abstract: Cancer survivors engaged in either six-week Internet-delivered mindfulness training or a usual-care control and were compared on the following outcome battery: The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Profile of Mood States, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and the Fatigue Symptom Inventory. Assessments were conducted before and after treatment and intervention compliance was monitored. Mindfulness treatments were delivered at a time and on a computer of the participants’ choosing. Multivariate analysis indicated that mindfulness training produced significant benefits on all measures (p < .05). Online mindfulness instruction represents a widely-accessible, cost-effective intervention for reducing psychological distress and its behavioral manifestations in cancer survivors, especially those who are unable to participate in in-person training. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Counseling Psychology 2017

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka vilka olika perspektiv det finns på New age och Mindfulness. De flesta kvinnliga informanter som jag intervjuat påtalar att New age och Mindfulness är något som är naturligt och fritt. Människan är i centrum och den personliga hälsan har ett stort fokus. De manliga informanterna förklarar istället att New age är något som har med energier och trolldom att göra.    Litteraturen ger en väldigt bred bild av vad New age är, som också framkommer i Analysen finns det inget direkt svar på denna fråga. Hammer förklarar bland annat att New age handlar om olika metoder och tekniker, tron på kosmos, övernaturliga krafter, meditation och så vidare. Alla människor har en speciell plats på jorden och det är viktigt att vi tar hand om jorden på bästa sätt.    Löwendahl påtalar i sin studie att många människor vill ha en tro som är kombinerad med frihet. New age handlar om bland annat om andlig utveckling och personlig utveckling och passar därför många eftersom att en hel del människor är sökare. De söker efter något att förändra eller utveckla.Litteraturen förklarar Mindfulness som ett nytt sätt att vakna upp till vardagen. Det handlar om att ta hand om kropp och själ genom olika slags övningar. Det finns en hel del meditationsövningar som kan bidra till att människan blir mer mindful.

Este estudo investigou a relação entre o tempo de prática de meditação e o bem-estar psicológico, controlando para traços de personalidade, assim como a experiência subjetiva dos meditadores acerca dos efeitos de sua prática no seu cotidiano. Os instrumentos utilizados foram o Questionário de Saúde Geral de Goldberg, a Bateria Fatorial de Personalidade e um Questionário Sociodemográfico contendo uma pergunta aberta sobre a percepção dos efeitos da meditação e itens para definição operacional de meditação. A amostra, selecionada por conveniência, constituiu-se de praticantes da meditação passiva - sentada e silenciosa - cuja experiência variou entre um e 420 meses. Os resultados obtidos através das análises de conteúdo quantitativa, de regressão linear múltipla e regressão de Poisson foram convergentes, indicando que a prática meditativa pode produzir efeitos psicológicos positivos. Foi observado que quanto maior o tempo em meses e a freqüência semanal da prática, maior o bem-estar psicológico. Também foi verificada uma interação entre meses e freqüência semanal, sugerindo que para as pessoas que meditam 6/7 vezes por semana, os escores de bem-estar psicológico não diferiram estatisticamente entre os praticantes considerados iniciantes, intermediários e avançados. Extroversão, neuroticismo e realização são os traços de personalidade que possivelmente mediaram o efeito da meditação sobre o bem-estar, sendo que o primeiro teve uma associação positiva com o desfecho e os dois últimos uma associação negativa. Além disso, a experiência subjetiva da prática de meditação, segundo os participantes desta pesquisa, se reflete predominantemente na percepção de benefícios cognitivos e emocionais. Estes achados corroboram outros estudos e apóiam a idéia de que a meditação pode ser uma ferramenta para o cultivo do bem-estar. Por fim, sugere-se que mais estudos sejam realizados no Brasil e que a prática meditativa pode ser considerada uma ferramenta útil para o contexto clínico em saúde mental. / This study investigated the relationship between the length of experience in meditation practice and psychological well-being, controlling for personality traits, as well as the subjective experience of meditators concerning the effects of their practice on their daily lives. The instruments used were the General Health Questionnaire, the Factorial Battery of Personality and a Sociodemographic Questionnaire containing an open question about the perception of the meditation effects and the items for the operational definition of meditation. The sample was selected by convenience and comprised of passive meditation practitioners - sitting and silent - whose experience varied from one to 420 months. The results obtained through quantitative content analyses, multiple linear regression and Poisson regression were convergent, indicating that the meditation practice can promote positive psychological effects. It has been observed that the greater the number of months and the weekly frequency, the greater the psychological well-being. An interaction between number of months and weekly frequency has also been observed, suggesting that for those people who meditate 6/7 times a week, the psychological well-being score did not differ among practitioners considered beginners, intermediate and advanced. Extraversion, neuroticism and conscientiousness were the personality traits that possibly mediated the effect of meditation on well-being. The first one was positively associated with the outcome, and the other two were negatively associated. In addition, the subjective experience of the meditation practice, according to the participants of the present research, reflects predominantly cognitive and emotional benefits. These findings corroborate other studies and give support to the idea that meditation can be a tool for cultivating wellbeing. Finally, we suggest that more studies should be carried out in Brazil and that the practice can be considered a useful tool for clinical and mental health contexts.

