Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Mind and mindfulness'

The focus of the thesis is on i) theoretically investigating how meditation and education can work together, and ii) empirically studying the educational and cognitive effects of meditation on adult subject, with special regard to the subjective experience description. In concrete, it is my intention here to assess the value of mindfulness meditation in terms of changes in the so-called ‘first-person perspective’ (FPP), that is how meditation affects the self-perception and self-description in expert and beginner meditators. Indeed, through a qualitative study I will assess the educational outcomes of a two months long period of meditation in terms of self-perception and experience description skills on healthy adults, both beginners and experts. The structure of the thesis is the follow. In the first chapter I will consider the theoretical framework on which my thesis is based on. In particular I will present a short overview of the encounter of phenomenological tradition and cognitive sciences during the last decade of the XXth Century, an encounter that has produced the so-called ‘Embodied Theory’. I will especially discuss the themes of consciousness and body consciousness that are fundamental for my thesis. Another short overview is presented about meditation tradition and, especially, about what mindfulness meditation is and where it comes from. The second chapter is dedicated to present how mindfulness meditation practice affects the person. Considering the utility for a pedagogical discourse to evaluate the neuroscientific and cognitive aspects of meditation, we will discuss the main effects of meditation on the brain and the mind; then, I will discuss how meditation fits with phenomenological pedagogical theory and practice, and how it can be considered as a form of experiential education, with special regard to adult education. Then, in the third chapter, the results of a qualitative study on self-perception and body perception will be presented and discussed. Finally, in the fourth one, some general conclusions will be outlined about the educational value of meditation, and some suggestions and critics will be outlined with regard to the didactic and teaching programs of meditation courses.

The focus of the thesis is on i) theoretically investigating how meditation and education can work together, and ii) empirically studying the educational and cognitive effects of meditation on adult subject, with special regard to the subjective experience description. In concrete, it is my intention here to assess the value of mindfulness meditation in terms of changes in the so-called ‘first-person perspective’ (FPP), that is how meditation affects the self-perception and self-description in expert and beginner meditators. Indeed, through a qualitative study I will assess the educational outcomes of a two months long period of meditation in terms of self-perception and experience description skills on healthy adults, both beginners and experts. The structure of the thesis is the follow. In the first chapter I will consider the theoretical framework on which my thesis is based on. In particular I will present a short overview of the encounter of phenomenological tradition and cognitive sciences during the last decade of the XXth Century, an encounter that has produced the so-called ‘Embodied Theory’. I will especially discuss the themes of consciousness and body consciousness that are fundamental for my thesis. Another short overview is presented about meditation tradition and, especially, about what mindfulness meditation is and where it comes from. The second chapter is dedicated to present how mindfulness meditation practice affects the person. Considering the utility for a pedagogical discourse to evaluate the neuroscientific and cognitive aspects of meditation, we will discuss the main effects of meditation on the brain and the mind; then, I will discuss how meditation fits with phenomenological pedagogical theory and practice, and how it can be considered as a form of experiential education, with special regard to adult education. Then, in the third chapter, the results of a qualitative study on self-perception and body perception will be presented and discussed. Finally, in the fourth one, some general conclusions will be outlined about the educational value of meditation, and some suggestions and critics will be outlined with regard to the didactic and teaching programs of meditation courses.

Background: A nexus between the individual practice of mindfulness and sustainable behaviours has recently been unearthed all the while existing research tackling this connection on an organisational level is close to non-existing. Even so, corporate mindfulness has been object of extensive research in the past decades confirming increases in organisational and employee wellbeing. Given the need for sustainable development in contemporary society and for businesses to embrace this responsibility, the potential of such a connection is remarkable. Purpose: This thesis aims to explore the nexus between corporate mindfulness and the adoption of sustainability practices and the facilitation of change processes in business. Method: The study follows an interpretivist approach and is based on two cases, which are analysed and compared. Qualitative semi-structured interviews with open questions are conducted. Particular attention is given to the quality of the data and the ethical considerations accompanying the data collection. Findings: The findings present the interconnection of corporate mindfulness, sustainability adoption and organisational change. This is graphically represented in the Mindfulness-Sustainability Nexus Model (MSNM). Respondents, being mindfulness practitioners, acknowledge the overarching inability to ignore the sustainability challenge and the organisational impact on present and future generations. Moreover, intrinsic values get to the surface, both at the individual and organisational level, which are essential for long-tern sustainability practices. With the CBMT, old organisational structures are perceived as outdated and are remodelled as a result. Ultimately, in this research, the role of stakeholder engagement as well as a culture of openness are essential to embrace changes and to enhance sustainability.

Depression is a highly debilitating illness for which there is currently sub-optimal treatment outcomes. Anhedonia (a loss of interest and pleasure) is a core symptom of depression that predicts poorer illness course and is currently not well repaired in psychological treatments. Acute and relapse prevention outcomes may be improved by clarifying which psychological mechanisms cause and maintain anhedonia, so that mechanisms can be systematically targeted in therapy. Mind wandering (a shift in contents of thoughts away from an ongoing task and/or events in the external environment to self-generated thoughts and feelings) has previously been linked to lower levels of happiness in the general population (e.g., Killingsworth & Gilbert, 2010). However, it has yet to be established if mind wandering relates to reduced positive affect in the context of depression. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis was to further explore the role of mind wandering in driving anhedonic symptoms. This thesis employed different research designs in order to establish if mind wandering is a causal mechanism driving anhedonia. Studies used a triangulation of measures to first establish correlational support (e.g. using self-report questionnaire measures, laboratory and real life positive mood inductions). Following this, studies aimed to examine if a causal relationship between mind wandering and positive affect exists by manipulating levels of mind wandering in the laboratory, real-world settings and using an empirically tested clinical intervention (Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy; MBCT). Using self-report measures of mindfulness and anhedonic symptoms, studies 1a and 1b found that the acting with awareness facet of mindfulness (a measure of trait mind wandering) was uniquely related to anhedonic depression symptoms in both a large community (n=440) and treatment-seeking previously depressed sample (n=409). These unique relationships remained significant when controlling for other facets of mindfulness and general depression symptoms. Study 2 (n=70) examined the relationship between mind wandering and reduced positive affect in both controlled laboratory and real world environments. Levels of mind wandering were found to be unrelated to emotional reactivity to positive laboratory mood induction tasks, but greater levels of mind wandering were significantly correlated with reduced happiness and increased sadness change to real world positive events. Next, two experimental studies were conducted on unselected samples which attempted to manipulate levels of mind wandering to observe the effect on emotional reactivity. In study 3 (n=90), a brief mindfulness manipulation of mind wandering proved unsuccessful, so it was not possible to determine how altering mind wandering impacted on positive reactivity. Analysis during the pre-manipulation mood induction revealed a significant correlation between greater spontaneous levels of mind wandering and lower self-reported happiness reactivity. In study 4 (n=95), participants followed audio prompts delivered via a smartphone application to manipulate mind wandering whilst completing everyday positive activities. This manipulation was successful but results revealed no significant condition differences in positive or negative emotional reactivity. Analysis during the pre-manipulation positive activity revealed greater mind wandering was trend correlated with reduced change in positive affect. A final empirical study (study 5; n=102) was designed to investigate the mediating role of mind wandering on the effect of MBCT on change in positive emotional experience. Recovered depressed participants undertaking MBCT were compared to recovered depressed participants in a no-intervention control group. Correlational analysis pre-intervention revealed no support for an association between mind wandering and positive reactivity to the mood induction tasks but mind wandering measured during everyday life (using experience sampling methodology; ESM) did relate to lower positive affect and higher negative affect. Participants in the MBCT group demonstrated a reduction in trait and ESM mind wandering, relative to participants in the control group. Furthermore, participants in the MBCT group demonstrated a significant decrease in anhedonic symptoms and increase in daily levels of positive affect. Change in trait mind wandering was found to mediate changes in self-reported anhedonic symptoms when controlling for change in other mindfulness facets, however change in ESM mind wandering did not mediate change in daily positive affect. MBCT also had no impact on emotional reactivity to positive mood induction tasks. Overall the findings from this thesis provide correlational support for the link between mind wandering and reduced positive affect in different testing environments. However, evidence of a causal relationship is currently limited. Consequently, a key recommendation from this thesis is to redirect attention to other driving mechanisms as targeting mind wandering in the treatment of anhedonic clients is unlikely to lead to large improvements. The theoretical, methodological and clinical implications of these findings are discussed along with suggestions for future research.

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.

