Rontziokos, Helena (University of Wollongong, Australia)
Mindfulness and the de-automatization of repetitive thinking
It has been well established in the literature that increases in mindfulness, through training in mindfulness based interventions, can alleviate psychological symptoms. However, research has not sufficiently investigated the mechanisms responsible for such changes. Kang, Gruber and Gray (2013) suggest that the process of de-automatisation (disengaging from usual and automatic thought processes) underlies mindfulness’s salutary outcomes. Although, preliminary research has suggested that the processes of de-centering (stepping back from mental experiences and observing thoughts as transient mental events) and reductions in rumination, may play mediating roles in symptom alleviation, these results are inconsistent. This study was the first to investigate the proposal put forward by Kang et al. (2013) that de-automatisation, demonstrated through decentering, leads to the reduction of elaborative thought processes, facilitating adaptive self regulation and desirable outcomes. Further, this study aimed to clarify the relationship between mindfulness and positive thinking, an area that has been neglected in the current literature. To investigate these mechanistic pathways two studies were undertaken. The first was a cross-sectional analysis investigating the relationship between trait mindfulness and these constructs in an everyday setting. The second study was a controlled quasi-experimental analysis of an eight-week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) programme, examining the role of de-automatisation and positive thinking in mindfulness training. Results of the study will be discussed in reference to their implications.
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Mindfulness and the de-automatization of repetitive thinking
It has been well established in the literature that increases in mindfulness, through training in mindfulness based interventions, can alleviate psychological symptoms. However, research has not sufficiently investigated the mechanisms responsible for such changes. Kang, Gruber and Gray (2013) suggest that the process of de-automatisation (disengaging from usual and automatic thought processes) underlies mindfulness’s salutary outcomes. Although, preliminary research has suggested that the processes of de-centering (stepping back from mental experiences and observing thoughts as transient mental events) and reductions in rumination, may play mediating roles in symptom alleviation, these results are inconsistent. This study was the first to investigate the proposal put forward by Kang et al. (2013) that de-automatisation, demonstrated through decentering, leads to the reduction of elaborative thought processes, facilitating adaptive self regulation and desirable outcomes. Further, this study aimed to clarify the relationship between mindfulness and positive thinking, an area that has been neglected in the current literature. To investigate these mechanistic pathways two studies were undertaken. The first was a cross-sectional analysis investigating the relationship between trait mindfulness and these constructs in an everyday setting. The second study was a controlled quasi-experimental analysis of an eight-week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) programme, examining the role of de-automatisation and positive thinking in mindfulness training. Results of the study will be discussed in reference to their implications.
Download Presentation