in the amount of mental state inferences they made for empathic accuracy targets, and increased in their ability to make inferences at times when the targets were actually having a thought or feeling. Thus, mindfulness training not only resulted in intrapersonal changes such as greater serenity and less tension; it also increased cognitive and emotional abilities important for empathy toward other people. / Committee in charge: Bertram Malle, Co-Chairperson, Psychology; Sanjay Srivastava, Co-Chairperson, Psychology; Sara Hodges, Member, Psychology; Mark Unno, Outside Member, Religious Studies

The purpose of this study was to examine effects of a Mindfulness-Acceptance-Commitment (MAC) intervention on football performance, mindfulness, emotional regulation, performance anxiety and psychological illness (general anxiety, depression and emotional/physical fatigue) compared to an active control group over time. Effects of the intervention were measured through a quantitative survey at three measure points, pre and post (immediately after) the intervention together with a two months follow up. The participants were young elite football players (n = 44, Mage = 16.8, SD = 0.65) from the same senior high school. The participants were divided into four groups, one experiment group and one control group for each of the sexes. The intervention consisted of six sessions spread over six weeks, where the experiment group took part of the MAC intervention and the control group went through a group dynamic intervention. Mix-model ANOVA showed no significant difference in effect for any variable, thus no differences between the experiment group and the control group. This suggest that MAC has no additional effects on football performance and psychological illness compared to a group dynamics intervention.

Det finns ett överväldigande stöd från över 30 års forskning att kontakt med naturen påverkar vårt välbefinnande avsevärt. Utöver kontakt med naturen är det också känt att medveten närvaro ger effekter på välmående. Ett växande intresse finns för kombinationen av medveten närvaro och kontakt med naturen. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka hur skogsvistelser kan påverka olika former av medveten närvaro, känslan av samhörighet med naturen och välmående. Genom en single case experimental design, med multipla baslinjer samt pre- och postmätning med kompletterande kvalitativa frågor, fick 14 icke-kliniska deltagare (12 kvinnor och 2 män) utföra sex skogsvistelser à 15 minuter under två veckor utifrån enkla instruktioner givna vid ett tillfälle. Den här studien fann på gruppnivå en signifikant ökning på färdigheter i medveten närvaro, med stor effekt på delskalan observera. Färdigheter i medveten närvaro sågs också korrelera starkt med upplevt välmående. Visuell analys av upprepad mätning visade ingen tydlig ökning av tillstånd respektive färdigheter i medveten närvaro. Det fanns dock flertalet kvalitativa beskrivningar som kunde tolkas som uttryck för tillstånd av medveten närvaro vid skogsvistelserna. Deltagarnas beskrivningar gav också tydligt uttryck för välmående i samband med skogsvistelserna. Resultaten indikerar att korta, enkla och kostnadseffektiva interventioner i skogsmiljö kan ge ökade färdigheter i medveten närvaro samt tillstånd av medveten närvaro och välmående. Ytterligare forskning behövs för att vidare undersöka hur medveten närvaro, känslan av samhörighet med naturen och välmående påverkar varandra. / There is overwhelming support from over 30 years of research that contact with nature has a significant impact on our well-being. In addition to contact with nature, mindfulness is known to give effects on well-being. There is a growing interest in the combination of mindfulness and contact with nature. The purpose of this study was to investigate how being in forest can affect different forms of mindfulness, connectedness to nature and well-being. Through a Single Case Experimental Design with multiple baselines as well as pre- and postmeasurement with supplementary qualitative questions, 14 non-clinical participants (12 women and 2 men) carried out six forest visits à 15 minutes for two weeks based on a simple single instruction. This study found a significant increase in trait mindfulness on a group level, with a large effect on the subscale observing. Trait mindfulness were also seen to correlate strongly with perceived well-being. Visual analysis of repeated measurement showed no obvious increase of state or trait mindfulness. However, there were a number of qualitative responses that could be interpreted as state mindfulness at the forest visits. The participants' descriptions also clearly expressed well-being during the forest visits. The results indicate that short, simple and cost-effective interventions in the forest can provide increased trait mindfulness as well as state mindfulness and well-being. Further research is needed to further investigate how mindfulness, nature connectedness, and well-being affect each other.