Emotional stability is an essential ingredient of long-term mental health. Building on the well-known link between dispositional mindfulness and well-being, this project investigated the role of diverse aspects of dispositional mindfulness in emotional stability. We hypothesized that people higher in dispositional mindfulness would display more stable emotions, as reflected by lower emotional reactivity to self-relevant events, flatter emotion trajectories, smaller effects of negative and positive events on negative and positive affect respectively, and lower emotional variability and instability. We systematically tested these hypotheses through one cross-sectional, three longitudinal, and one experience sampling studies, analyzing data with simple linear, multilevel, and multilevel growth regression models. Results supported our hypotheses, especially for negative emotions. Dispositional mindfulness was associated with lower negative emotions felt when thinking about a self-relevant negative or positive event, flatter negative affect trajectories, weaker relationships between intra-individual variations in negative events and negative affect, and lower emotional variability and instability for negative emotions. Analyses of specific facets of mindfulness revealed that these effects were due mostly to differences in awareness, nonjudgment, and nonreactivity to inner experience, and that nonjudgment and nonreactivity also moderated the effect of intra-individual variations in positive events on positive affect. Moreover, the relationship between these three aspects of dispositional mindfulness and life satisfaction was partly mediated by lower emotional variability. These findings provide a novel perspective on the link between dispositional mindfulness and well-being, suggesting that a fundamental benefit of dispositional mindfulness is living a life imbued with greater equanimity and emotional stability.
La stabilità emotiva è un ingrediente essenziale della salute mentale a lungo termine. Basandosi sul noto collegamento tra consapevolezza e benessere, abbiamo investigato il ruolo di diversi aspetti della mindfulness disposizionale nella stabilità delle emozioni. Abbiamo ipotizzato che le persone con alta mindfulness disposizionale avrebbero mostrato maggiore stabilità emotiva, rappresentata da minore reattività emotiva di fronte a eventi rilevanti per l’individuo, traiettorie delle emozioni più piatte, ridotti effetti di eventi negativi e positivi su – rispettivamente – emozioni negative e positive, e livelli più bassi di variabilità e instabilità delle emozioni. Abbiamo testato sistematicamente queste ipotesi tramite uno studio cross-section, tre longitudinali e un experience sampling, analizzando i dati con modelli lineari semplici, multilevel, multilevel di crescita. I risultati hanno supportato le nostre ipotesi, specialmente per quanto riguarda le emozioni negative. La mindfulness disposizionale si è mostrata associata a livelli più bassi di emozioni negative provate nel pensare a un evento negativo o positivo rilevante e recente, a traiettorie dell’affettività negativa appiattite, a relazioni più deboli tra variazioni intra-individuali negli eventi negativi e affettività negativa, e a minore variabilità e instabilità delle emozioni negative. Analisi condotte su aspetti specifici della mindfulness hanno rivelato che questi effetti erano dovuti soprattutto a differenze in awareness, nonjudgment, e nonreactivity to inner experience, e che nonjudgment e nonreactivity moderavano anche l’effetto delle variazioni intra-individuali negli eventi positivi sull’affettività positiva. Inoltre, la relazione tra questi tre aspetti della mindfulness disposizionale e la soddisfazione di vita era parzialmente mediata da una ridotta variabilità emotiva. Questi risultati forniscono una nuova prospettiva sul collegamento tra mindfulness e benessere, suggerendo che un beneficio fondamentale della mindfulness disposizionale è vivere una vita caratterizzata da maggiore equanimità e stabilità emotiva.

Shame is a complex emotion and often discussed with reluctance; these feelings are usually incapacitating and unbearable. In this thesis, four studies explored aspects of shame vulnerability and shame management. First, a cross-sectional study (n = 240) was carried out to assess factors contributing to the experience of shame. This study demonstrated that negative self-judgment and submissive coping strategies accounted for a significant variance in shame above and beyond the effects of recall of adverse childhood experiences, and that negative self-judgment fully mediated the relationship between recall of childhood experiences and shame. The second study (n = 140 and n = 415) examined the underlying factor structure of a new measure: the Acceptance of Shame and Embarrassment Scale (ASES). Factor analysis in both samples revealed that the ASES had good internal consistency and construct validity. Thirdly, a cross sectional study (n = 159) considered self-compassion and mindfulness as methods of shame management and demonstrated that mindful and self-compassionate were significantly and negatively correlated with the experience of shame. In addition, this study showed that self-compassion fully mediated the mindfulness-shame relationship. The final experimental study (n = 120) assessed the effect of shame on mind wandering. Participants were assigned to shame, pride, or control conditions, and mind wandering during a subsequent reading task was measured using retrospective and behavioural methods. Inducing feelings of shame did not have a significant effect on mind wandering. Overall, these studies suggested that (a) adverse childhood experiences were significantly associated with negative self-judgment and shame, (b) adopting submissive coping strategies is likely to increase the chance of shame vulnerability, (c) the Acceptance of Shame and Embarrassment Scale had promising psychometric properties for assessing acceptance of shame and embarrassment experiences, (d) self-compassion mediated the relationship between mindfulness and shame, and (e) inducing feelings of shame did not have a significant effect on mind wandering.

This research investigates the evolving relevance of Buddhism in the contemporary West and the full potential of the therapeutic value of the ethico-psychological perspective of the mind-body complex and meditation in Theravāda Buddhism. This influence encompasses its ethics, psychology and philosophy, and has given rise to a vibrant socially engaged Buddhism with its roots in traditional Buddhist societies but with a distinct Western character. Buddhism offering a different psychological, ethical, phenomenological perspective and a soteriology and the West its scholarship and analytical approach, rejuvenating Buddhism through uncovering its doctrinal core and discarding rituals, culture-specific beliefs and politicization accumulated over centuries in Asia, have benefited mutually from the encounter. Nevertheless, the Buddhist influence remains largely fragmented, in keeping with the reductionist secularism, materialism, social activism and the defining role of science and technology in the West in a globalized setting, creating barriers to a more inclusive approach. This research notes the impact of Buddhism particularly in psychology and the exponential growth of various applications using mindfulness, an adaptation of sati, as a secular technique largely divorced from its source. The study contends that the therapeutic value of meditation can be enhanced by adopting a more proactive approach as in Buddhism, and mindfulness made more effective through improving its quality, strength and durability by introducing a benevolent aspect stemming from basic ethics, strengthened by concentration and complemented by other meditative practices tailored to individual needs and capabilities. The research also proposes a holistic model of Buddhism acceptable in a secular context through incorporating a basic knowledge base comprising existing empirical evidence from a variety of fields that corroborate main Buddhist descriptors of ontological and phenomenological reality.

This thesis will explore whether those interested in Buddhist practices such as mindfulness but who approach such practices from a broadly secular perspective can be offered reasons to take rebirth seriously as an afterlife possibility. It will begin by exploring some of the history of mindfulness and its adoption from Buddhism to show how foundational cosmological elements such as rebirth have been side-lined as part of a wider movement to bring Buddhism in line with modernist, particularly scientific, discourses. The thesis will investigate the philosophical principles behind the Buddhist multi-life perspective in order to see whether arguments could be rallied in defence of it. This will involve focussing specifically on the argument in defence of rebirth offered by Dharmakīrti and show how its premises draw from philosophical principles adopted by the earliest Buddhist philosophical systems. Dharmakīrti’s argument will be examined within the context of contemporary philosophy of consciousness where philosophers such as Evan Thompson and Galen Strawson have challenged the view that consciousness could arise from entirely unconscious factors. This challenge aligns with a key premise of Dharmakīrti’s argument for rebirth as well as Buddhist Abhidharma principles. Arguments against the emergence of consciousness from unconscious factors strengthen the case for claiming that consciousness cannot simply appear at the beginning of life and disappear at death. Whilst supporting Strawson’s arguments, the thesis will ultimately reject his claim that an individual consciousness could be constructed from, and ultimately collapse into, multiple consciousnesses. From here it will be argued that conscious experiences arise as part of an unbroken stream that can neither arise from nor collapse into rudimentary factors that are devoid of the distinctive characteristics of consciousness. The argument will conclude by suggesting that the stream of consciousness involves an inseparable capacity for retention and recall. This capacity provides the possibility for the sort of psychological continuity between lives that, within traditional Buddhist cosmology, allows an ordinary being to cultivate the extraordinary personal qualities of a Buddha.

My art distills my relationship to spirituality, digital culture, and the practices and side-effects therein, into a simplified visual language. The work manifests in the form of paintings, drawings, and light sculptures. Meditation and mindfulness training are a large part of my influence and interests. I often wonder how mindfulness practice can be mirrored in my artwork, not only in my process for creating the work, but also with what the resulting imagery does for the viewer. My intention is to provide an art form that invites one to look and experience one’s own capacity to observe, without the need for immediate intellectualization. I wish to offer people an opportunity to focus their attention on the phenomenological sensations that emanate from the art, to take a step back from the conceptual part of the mind, and step into a part that’s more fundamental to our moment to moment reality.

Growing up, I never considered myself an athlete. I did not participate in sports or compete on a track, field or slope. However, as an adult, I have chosen to step outside my comfort zone, exploring challenges that push me physically and mentally to grow as a person. In this way, I found running. Running, for me, is not a mere mundane exercise routine, nor a competitive sport by which to be judged. Instead, running at my own pace has been a physical and emotional journey that eases my mind, nourishes my body and replenishes my spirit. Like an old friend, it is always there, year round, anywhere, anytime, to get me outside, pick me up when I feel blue, keep me company while I make new discoveries and introduce me to new friends. Moreover, my body benefits as my heart gets stronger, my bones denser, my risk for disease decreases, my stress disappears and I burn a ton of calories. Above all, the skills I develop from running, including confidence, perseverance, perspective, resiliency, connection to others, setting goals, the bliss of solitude, taking notice and living in the present, transfer to all areas of my life. In fact, my experience with running has helped me not only be a better person and enjoy life more, it has given me new tools to use professionally, as an academic advisor in higher education. It is my hope that my story, and the supporting research, will inspire others to explore running as an option for physical, emotional, social and, perhaps, spiritual presence in their lives. I share my story to all educators because the inclusion of exercise and mindfulness, for professional and student, can be a source of stress reduction, balance, cognitive focus and overall health. As a result of my own experiences with these activities, I think I understand their benefits and am able to impart the necessary encouragement to students to explore their options. In my opinion, the interesting relationship between writing and running, which I discovered and touched upon in this process, warrants further exploration.