Orientadores: Sara Pereira Lopes, Cassiano Sydow Quilici / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Artes / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-20T01:09:10Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Pla_DanielReis_D.pdf: 1130575 bytes, checksum: 5ec83424cb508b936e3b9990e4827873 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012 / Resumo: Este trabalho procura discutir a relação entre meditação budista e treinamento de atores. Há mais de um século o budismo tem sido objeto de estudo de acadêmicos da Europa e América. Ao longo desse período um vasto material foi produzido e disponibilizado falando sobre a filosofia, a religião e as práticas culturais ligadas as diferentes tradições budistas. Especialmente os estudos de Varela e Wallace apontam para uma abordagem mais ampla do diálogo dessa tradição com a ciência, aprofundando o debate acerca das suas contribuições para áreas como a neurologia, a neuropsicologia e a epistemologia científica. Também no âmbito da pesquisa em teatro os estudos interculturais e interdisciplinares cresceram ao longo do último século e, entre eles, o budismo começa a ganhar importância. Na maioria desses estudos, porém, o foco tem sido orientado pelo instrumentalismo, uma perspectiva que define a validade de uma explicação a partir do seu uso, não importando tanto o quê das coisas, mas o como elas funcionam. Nessa direção muitas investigações têm sido orientadas por uma sobrevalorização da "técnica" e por um discurso cientificista, abordando as diferentes tradições a partir de critérios de uso. Este texto se propõe a explorar algumas das perspectivas que os estudos sobre a meditação budista podem trazer para o pensamento acerca do treinamento de atores como prática de formação. Assim, esse trabalho busca responder questões ligadas à prática do diretor e professor de teatro, vinculando-se a uma linhagem de artistas como Grotowski e Stanislavski que vêem no ator o elemento principal dessa arte, na organicidade um de seus fundamentos, e que acreditam que o processo formativo em teatro envolve um tipo de ação pedagógica que ultrapassa a sala de ensaio, apontando para o desenvolvimento integral do indivíduo / Abstract: This work proposes a discussion regarding buddhist meditation and actor's training. For more than a century buddhism has been object of study for scholars from Europe and America. Along this period a large amount of researches regarding to philosophy, religion and cultural practices linked to buddhist tradition were produced and made available. Specially Varela's and Wallace's studies point out to a deeper approach of the dialog between this tradition and science, going further into the debate about its contribution for areas such as neurology, neuropsychology and scientific epistemology. Also in the performing arts research the intercultural and interdisciplinaries studies have been growing up along the last century, and among it the buddhism has gaining importance. Despite that the most of those researches has been oriented by instrumentalism, an approach that validates the explanations by use criteria no considering about the study object's nature but only how it works. In this way most of those studies has preferred a discourse centered in the technique and scientificist vocabulary. This text explores some of the possible perspectives that the Buddhist studies bring for the thought about the actor's training as formative process. In this way its focus is answer questions regarding to the director and performing arts teacher craft, being linked to a lineage of artists as Grotowski and Stanislavski who sees the actor as the center of this art, the organicity as the fundamental principle, and who believes that the formative process in performing arts are concerned to an artistic and pedagogic action which surpass the boundaries of rehearsal space, pointing to the integral development of the individual / Doutorado / Artes Cenicas / Doutor em Artes

Embodied emotion theory hypothesises a reciprocal relationship between physical expression of emotion and the manner in which emotional information is perceived. The Integrated Cognitive Subsystems (ICS) theory of depression and Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs) propose the body as key in the development and treatment of depression. This study investigated the relationship between posture and outcomes of mindfulness practice; participants meditating in an upright posture were predicted to report greater mindfulness, positive affect and distress tolerance than in a slouched posture. A non-clinical, adult sample (N=39) carried out a 15-minute mindfulness breathing exercise in upright and slouched postures in a counter-balanced within-participant design, with outcome measures of mindfulness, affect and distress tolerance. Participants also reported qualitative experiences. Due to order effects, only data from the first posture participants adopted were analysed, converting the study into a between-participant design. Hypotheses were not supported; between-subjects analyses found no difference in participants’ reported mindfulness, affect or distress tolerance between the two posture groups; potentially due to measurement or power issues. Keeping with previous MBI research, negative affect decreased following the practice in both postures. There was tentative evidence that distress tolerance decreased in the slouched posture condition; although there was no change in the upright condition. Qualitatively, participants reported breathing was easier when upright. These two findings may provide some support for the importance of attending to an upright posture in mindfulness practice. Further research is required to understand the role of the body in depression and MBIs.