Forskning gällande mind-body-tekniker har länge varit dominerad av kvantitativa studier samtidigt som förskollärares uppfattningar ofta beskuggas. Avsaknaden av kvalitativa studier i ämnet har också problematiserats av flera forskare och ropet efter nyanserad forskning är stort. Syftet med denna studie var att analysera förskollärares erfarenheter av mind-body teknikernas effekter på barns hälsa. Studien baserades på kvalitativ metod och sju semistrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes med förskollärare från norra, mellersta och södra Sverige. Resultatet tyder på att förskollärare har erfarit att yoga och mindfulness förbättrade barns fysiska och psykiska hälsa och att barnen använde teknikerna för att förbättra och vidmakthålla deras egen hälsa. Barnen nyttjade exempelvis olika strategier och verktyg från yoga och mindfulness som hjälpte dem att hantera emotionell stress, höga energinivåer och bristande fokus. Hälsoeffekterna av yoga och mindfulness har erfarits som övervägande positiva och har kunnat anpassas efter barnens behov och humör.

Betyg i Ladok 210603.

This research aimed to establish the effectiveness of a mindfulness-based intervention facilitated by a trainee educational psychologist and a class teacher, with a class of Year Four children. The study took a pragmatist approach to research, whereby a mixed method approach was considered the best way to address the study’s research questions. The Year Four children in a mainstream primary school participated in a six week mindfulness-based intervention, with activities from ‘60 Mindful Minutes’ (The Nurture Group Network, 2014). Quantitative data were collected and analysed in relation to the children’s social and emotional well-being, levels of mindfulness, and observable behaviour (peer relationship difficulties, prosocial behaviour, conduct problems and hyperactivity and inattention) at four time-points. Qualitative data was collected at follow-up: the class teacher was interviewed and the children were asked to provide written feedback. Both the quantitative and qualitative data indicated that the children became more “mindful” after completing the intervention. Additionally, positive effects for their social and emotional well-being were found. The intervention was well-accepted by the children and their class teacher, and evidence was found at follow-up for the maintenance of mindfulness practices. The findings provide positive implications for practice, in regards to educational settings and educational psychologists.

Background. Primary and secondary prevention trials have shown that implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICD) reduce the risk of cardiac death, but concerns have been raised regarding the psychological well-being of ICD patients. Anxiety can affect a significant proportion of these patients, but there is limited information about prevalence and determinants of anxiety after the implementation of the more recent guidelines for ICD implantation. Several behavioral interventions have been effective in improving anxiety in these patients, however the efficacy of mindfulness-based interventions (MBI) has not been investigated in ICD patients, and there is limited information regarding the characteristics of pre-intervention, “dispositional” mindfulness in patients with cardiovascular disease never exposed to mindfulness training. The aims of this dissertation project were: 1) To determine the feasibility of a randomized clinical trial of a phone-administered, mindfulness-based training program, as measured by recruitment and retention rates, treatment adherence and fidelity; 2) To evaluate the current baseline prevalence and determinants of anxiety in the study population and 3) To describe the correlates of dispositional mindfulness in the study population. Methods. The study was conducted at the Electrophysiology Service at the UMass Memorial Medical Center. All consecutive patients who recently underwent an ICD procedure or received ICD shocks were screened for eligibility to participate in a pilot randomized controlled trial in which an eight session, phone-delivered, weekly MBI was compared to a usual care condition. Assessments were performed at baseline and post-intervention. A cross-sectional design was used for aims 2 and 3. Anxiety was assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; a shortened version of the Five Facets of Mindfulness questionnaire was used to evaluate mindfulness. Results. Thirty patients (21 M, 9 F; mean age 63.1 ±10.3 years) were enrolled in the study. The methods ultimately adopted to screen, recruit, and retain study participants were feasible to conduct and satisfactory to ICD outpatients, and the study intervention was safe. Phone delivery resulted in excellent retention rates and limited costs. Assessments of treatment fidelity showed that the content of the intervention was delivered as intended in almost 100% of cases. The study findings do not show a decrease in the overall prevalence of anxiety in ICD patients compared with earlier cohorts; anxiety was associated with young age, low socio-economic status and previous psychological morbidity, but not with ICD-related factors including prior shock delivery. Finally, baseline mindfulness was most strongly associated with previous psychological morbidity (in particular, depression), and current anxiety symptoms. Conclusion. Psychological morbidity appears to be the major determinant of anxiety in the patients currently enrolled in the study. Dispositional mindfulness is inversely associated with current anxiety and depression and with prior psychological morbidity, supporting the hypothesis of a modulating role of mindfulness on the processing of negative emotions. A phone-delivered, individual MBI is feasible, acceptable to patients and can be adequately delivered by trained instructors. The findings from this dissertation work support the need for larger clinical trials of MBI in ICD patients.

The purpose of my research is to provide high school English instructors and students a contemplative writing pedagogy that has the capacity to assist them in calming their bodies and quieting their minds so that they can focus their attention, openly explore self and others, rediscover their creativity, and reawaken their appreciation for the art of writing. Such a pedagogy is supported by mindfulness practices, which are exercises in moment-to-moment awareness that help to detach the practitioner from his or her thoughts. Mindfulness practices include breathing, walking, yoga, body scans, and visualizing; they provide quiet spaces wherein mind, body, and soul are allowed to concentrate on and connect with a particular being, idea, or experience. Such quiet spaces engage the whole learner, thus making possible holistic learning and being. If students are given the space to write in a classroom of contemplative practices, they will possibly have an increased chance at passing state assessments, while also developing a skill that will assist them in their own self inquiry and transformation.

Cette thèse a pour but d’évaluer et de comprendre les effets de deux méthodes de régulation émotionnelle, la méditation de pleine conscience et le yoga sur les réactions au stress, l’alexithymie et les variables liées. Quarante participants en bonne santé ont été répartis au hasard dans trois groupes, yoga, méditation et groupe contrôle. Les résultats montrent que 8 semaines de méditation (1 session par semaine avec un instructeur et 2 sessions de pratique personnelle) améliorent significativement la capacité à être centré sur le présent moment et la concentration. Les 8 semaines de yoga ont amélioré de façon significative la variabilité de la fréquence cardiaque (augmentation HF(n.u.), diminution LF(n.u.) et LF/HF). Nous n’avons toutefois pas mis en evidence d’effet d’interaction groupe X temps pour l’alexithymie. Une analyse qualitative a alors été effectuée afin de mieux comprendre les processus derrière les changement obtenus par les interventions. Il semble que la méditation de pleine conscience soit l’intervention la plus efficace pour l’alexithymie. Les différences individuelles comme la personnalité, les attitudes, la confiance en l’efficacité de l’intervention aussi bien que le niveau d’activité physique sont des facteurs qu’il faudrait prendre en compte dans le choix de la méthode la plus adaptée à un profil particulier. En dépit des limites de cette étude due principalement au faible nombre de sujets dans les groupes, il semble que le yoga et la méditation sont des interventions efficaces pour la gestion du stress, et la méditation de pleine conscience le programme le plus adaptée pour l’alexithymie
The thesis aims to investigate the effects of two techniques of emotional reglulation, mindfulness meditation and yoga, on stress reactivity, alexithymia, and its relevant variables. Forty-four healthy particiants were ramdomly allocated into 3 groups; mindfulness meditation, yoga and control. The results showed that the 8-weeks of mindfulness meditation (one session/week with an instructor and two sessions as home-practice) significantly improved mindfulness skill and concentration. While, the 8-weeks of yoga significantly ameliorated heart rate variability, (increased HF(n.u.), decreased LF(n.u.) and LF/HF). However, there was no significant interaction effect of group x time for stress hormones. Furthermore, there was no significant interaction effect of group x time for alexithymia. We add a qualitative analysis to better understand the process behind the changes following theinterventions. It indicated that the mindfulness meditation seemed to be the most effective intervention for alexithymia. Individual differences such as personality, attitudes and confidence on the effectiveness of intervention as well as the level of physical activity should be taken into account in the choice of the most appropriate intervention for a specific profile. Despite the study limitations due to the small subjects number in the different groups, it appears that mindfulness meditation and yoga seem to be an effective intervention for stress management, and mindfulness meditation would be suggested for alexithymia

A pragmatic model, AIR (Activities; Internal world; Relationships), is presented for co-design of technologies and products to support well-being of people living with dementia. This model, co-developed with people with lived experience, is aimed at including psychosocial aspects in the prototype development process. The model is then related to a form of mindful evaluation framework that can be employed during the prototype testing of co-designed solutions. The components of this evaluation framework and associated instruments are described.

Background. Primary and secondary prevention trials have shown that implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICD) reduce the risk of cardiac death, but concerns have been raised regarding the psychological well-being of ICD patients. Anxiety can affect a significant proportion of these patients, but there is limited information about prevalence and determinants of anxiety after the implementation of the more recent guidelines for ICD implantation. Several behavioral interventions have been effective in improving anxiety in these patients, however the efficacy of mindfulness-based interventions (MBI) has not been investigated in ICD patients, and there is limited information regarding the characteristics of pre-intervention, “dispositional” mindfulness in patients with cardiovascular disease never exposed to mindfulness training. The aims of this dissertation project were: 1) To determine the feasibility of a randomized clinical trial of a phone-administered, mindfulness-based training program, as measured by recruitment and retention rates, treatment adherence and fidelity; 2) To evaluate the current baseline prevalence and determinants of anxiety in the study population and 3) To describe the correlates of dispositional mindfulness in the study population. Methods. The study was conducted at the Electrophysiology Service at the UMass Memorial Medical Center. All consecutive patients who recently underwent an ICD procedure or received ICD shocks were screened for eligibility to participate in a pilot randomized controlled trial in which an eight session, phone-delivered, weekly MBI was compared to a usual care condition. Assessments were performed at baseline and post-intervention. A cross-sectional design was used for aims 2 and 3. Anxiety was assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; a shortened version of the Five Facets of Mindfulness questionnaire was used to evaluate mindfulness. Results. Thirty patients (21 M, 9 F; mean age 63.1 ±10.3 years) were enrolled in the study. The methods ultimately adopted to screen, recruit, and retain study participants were feasible to conduct and satisfactory to ICD outpatients, and the study intervention was safe. Phone delivery resulted in excellent retention rates and limited costs. Assessments of treatment fidelity showed that the content of the intervention was delivered as intended in almost 100% of cases. The study findings do not show a decrease in the overall prevalence of anxiety in ICD patients compared with earlier cohorts; anxiety was associated with young age, low socio-economic status and previous psychological morbidity, but not with ICD-related factors including prior shock delivery. Finally, baseline mindfulness was most strongly associated with previous psychological morbidity (in particular, depression), and current anxiety symptoms. Conclusion. Psychological morbidity appears to be the major determinant of anxiety in the patients currently enrolled in the study. Dispositional mindfulness is inversely associated with current anxiety and depression and with prior psychological morbidity, supporting the hypothesis of a modulating role of mindfulness on the processing of negative emotions. A phone-delivered, individual MBI is feasible, acceptable to patients and can be adequately delivered by trained instructors. The findings from this dissertation work support the need for larger clinical trials of MBI in ICD patients.

This literature review examines the default mode network (DMN) and how its role in self related processing and narrative selfhood relates to well-being. The essay explores the DMN in three levels of activity: Firstly in normal function, where mind-wandering is positively correlated with dissatisfaction; Secondly its abnormal function in depression, characterized by excessive activity and rumination; Thirdly in its arguably improved function during mindfulness and meditation, where lower activity is associated with higher well-being, decreased mind-wandering and altered sense of self. The essay shows a relationship between the DMN and well-being, where higher activity correlates with lower well-being.

La capacità di capire la mente e di predire il comportamento in età prescolastica si basa su concetti mentali o i bambini capiscono gli altri costruendo significanti nell'interazione senza elaborare una formale teoria della mente – TOM? Studio 1: l'analisi coi modelli di Rasch delle performance di 141 bambini alla versione italiana della TOM Scale (Wellman, Liu, 2004) rileva la sequenza: desideri – credenze – emozioni. I risultati vengono letti nei termini della crescente capacità dei bambini a considerare prospettive diverse, e non solo in termini di sviluppo concettuale. Sudio 2: la codifica delle interazioni di 72 bambini nel gioco di finzione (con una griglia appositamente costruita) mostra un progresso nella costruzione collaborativa dei significati solo parzialmente associato alle abilità TOM e individua nella calma un correlato del successo TOM. studio 3: dall'intervista di 36 madri emerge un legame tra mindfulness materna e calma dei bambini, e tra mind-mindedness e mentalità psicologica materne e capacità di ragionamento mentale dei bambini. La letteratura e i risultati del presente lavoro portano a riconoscere che l'esperienza interpersonale sostiene lo sviluppo del ragionamento mentale e suggeriscono che future valutazioni della capacità di capire la mente coinvolgano più direttamente i bambini di quanto facciano gli attuali strumenti formali.
Do preschoolers need mental concepts in order to reason and predict behavior, or do they construe meaning within interactions and do not need to build formal theories of mind - ToM? In study 1, the Rasch analysis of 141 children's performances on the Italian version of the ToM Scale (Wellman, Liu, 2004) shows a progression of understanding from desire, to belief to emotion. Results are discussed in terms of children's increasing experience at dealing with different perspectives that interacts with conceptual development. In study 2, the observation of 72 preschoolers' dyadic play interactions (coded with an exhaustive scheme developed ad-hoc) shows progress in children's collaborative construction of meaning, partially independent from abilities measured by the ToM Scale, and finds calmness as a correlate of ToM success. In study 3, the interview of 36 mothers reveals that maternal mindfulness is related to children's calmness and that maternal mind- and psychological mindedness are associated with children's facility at reasoning about the mental world. The theoretical review and empirical evidence collected lead to recognizing the role played by interpersonal and interactive experiences in framing mental reasoning, and suggest that future research measure social understanding in more participative, subjective situations than current formal assessment.

La capacità di capire la mente e di predire il comportamento in età prescolastica si basa su concetti mentali o i bambini capiscono gli altri costruendo significanti nell'interazione senza elaborare una formale teoria della mente – TOM? Studio 1: l'analisi coi modelli di Rasch delle performance di 141 bambini alla versione italiana della TOM Scale (Wellman, Liu, 2004) rileva la sequenza: desideri – credenze – emozioni. I risultati vengono letti nei termini della crescente capacità dei bambini a considerare prospettive diverse, e non solo in termini di sviluppo concettuale. Sudio 2: la codifica delle interazioni di 72 bambini nel gioco di finzione (con una griglia appositamente costruita) mostra un progresso nella costruzione collaborativa dei significati solo parzialmente associato alle abilità TOM e individua nella calma un correlato del successo TOM. studio 3: dall'intervista di 36 madri emerge un legame tra mindfulness materna e calma dei bambini, e tra mind-mindedness e mentalità psicologica materne e capacità di ragionamento mentale dei bambini. La letteratura e i risultati del presente lavoro portano a riconoscere che l'esperienza interpersonale sostiene lo sviluppo del ragionamento mentale e suggeriscono che future valutazioni della capacità di capire la mente coinvolgano più direttamente i bambini di quanto facciano gli attuali strumenti formali.
Do preschoolers need mental concepts in order to reason and predict behavior, or do they construe meaning within interactions and do not need to build formal theories of mind - ToM? In study 1, the Rasch analysis of 141 children's performances on the Italian version of the ToM Scale (Wellman, Liu, 2004) shows a progression of understanding from desire, to belief to emotion. Results are discussed in terms of children's increasing experience at dealing with different perspectives that interacts with conceptual development. In study 2, the observation of 72 preschoolers' dyadic play interactions (coded with an exhaustive scheme developed ad-hoc) shows progress in children's collaborative construction of meaning, partially independent from abilities measured by the ToM Scale, and finds calmness as a correlate of ToM success. In study 3, the interview of 36 mothers reveals that maternal mindfulness is related to children's calmness and that maternal mind- and psychological mindedness are associated with children's facility at reasoning about the mental world. The theoretical review and empirical evidence collected lead to recognizing the role played by interpersonal and interactive experiences in framing mental reasoning, and suggest that future research measure social understanding in more participative, subjective situations than current formal assessment.

Bakgrund Kemiskt beroende – ofta benämnt drogmissbruk – är en sammansatt, komplicerad och svårbehandlad psykiatrisk sjukdom. Vägen in i missbruk och beroende påverkas av affektiva, kognitiva och sociala störningar och dysfunktionella beteenden. Den beroende personen är påverkad av långvarigt bruk av nervgifter (drogerna), som befäst och förvärrat psykiska besvär och dysfunktionella beteendestrategier. Samsjuklighet med olika psykiatriska och somatiska sjukdomar/symtom förekommer i hög utsträckning. Syftet med studien är att utvärdera pilotprojektet Mindfulness-Baserad Återfallsprevention (MBÅP) som genomförts vid Upplands Väsby Beroendeteam, samt att beskriva symtomförändring. Metod MBÅP bygger på Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention (MBRP) som baseras på Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) och har tidigare utvärderats i en randomiserad kontrollerad studie (RCT). Som utvärderingsmetod av MBÅP användes utvärderingsfrågor inklusive VAS-skala före och efter behandling, semistrukturerade djupintervjuer av deltagare och inspelning under en boostersession. Symtomförändring skattades med självscreeningsfrågor (SCL-90). Resultaten visar att interventionen förbättrade deltagarnas färdigheter att hantera utmanande situationer som riskerar leda till återfall. Det förekom ett felsteg bland deltagarna, men inget återfall i okontrollerat bruk. Denna studie indikerar att programmet skulle ge bättre effekt om det förlängdes till exempel med uppföljningsträffar. Ett noterbart resultat är att MBÅP-gruppen skattade markant högre på psykiatriska symptomjämfört med en grupp som fick mindfulness-baserad kognitiv terapi (MBCT) för depression. Slutsats Baserat på denna utvärdering av pilotprojektet MBÅP kan programmet rekommenderas som en verkningsfull behandling för att förebygga återfall i missbruk. Då deltagarna skattade högt på psykiatriska symtom indikerar detta behov av behandling för den samsjuklighet som framkom.