Yoga is an ancient tradition that in contemporary research has been shown to have positive associations with a broad spectrum of health outcomes. Although promising findings have been highlighted, research exploring the mechanisms underlying the use of yoga for enhancing mental health is still in its infancy. Researchers have shown that yoga can increase levels of mindfulness, which has been shown to relate to several aspects of general well-being such as low levels of anxiety, depression, and stress. However, limited study has examined how the quality of the relationship between the yoga student and yoga instructor affects state mindfulness during the yoga class. The present study used a cross sectional research design to investigate associations between levels of stress, negative affect, motives for yoga, relationship quality, and mindfulness during yoga classes. The sample consisted of 219 adults that completed measures of stress, affect, motives for yoga, mindfulness, and relationship quality immediately following a yoga class. Analysis of data indicated that higher levels of stress and negative emotional wellbeing increased the likelihood that yoga was practiced to address psychological motives rather than perceived physical health outcomes. Additionally, relationship quality with the instructor was found to predict greater state mindfulness during the yoga session. The present study highlights the importance of the relationship quality between instructor and student, and suggests that future research investigating the efficacy of yoga in optimizing psychological health should consider how health outcomes might be influenced by interpersonal relationships.

Research demonstrates that mindfulness in younger and middle-aged adults is associated with cognitive and emotional benefits. Mindfulness in older adults is less frequently studied but given the overlap between cognitive and emotional benefits of mindfulness and domains of age-related decline, this may be an important population to investigate. The present set of three studies had three aims: 1) to establish the validity of the Five Faceted Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) as a measure of mindfulness in an older adult population (Study 1); 2) to examine the cognitive and emotional associations of dispositional mindfulness (as assessed by the FFMQ and breath counting, a behavioral measure of mindfulness) in older adults (Study 2); and 3) to investigate the cognitive and emotional benefits of a brief online mindfulness training for older adults (Study 3). Concurrent goals of these studies were to examine the specificity of the FFMQ facets for predicting behavior (to examine the multifaceted nature of mindfulness) and to address the recent call in the field of mindfulness research for greater methodological rigor. To address the latter, we used objective measures of mindfulness, cognition, and emotional functioning and in our third study, a well-matched, active control condition. Results suggest that the five facets of the FFMQ hold in an older adult population (Study 1), that dispositional mindfulness is modestly associated with some aspects of attention, executive functioning, and emotion regulation (Study 2), and that mindfulness training may improve attention and increase facets of mindfulness (although this was not specific to our mindfulness condition; Study 3). We also found some mixed evidence for the specificity of the facets in predicting cognitive and emotional functioning (Study 2). We did not find that the breath counting task predicted any domains of functioning nor did accuracy on this task improve after training. These preliminary data are interesting but require replication and we are cautious about over-interpreting them given that our samples were small and analyses under-powered.

No description available.

Exposure to environmental stressors may challenge children’s developing self-regulatory abilities and increase their risk of developing emotional and behavior problems. Interventions aimed at improving children’s self-regulatory skills, specifically emotion regulation and attentional control, may reduce children’s risk for adjustment problems. The present study proposed a novel theoretical model which describes how participation in yoga may increase children’s self-regulatory skills and increase children’s mindfulness, or the ability to focus attention on the present moment. Both self-regulation and mindfulness were expected to be associated with fewer anxiety problems. Components of the theoretical model were evaluated using a very small sample of at-risk, elementary-aged children who participated in a school-based yoga program. Consistent with expectations, emotion regulation was statistically and significantly associated with better mindfulness and less anxiety; attentional control was associated with fewer anxiety problems. Contrary to expectations, attentional control was unrelated to mindfulness. Moreover, mindfulness did not interact with either attentional control or emotion regulation to predict anxiety. Results are discussed in terms of theoretical implications and critical next steps needed to evaluate yoga as a potential tool for reducing children’s risk for problem behavior by way of strengthening self-regulatory mechanisms.

The recall of positive autobiographical memories is an effective strategy for improving negative mood among healthy persons, yet individuals with a history of depression often fail to derive emotional benefits. Depressed and depression-vulnerable individuals also exhibit deficits in their autobiographical memory characteristics. Scholars have implicated deficits during autobiographical memory retrieval as a cause of mood repair and memory impairments, however the role of memory encoding has largely been overlooked. The current study manipulated encoding style to examine subsequent effects on mood repair efficacy, memory characteristics, and memory accuracy. Fifty-five formerly depressed and 68 never-depressed participants were assigned to employ either a concrete or natural encoding style while engaging in a positive event staged in the laboratory. After a negative mood induction, participants were given the opportunity to improve their moods by recalling details of the positive event. Results failed to support the hypothesized interaction of depression status and encoding style. Interpretations of the null findings are provided and implications of the study are discussed.