A growing body of writing research suggests college students' and teachers' conceptualizations of writing play an important role in learning to write and making the transition from secondary to post-secondary academic composition. First-year college writers are not blank slates; rather, they bring many assumptions and beliefs about academic writing to the first-year writing classroom from exposure to a wide range of literate practices throughout their lives. Metaphor acts as a way for scholars to trace students' as well as their instructors' assumptions and beliefs about writing. In this study, I contend that metaphor is a pathway to meta-cognitive awareness, mindfulness, and reflection. This multi-method descriptive study applies metaphor analysis to a corpus of more than a dozen first-year composition students' end-of-semester writing portfolios; the study also employs an auto-ethnographic approach to examining this author's texts composed as a graduate student and novice teacher. In several cases writing students in this study appeared to reconfigure their metaphors for writing and subsequently reconsider their assumptions about writing. My literature review and analysis suggests that metaphor remains an underutilized inventive and reflective strategy in composition pedagogy. Based on these results, I suggest that instructors consider how metaphoric competence might offer writers and writing instructors an alternate means for operationalizing key habits of mind such as meta-cognitive awareness, reflection, openness to learning, and creativity as recommended in the Framework for Success in Post-Secondary Writing. Ultimately, I argue that writers and teachers might benefit from adopting a more flexible attitude towards metaphor. As a rhetorical trope, metaphors are contextual and, thus, writers need to learn to mix, discard, create, and obscure metaphors as required by the situation.
ID: 031001446; System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader.; Mode of access: World Wide Web.; Title from PDF title page (viewed June 27, 2013).; Thesis (M.A.)--University of Central Florida, 2012.; Includes bibliographical references (p. 129-135).
M.A.
Masters
English
Arts and Humanities
English; Rhetoric and Composition

AIMS: This pilot RCT aimed to establish whether an adapted Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) intervention for people with mild dementia and depression was feasible and whether it led to improvements in their quality of life and cognition. METHOD: An adapted MBCT intervention for people with mild dementia and depression was evaluated through a single-blind, multisite, pilot RCT. Participants were recruited via memory clinics and randomly assigned to one of two treatment conditions: an eight-week adapted MBCT intervention or a treatment as usual (TAU) control group. A range of clinical outcome measures were administered at baseline and within two weeks post-intervention. This study is part of a joint research project conducted with Deirdre Noone. The feasibility of the intervention and the statistical analysis of measures of quality of life and cognition are reported here. RESULTS: The intervention was feasible in terms of high attendance to the intervention and low levels of attrition. It was not judged to be feasible to recruit enough participants within the recruitment time-frame. No significant improvements in the measures of quality of life and cognition were found for participants in the adapted MBCT intervention compared to TAU control. CONCLUSIONS: Although the adapted MBCT intervention was feasible, there is currently a lack of robust research evidence to recommend this intervention for people with mild dementia and depression.

Conducting a musical rehearsal is an inherently relational activity, requiring a mixture of musical and personal skills. Research and writing on the role of intentional reflection for educators, and subsequently conductors, has demonstrated the important role of reflection as a catalyst for growth. While many models of reflection including video reflection, journaling, and reflective dialogue have helped conductors and music educators gain self-awareness and experience growth, these models do not provide resources to deeply reflect upon the specific role of personality within the rehearsal setting. The Enneagram of Personality, in the form of the Riso-Hudson Enneagram Type Indicator (RHETI) was used in this study as a tool for reflecting on personality within the choral rehearsal. Three conductors completed the RHETI online, engaged in reflective conversation about individual personality traits, then watched videos of two recent choral rehearsals, verbally reflecting on the role of specific personality traits within the rehearsals. This document presents these three reflective journeys as case studies, ultimately exploring the usefulness of a tool like the Enneagram as an aid to personal and musical growth for conductors. Chapter One presents an overview of the literature on reflective practice, especially as it applies to education (broadly) and music education (specifically). Chapter Two introduces the Enneagram of Personality, summarizing its structure and core descriptions, as well as psychometric reliability and validity studies of the RHETI. Chapter Three describes the procedures used in the cases and the process developed for analyzing and interpreting the data. Chapters Four, Five, and Six contain the three cases, detailing each conductor’s interaction with the Enneagram within the prescribed reflective practice. Chapter Seven offers a cross-case analysis of the three cases and examines their implications for further research and future use of the Enneagram in musical practice.

碩士
國立臺北商業大學
國際商務系碩士班
106
Mindfulness is a kind of awareness that can help individuals to break away from their subjective perspectives and then to develop their own thoughts and emotions. In modern studies using mindfulness in adults, the studies show that mind-mediation, meditation or intervention based on mindfulness can reduce individual stress, anxiety and depression symptoms, and increase their positive mood and life satisfaction. Mindfulness can promote recovery from work stress, thereby improving one’s resilience and happiness at work. In order to explore the correlation between work stress, job burnout, job satisfaction, and mindfulness, the study is based on mindfulness as a mediator between work stress and burnout. That’s a quantitative study in which, the convenience sampling method was used to collect data on main office workers in New Taipei City and Taipei City, and 231 valid samples were collected. After the questionnaire was collected, Amos and SPSS statistical software were used to analyze the structural equation model and the independent sample T test. This leads to the following preliminary findings within the context of domestic office workers: (1) Work stress positively affects burnout. (2) Work stress negatively affects job satisfaction. (3) Job satisfaction negatively affects burnout. (4) The work stress mediates through job satisfaction to positively affects the burnout. (5) Mindfulness positively regulates the impact of work stress on burnout.

Although undertaking a PhD provides great opportunities for intellectual challenges and benefits, students also experience high levels of stress and attrition within the degree. It is therefore important to better understand the needs of students and how to support them in order to improve their experience, increase well-being, and support better academic outcomes. This research conducted two studies: the first explores what supports and hinders the well-being and academic functioning of PhD students at one Victorian university; and the second—because stress is a large feature of PhD students’ lives—examines the potential of a brief mindfulness-based intervention (brief MBI) to provide benefits to students. This intervention is a modified and substantially shorter version of the mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program which was shortened from 8 weeks (27 hours) to 4 weeks (6 hours). This research used constructivist grounded theory as the strategy of inquiry and in-depth semi-structured interviews to achieve the aim of exploring subjective experiences, with participants interviewed at both one and four months post-intervention. Overall, Study 1 found that the needs of PhD students are best understood through an ecological perspective, that is, that the areas important to their well-being and academic functioning fall within and across individual, interpersonal, institutional, and structural, material, and social levels. Included in these areas are the needs for personal and academic growth, personal and academic competence, rest and rejuvenation, social and intellectual integration, and material and cohort specific supports. Further, achieving a balance across these areas of well-being and academic functioning represents an ideal student experience which promotes higher levels of satisfaction. Study 2 found that the brief MBI provided some benefits to these students including stress reduction, increased positive affect, and improved academic functioning at the one month interview. However, at four months, many of these benefits were not sustained and only a few participants continued to practise techniques from the program. A brief MBI, therefore, has some value in supporting students but requires further modifications to sustain benefits and be of greater help to this population.

Dissertação de Mestrado apresentada no ISPA - Instituto Universitário para obtenção de grau de Mestre na especialidade de Psicologia Clínica.
Introdução: A maior parte dos estudos sobre a associação entre Mindfulness e Funcionamento Sexual Feminino são realizados com mulheres que têm problemas e/ou disfunções sexuais. Tal é uma lacuna, pois também é importante perceber quais os fatores relevantes no desenvolvimento sexual de pessoas sem queixas. O presente estudo visa examinar inter-correlações entre mindfulness disposicional, consciência interocetiva, e funcionamento sexual feminino, assim como testar os efeitos do treino mindfulness nestas variáveis. Método: Realizaram-se dois estudos numa amostra da população geral feminina. O Estudo 1 foi correlacional contando com uma amostra por conveniência de 660 mulheres, com idades compreendidas entre os 18 e os 65 anos. Utilizaram-se a Escala de Avaliação Multidimensional da Consciência Interocetiva (MAIA), o Questionário das Cinco Facetas de Mindfulness (FFMQ), o Índice de Função Sexual Feminina (FSFI), a Escala de Distress Sexual Feminino - Revisto (FSDS-R) e um questionário sobre a Qualidade da Fase de Resolução. O Estudo 2 teve um design quase-experimental tendo participado 16 mulheres entre os 22 e os 31 anos. Avaliaram-se as mudanças nas medidas usadas no Estudo 1 causadas por uma intervenção de treino mindfulness durante um mês. Resultados: No Estudo 1 encontraram-se correlações entre mindfulness disposicional, consciência interocetiva e funcionamento sexual, mantidas após se controlar a prática de exercícios mindfulness. No Estudo 2, o treino de mindfulness aumentou aspetos do mindfulness disposicional e da consciência interocetiva. Conclusão: O funcionamento sexual poderá ser melhorado pelo desenvolvimento de consciência interocetiva e de atenção não reativa.
Introduction: Most studies about the association between Mindfulness and Female Sexual Functioning are conducted with women who have sexual problems and/or dysfunctions. This is a gap, as it is also important to understand the relevant factors in the sexual development of people without complaints. The present study aims to examine inter-correlations between dispositional mindfulness, interoceptive awareness, and female sexual functioning, as well as to test the effects of mindfulness training on these variables. Method: Two studies have been conducted in a sample of the general female population. Study 1 was correlational and had a convenience sample of 660 women, aged between 18 and 65 years. The Multidimensional Assessment Scale of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA), the Five Facets of Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), the Female Sexual Distress Scale - Revised (FSDS-R) and a questionnaire about the Quality of the Resolution Phase were used. Study 2 had a quasi-experimental design in which 16 women between 22 and 31 years of age participated. This study evaluated the changes in the measures used in Study 1 caused by a mindfulness training intervention over the course of a month. Results: In Study 1, positive correlations were found between dispositional mindfulness, interoceptive awareness and sexual functioning, maintained after controlling the practice of mindfulness exercises. In Study 2, mindfulness training increased aspects of dispositional mindfulness and interoceptive awareness. Conclusion: Sexual functioning can be improved through the development of interoceptive awareness and non-reactive attention.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)
Major Depressive Disorder is a prevalent and pervasive problem in the United States, and this mental disorder disproportionately affects adolescents of color. In particular, there is little research understanding how Hispanic/Latinx adolescents utilize and engage with mental health services, such as psychotherapy, to reduce their symptoms of depression, including factors that are positively and negatively related to engagement. As such, the aims of this study were to understand whether there were any relationships between presenting characteristics of adolescents seeking therapy for depression and their subsequent engagement with therapeutic services, with a focus on analyses examining trends in Hispanic/Latinx adolescents. To investigate these aims, we utilized data from a pilot study in which adolescents (n=42) received a mind-body intervention for depression called Mind-Body Skills Groups. We examined possible relationships between depression severity, age, Hispanic/Latinx background, and their interactions with engagement, as measured by attendance rates, self-reported motivation, and at-home skills practice. We hypothesized that high depression severity, high age, and being Hispanic/Latinx would all negatively influence engagement; we also hypothesized the depression-engagement and age-engagement relationships would be moderated by Hispanic/Latinx background. Results revealed initial relationships between lower age and being Hispanic/Latinx with higher attendance rates; depression severity was not related to attendance. When these relationships were further analyzed using hierarchical regression, no significant relationships between predictor and outcomes variables, as well as their interactions, were discovered. In an exploratory analysis investigating factors of adolescent depression using subscales, greater interpersonal problems predicted higher attendance rates. Results are interpreted relative to limitations of the small sample size and possible measurement concerns within this study, including a discussion of possible ways to improve related studies on Hispanic/Latinx youth in the future.

abstract: School bullying is a serious problem for children and adolescents, associated with a multitude of psychological and behavioral problems. Interventions at the individual level have primarily been social skills training for victims of bullying. However, investigators have had mixed results; finding little change in victimization rates. It has been suggested victims of school bullying have the social skills necessary to be effective in a bullying situation; however they experience intense emotional arousal and negative thoughts leading to an inability to use social skills. One intervention that has been getting increasing acknowledgement for its utility in the intervention literature in psychology is mindfulness. However, there has been no research conducted examining the effects of mindfulness meditation on victims of bullying. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to develop an online intervention for victims of bullying that utilizes the cutting-edge technique of mindfulness and to determine the efficacy of this intervention in the context of bullying victimization. Participants were 32 adolescents ages 11 to 14 identified by their school facilitators as victims of bullying. Repeated measures ANOVAs were used to assess the efficacy of the NMT program versus a treatment as usual (TAU) social skills program. Results revealed significant decreases in victimization and increases in mindfulness among both treatment groups from pre-test to follow-up and post-test to follow-up assessments. There were no differences found between the two treatment groups for mean victimization or mindfulness scores. Overall, the NMT program appears to be a promising online intervention for bullied teens. Directions for future research and limitations of this study were also discussed.
Dissertation/Thesis
Ph.D. Counseling Psychology 2013

碩士
國立臺灣大學
心理學研究所
106
Excessive anxiety and worry about lots of events or activities are the main features of generalized anxiety disorder. The anxiety and worry associated with difficulty concentrating or restlessness symptoms is also one of the diagnostic criteria. Previous studies found that mind-wandering plays an important role in guiding individual’s attention to personal concern, and rendering GAD patients easily emerging in repeated worried contents and negative emotions. Though mindfulness based intervention therapy has been found to have remarkable efficacy in reducing worry and anxiety level, the mechanisms of change have remained unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to explore that under worried state, whether the three minute breathing space mindfulness practice would help individuals with high GAD tendency decrease their negative emotions and lower their mind-wandering level subsequently. Study 1 aimed to explore the relations between GAD, worry, trait mindfulness and mind-wandering through correlational approach. We recruited 182 participants (male = 75, female = 107) from collage sample of Taiwan. The results revealed that after control the depressive mood, GAD had positive effects on worry and mind-wandering. Worry also had positive effect on mind-wandering. On the other hand, GAD had negative effect on trait mindfulness, and trait mindfulness had negative effects on mind-wandering. We also found that the effect of GAD on mind-wandering was mediated by worry and mindfulness. In study 2, we recruited 122 participants (male = 48, female = 74) from collage sample of Taiwan. Study 2 was an experiment with 2 (GAD tendency: high/ low) × 3 (emotion regulation intervention: mindfulness/ concentration/ relaxation) × 3 (the time point which participants'' mind-wandering and emotional state are measured: pre-test/ post-worry induction / post-emotion regulation intervention) mixed factorial design. The results found that at the post-emotion regulation intervention, the negative emotion of the participants in all emotion regulation intervention groups were all significantly decreased compared to pre-test and post-worry induction, indicating there was not significant different between mindfulness, concentration and relaxation groups. As to the mind-wandering levels, at the post-emotion regulation intervention, the mindfulness group showed the significantly lowest level compared with concentration and relaxation groups, whereas the concentration and relaxation group have no significant difference. Mindfulness group showed significantly lower mind-wandering levels at the post-emotion regulation compared with post-worry induction. We concluded that the mindfulness intervention was better than concentration and relaxation intervention for the mind-wandering level regulation. The relations between GAD, worry, mindfulness and the mind-wandering are discussed. The impacts of mindfulness on the psychopathology of GAD are also discussed.

碩士
國立彰化師範大學
輔導與諮商學系
107
By way of self narrative, this paper mainly focuses on the relationship between traditional Buddhist meditation and modern mindfulness psychotherapy in order to provide a reference for practicality and research purposes. Due to the vastness and long history of Dharma, we learn and practise different traditional Buddhist meditation methods which can promote physical and mental balance and health. However, the diversity of methods and factions can easily make the practice feel complicated and confused. Fortunately, I have been learning traditional meditation for many years, gradually in depth from the Hinayana Buddhism, Mahayana Buddhism and Vajrayana Buddhism. In recent years, I also learned the modern mindfulness psychotherapy. Thus, I have put much effort in meditation. In this research, I focus on the understanding and integration of self-learning experience which not only establish my personal meditation viewpoints, but also put forward my personal opinions after comparing the ancient and the modern meditation linages. This understanding can expand different learning viewpoints for current popular mindfulness psychotherapy and also provide traceability for the religious Buddhist practice and its connection between these both Buddhist traditional meditation and modern mindfulness practices. It can be used as a reference for meditation practical learning and research purposes.

研究背景
雖然靜觀減壓療法(MBSR)近來備受關注， 但在香港中國人群中尚缺乏可靠量表測定其靜觀能力，而且也罕有研究評估MBSR在家庭護理者心理健康方面的作用。
研究目的
本研究有兩個目的：第一，在香港社區人群和臨床患者中驗證中文版《五面靜觀能力問卷》（FFMQ-C），並設計簡潔版中文問卷 （FFMQ-SF）；第二，使用隨機對照研究（RCT）評估MBSR在緩解家庭護理者抑鬱症狀等方面的療效。
對象與方法
在問卷驗證研究中，招募了230名社區成人和156名廣泛性焦慮患者（GAD）。重測信度和內部一致性信度用於檢驗可信度。驗證性因素分析（CFA）則用於檢驗結構效度。
在RCT中，141位符合納入和排除條件的家庭護理者被隨機分配至靜觀減壓組和對照組（提供健康教育自學材料）。抑鬱症狀是本研究的主要指標，使用流行病學研究中心憂鬱量表（CESD）測定。得分在16以上的被定為疑是抑鬱症，CESD下降50%則被定為臨床好轉。次要研究結果包括焦慮，自我效能，靜觀能力和生活品質等。參與者需在研究開始之前，幹預結束之時和三個月隨訪之後自行填寫問卷。數據分析採用意向性研究方法。
研究結果
FFMQ-C的重測信度為0.88，內部一致性在社區人群為0.83，在GAD患者為0.80。CFA證實了問卷的五因數結構 （NNFI 0.94, CFI 0.95, RMSEA 0.076 (0.063-0.086)）。FFMQ-SF包括20個條目，具有良好的效度和信度。
在RCT中，靜觀減壓組 （n=70）的退出率明顯低於對照組 （n=71）（12.9% vs 26.8%, p= .039）。靜觀減壓組CESD的下降程度在幹預結束之時（-6.72 ± 6.38 vs -2.85 ± 4.82, p= .001），和三個月隨訪之後（-4.70 ± 6.32 vs -1.39 ± 8.52, p=.001）都比對照組更加顯著。靜觀減壓組較對照組有更多人獲得臨床好轉的，無論在幹預結束之時（35.3% vs 4.7%, OR (2.29, 54.51)），還是在三個月隨訪之後（23.5% vs 7.0%, OR (1.00, 16.90)）。靜觀減壓組在焦慮症狀緩解、自我效能提高和靜觀能力增加等方面均較對照組有更顯著的改變。
研究結論
FFMQ-C和FFMQ-SF都能可靠並準確的檢測香港中國人群的靜觀能力。
MBSR能有效減少護理者的焦慮、抑鬱症狀，提高自我效能和靜觀能力，在香港社區中有良好的可行性和接受性。
Introduction
Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program has been receiving increasing attention in recent years. However, no questionnaires were validated to measure “mindfulness in Hong Kong Chinese adults. In addition, few studies have been conducted to examine the effectiveness of MBSR on mental wellbeing of family caregivers.
Objectives
The first part of this thesis aimed to validate the Chinese version of Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ-C) in Hong Kong and to develop a short form scale (FFMQ-SF). The second part of the thesis aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of MBSR in reducing depressive symptoms among family caregivers in Hong Kong Chinese adults.
Subjects and Methods
In the first part of the thesis, 230 community adults and 156 patients with clinical diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) were recruited. Both test-retest and internal consistency reliability were used to examine the reliability of FFMQ-C, while confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) were used to examine the structure validity of FFMQ-C.
In the second part of the thesis, 141 caregivers, who met the inclusion/exclusion criteria, were randomly assigned to either the 8-week MBSR group or the control group (self-learning booklets on mental health and stress management). The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CESD) was used to measure the depressive symptoms as the primary outcome. A score of CESD above 16 was used to identify the clinically significant depression and a 50% or more reduction in CESD was regarded as clinical improvement. The secondary outcomes included anxiety, self-efficacy, mindfulness and quality of life and so on. All the outcome measures were self-administrated at baseline, post-intervention and 3-month follow-up. Intention-to-treat analyses were used to test the group effects of MBSR on outcome measures.
Results
The test-retest reliability of FFMQ-C was 0.88, and Cronbach's alpha was 0.83 in the community sample and 0.80 in the GAD sample. CFA showed adequate model fit for correlated five-factor structure (NNFI 0.94, CFI 0.95, RMSEA 0.076 (0.063-0.086)). A 20-item FFMQ-SF was developed and showed sufficient reliability, validity and psychometric property.
In the second part of the thesis, the MBSR group (n=70) showed significantly lower attrition rate than the control group (n=71) (12.9% vs 26.8%, p= .039). Participants in the MBSR group reported significantly greater reduction in CESD compared to the controls immediately post-intervention (-6.72 ± 6.38 vs -2.85 ± 4.82, p= .001) and at 3 months post-intervention (-4.70 ± 6.32 vs -1.39 ± 8.52, p=.001). MBSR group had a significantly larger proportion of participants with clinical improvement than the control group immediately post-intervention (35.3% vs 4.7%, OR (2.29, 54.51)) and at 3 months post-intervention (23.5% vs 7.0%, OR (1.00, 16.90)). Significant group effects of MBSR were also shown on the reduction of anxiety symptoms, the improvement in self-efficacy, and the increase in mindfulness.
Conclusions
The FFMQ-C and FFMQ-SF are reliable and valid instruments to measure mindfulness in Hong Kong Chinese adults.
MBSR is a feasible and acceptable program to effectively reduce psychological symptoms, and to improve mindfulness and self-efficacy among adult caregivers in Hong Kong Chinese.
Detailed summary in vernacular field only.
Detailed summary in vernacular field only.
Detailed summary in vernacular field only.
Detailed summary in vernacular field only.
Detailed summary in vernacular field only.
Detailed summary in vernacular field only.
Detailed summary in vernacular field only.
Detailed summary in vernacular field only.
Detailed summary in vernacular field only.
Detailed summary in vernacular field only.
Detailed summary in vernacular field only.
Detailed summary in vernacular field only.
Detailed summary in vernacular field only.
Hou, Jing.
Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2012.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 102-122).
Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web.
Abstract also in Chinese.
Abstract (English) --- p.i
Abstract (Chinese) --- p.iii
Acknowledgements --- p.v
List of Contents --- p.vii
List of Tables --- p.xi
List of Figures --- p.xiii
Chapter Chapter 1 --- Introduction --- p.1
Chapter 1.1. --- Background of the study --- p.1
Chapter 1.1.1. --- Validation of the Chinese Version of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire for Adults in Hong Kong --- p.1
Chapter 1.1.2. --- Evaluation of the effectiveness of MBSR on mental health among caregivers in Hong Kong --- p.2
Chapter 1.2. --- Objectives --- p.4
Chapter 1.3. --- The structure of the thesis --- p.5
Chapter Chapter 2 --- Literature review on the impact of caregiving and the interventions for caregivers --- p.7
Chapter 2.1. --- Definition of caregiver --- p.7
Chapter 2.2. --- Global view of caregivers --- p.7
Chapter 2.3. --- Care burden --- p.8
Chapter 2.3.1. --- Introduction of Care burden --- p.8
Chapter 2.3.2. --- The measurements of care burden --- p.9
Chapter 2.3.3. --- Social determinants of care burden --- p.12
Chapter 2.3.4. --- The impacts of caregiving on caregivers’ physical and psychological health --- p.18
Chapter 2.4. --- Interventions for caregivers --- p.20
Chapter 2.4.1. --- Psychosocial interventions --- p.21
Chapter 2.4.2. --- Support and information --- p.21
Chapter 2.4.3. --- Respite care --- p.21
Chapter 2.4.4. --- Technology-based interventions --- p.22
Chapter Chapter 3 --- Rationales of the study --- p.23
Chapter 3.1 --- What’s mindfulness? --- p.23
Chapter 3.2. --- How is mindfulness applied? --- p.24
Chapter 3.2.1. --- Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) --- p.24
Chapter 3.2.2. --- Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) --- p.25
Chapter 3.2.3. --- Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) --- p.25
Chapter 3.2.4. --- Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) --- p.26
Chapter 3.3. --- Reviews on the effectiveness of MBSR --- p.27
Chapter 3.4. --- The use of MBSR among caregivers --- p.29
Chapter 3.5. --- Limitations of current studies --- p.31
Chapter 3.6. --- Why in Hong Kong? --- p.31
Chapter Chapter 4 --- Validation of a Chinese Version of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire for Adults in Hong Kong, and Development of a Short Form --- p.33
Chapter 4.1. --- Background --- p.33
Chapter 4.2. --- Methods --- p.35
Chapter 4.2.1. --- Preparation of Chinese version of FFMQ --- p.35
Chapter 4.2.2. --- Participants and procedure --- p.35
Chapter 4.2.3. --- Measures --- p.36
Chapter 4.2.4. --- Data analysis --- p.38
Chapter 4.3. --- Results --- p.40
Chapter 4.3.1. --- Reliability --- p.41
Chapter 4.3.2. --- Validity --- p.42
Chapter 4.3.3. --- Cross-validation --- p.45
Chapter 4.3.4. --- Confirmatory factor analysis --- p.46
Chapter 4.3.5. --- Development of short version of FFMQ (FFMQ-SF) --- p.46
Chapter 4.3.6. --- Evaluation of the FFMQ-SF --- p.47
Chapter 4.4. --- Discussion --- p.50
Chapter 4.5. --- Limitations --- p.53
Chapter 4.6. --- Conclusions --- p.54
Chapter Chapter 5 --- A Randomized Control Trial of MBSR among Family Caregivers - Subjects and Methods --- p.55
Chapter 5.1. --- Study design --- p.55
Chapter 5.2. --- Recruitment --- p.55
Chapter 5.3. --- Retention --- p.56
Chapter 5.4. --- Inclusion criteria and exclusion criteria --- p.57
Chapter 5.5. --- Randomization, concealment and blinding --- p.58
Chapter 5.6. --- Intervention group --- p.58
Chapter 5.7. --- Instructors --- p.60
Chapter 5.8. --- Settings --- p.61
Chapter 5.9. --- Control group --- p.61
Chapter 5.10. --- Outcomes and measures --- p.61
Chapter 5.10.1. --- Primary outcome (depression) measure --- p.61
Chapter 5.10.2. --- Secondary outcome measures --- p.62
Chapter 5.10.3. --- Other measures --- p.65
Chapter 5.11. --- Sample size calculation --- p.65
Chapter 5.12. --- Statistical analyses --- p.66
Chapter 5.12.1. --- Baseline comparison --- p.66
Chapter 5.12.2. --- Effectiveness of MBSR --- p.66
Chapter 5.12.3. --- Correlations among the changes of variables --- p.67
Chapter 5.12.4. --- Medical services utilization --- p.67
Chapter 5.12.5. --- Sensitivity analyses --- p.68
Chapter Chapter 6 --- A Randomized Control Trial of MBSR among Family Caregivers - Results --- p.69
Chapter 6.1. --- Recruitment and study flow --- p.69
Chapter 6.2. --- Baseline characteristics --- p.69
Chapter 6.3. --- Attrition and compliance --- p.74
Chapter 6.4. --- Analyses of primary outcome - depressive symptoms --- p.75
Chapter 6.5. --- Analyses of secondary outcome measures --- p.80
Chapter 6.5.1. --- Anxiety --- p.80
Chapter 6.5.2. --- Caregiver self-efficacy --- p.81
Chapter 6.5.3. --- Mindfulness --- p.82
Chapter 6.5.4. --- Other secondary outcome measures --- p.83
Chapter 6.6. --- Correlations of changing scores between mindfulness and other outcomes --- p.83
Chapter 6.7. --- Correlations of change scores between CESD and other outcomes (not including FFMQ) --- p.86
Chapter 6.8. --- Analyses of medical services utilization --- p.87
Chapter 6.9. --- Adverse effects of MBSR --- p.88
Chapter 6.10. --- Per protocol analyses --- p.89
Chapter Chapter 7 --- A Randomized Control Trial of MBSR among Family Caregivers - Discussion --- p.90
Chapter 7.1 --- Discussion --- p.90
Chapter 7.1.1. --- Effects of MBSR on depression --- p.90
Chapter 7.1.2. --- Effects of MBSR on anxiety --- p.91
Chapter 7.1.3. --- Effects of MBSR on mindfulness measured by Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire --- p.92
Chapter 7.1.4. --- Effects of MBSR on caregiver self-efficacy --- p.92
Chapter 7.1.5. --- Attrition and compliance --- p.93
Chapter 7.1.6. --- Relationship between practice time and mindfulness --- p.93
Chapter 7.1.7. --- Relationship between mindfulness and other psychological outcomes --- p.94
Chapter 7.1.8. --- Effects of MBSR on perceived stress and health related quality of life --- p.95
Chapter 7.1.9. --- Effects of MBSR on medical service utilization --- p.96
Chapter 7.1.10. --- Self-rated effectiveness and acceptability --- p.96
Chapter 7.1.11. --- Adverse effects of MBSR --- p.96
Chapter 7.2. --- Strengths --- p.97
Chapter 7.3. --- Limitations --- p.97
Chapter 7.4. --- Implications and recommendations for further study --- p.98
Chapter 7.5. --- Conclusions --- p.99
Reference --- p.102

Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
The subjective sense of having a self is commonly assumed to be static and anchored to the physical body. This presumption strongly preconditions how neuroscientists, philosophers, and computer scientists conceive of mind and attempt to engineer ‘intelligence’. The present thesis expounds on how the brain constructs reality through mechanisms of bodily self-consciousness (BSC) and the free-energy principle (FEP), and, notably, how this process can be manipulated and enhanced. This work shows how BSC can be manipulated endogenously-through self-regulation methods, e.g. meditation—and/or exogenously-through virtual reality and artificial intelligence technologies, with applications for healthy and clinical populations. I describe the human evolutionary emergence of selfhood and present the novel Causal Biomimesis hypothesis that tethers the formation of the sense of self with toolmaking, objective thought, technological development, and sociality. I argue that, particularly regarding artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, the externalisation of human cognition as technological artefact and its feedback effect on humans raises an ethical concern: that we are building AI, a class of artefact that is poised to strongly affect the evolution of humanity, based on a current image of ourselves and our perceived capabilities. From this ethical consideration, I make a case for the research and incorporation of non-ordinary consciousness (NOC), i.e. via self-regulation methods, into the design and engineering of AI. I present a neurophenomenological praxis (NP) based on the principles of the FEP that serves as a framework for instantiating (1st-/2nd-person) and researching (3rd- person) NOC and as a cognitive map for designing AI capable of supporting NOC. I discuss how a decentralised approach to AI could maximise the chances of a more ethical and representative AI by capturing and integrating a wider swathe of humanity’s values. Finally, I explore the farther frontiers of the implications of this thesis work: merged human-AI cognition in the form of what are herein termed “mindplexes”, where the phenomenology of NOC cultivation may elucidate the workings of mind in a way that helps humanity build a more capable and ethical human-AI future.

The regular practice of meditation has been shown to reduce stress and increase well-being. However, there is limited information on how meditation feels or is subjectively experienced by the meditator. This naturalistic inquiry uses a phenomenological approach to explore the phenomenon of meditation as lived experience with a group of novice meditators taking part in a 4-week mindfulness meditation program. Nineteen college students were divided into 4 groups. Each group met once a week for a 30-minute guided meditation session followed by a 30-minute focus group during which participants shared their experiences. Individual interviews were conducted at the end of the study. The focus groups and individual interviews were audio recorded. Analysis of the transcribed data revealed 12 key constituents of the experience of meditation occurring at different stages of the meditation process. The key constituents were then placed along a timeline of a typical 30-minute session. A diagrammatic representation was created to illustrate the general "shape" of a meditation session. The variable nature of the meditation experience was also revealed: no two meditation sessions were experienced in the same way by the same meditator, and no two meditators had identical meditation experiences, although there were inherent similarities. A sample of the language novice meditators use to describe their experiences was also documented. The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-14) was administered pre-study and post-study to measure changes in perceived stress over the course of the study. Reductions in perceived stress were measured in 76.5% of the participant group, or 13 of the 17 students who completed the study. These results were significant, t (16)=3.49, p=0.003. The findings in this study show meditation to have the distinctive characteristics of an altered state of consciousness. Meditation may be regarded as a self-induced, adaptive, altered state of consciousness that enables the meditator to relax and effectively reduce levels of perceived stress. These findings provide a new perspective of meditation, particularly with regard to how meditation is subjectively experienced by novice meditators. This information may help to demystify meditation and encourage those considering this healthful practice.
Psychology
D. Litt. et Phil. (Psychology)

碩士
南華大學
宗教學研究所
103
Almost one hundred years ago, many people in our country were addicted to Opium and completely abandoned themselves. That’s why our country tried to get away from the damage from Opium, but unfortunately caused Opium War. Nowadays, drug abuse has become a global problem. According tot he statistics of Ministry of Justice Jan-Sep in 103 , the total quantity of drugs caughted amounted to 3826 kilograms. The damage drugs caused to the society is still going on and has not yet ceased. I have been taking part in the religious education for the people receiving rehabilitation treatment in prisons for nearly twenty years. All these years, I have been devoted to the drug prevention, hoping to seek a better way beneficial for the drug abusers and help them to start up their new life. 　　In this research, I make use of the techniques of mindfulness combined with Tea-Chan in religious education for drug addicts in Rehab Institution. A twelve-week course named “Life of mindfulness” is designed to establish new pattern of life for the drug addicts. This course includes learning the techniques of mindfulness and experiencing Tea-Chan. Eighteen drug addicts joined in the course. They were all volunteers and accepted to join in this course after interviews one by one. In the course, participants first learned the techniques of mindfulness, then kept mindfulness diaries and in the last made use of all the techniques they had learned in so-called “Tea-Chan exhibition”. In this way, I helped them to deepen their impressions of mindfulness and planted the mindfulness seedling in their hearts. This research was intended to find out: 1) whether mindfulness could change the habitual life pattern of the participants, 2) in what aspect they changed themselves, 3) how mindfulness was applied to drug addicts in religious education, 4) the application and effects of Tea-Chan Exhibition, and 5) finally the feasibility study mindfulness was applied to the education of drug addicts in prisons. 　　After this course, I analysed all the data collected in this course and found that if mindfulness diaries could be continued for a longer period of time, the participants could reach sobhanasadharana mentioned in《Abhidharma》:kayapassaddhi、citta-Passaddhi、kayalahuta、citta-lahuta、kaya-muduta、citta-muduta、kaya-kammaññata、citta-kammaññata、kaya-paguññata、citta-paguññata、kayujjukata、cittujjukata and could go on to viraticetasika：sammavaca、sammakammanto、samma-ajivo, and that may be the key point for them to get away from drugs after they get out of prisons in the future. My suggestions are: 1)mindfulness can be used to raise mental and physical levels of drug addicts, 2)mindfulness can lead to new life of eight Noble Truths, and 3) we should plan to promote “New Life of Mindfulness” widely.

The purpose of this qualitative research study, which utilizes a phenomenological inquiry method, is to inquire into the awareness of what it means to be a whole teacher from the perspective of the philosophy of Jiddu Krishnamurti, a philosopher/spiritual teacher. Four participants (teachers) were interviewed from the Oak Grove School, an alternative, holistic school founded by Krishnamurti in 1974. This inquiry probed into teachers’ thinking, teachers’ lives, teachers’ inner lives, teachers’ contemplative practices, teachers’ calling/vocation and teachers’ pedagogy. The findings of this inquiry reveal the awareness that exists among the participants with regards to their understanding of Krishnamurti’s educational philosophy and the way in which this philosophy has shaped their lives and the lives of their students (both implicit- ly and explicitly) The findings from this research further show that Krishnamurti’s philosophy has certainly had an impact on the participants’ wholeness. Krishnamurti was never interested in imposing his philosophy on the teachers to think in a narrow groove. Rather, he challenged them to arrive at wholeness or a holistic approach towards living by their own volition, by putting aside all philosophy, including his own. This research points towards the possible ways in which wholeness can be developed using: Innate wisdom (teachers’ inner life, teachers’ calling); wisdom gained through experiencing life (teachers’ life, teachers’ thinking); wisdom gained through their teaching experience (teachers’ pedagogy) and wisdom gained through practices that bring harmony to the mind, body and spirit (teachers’ contemplative approaches). An experiential model titled, The Flower Model: An Experiential Metaphor – which integrates the three stages of awareness – was developed using Krishnamurti’s approach towards wholeness. This model can be used to guide teachers with their respective psychological conditionings that reside or exist in their thinking, lives, inner lives, contemplative practices, vocation and pedagogy/curriculum design.