Secrets of Mindfulness

The research that I am doing for the University of Murcia in Mindfulness is clarifying many hidden sides of this discipline that some consider "miraculous" attributing to it an almost magical function, while in other cases it seems to have totally opposite effects.

Why Mindfulness Works and What Works

The greatest utility and functionality of this discipline is that it allows to achieve in very short periods of time (20-40 minutes), through several exercises, a separation between the cognitive component linked to thoughts, and the emotional component resulting from those thoughts.

Throughout the day, entertained by the many activities and thoughts we have, we experience a whirlwind of emotional states and we identify with them with extreme ease because we do not take the time to find out what is causing those emotions. We simply identify with emotions without discerning why we are having them and what is our personal implication in remaining trapped in them when we cannot get out of those states..

Well, through mindfulness exercises, we can "get away from the trees to see the forest." And from that perspective, everything assumes a component of relativization that helps us calmly analyze what interests us and what suits us the most, instead of reacting automatically. This is the great benefit of this discipline and it is universal. Everyone who practices it seems to notice this improvement.

When Mindfulness Doesn't Work: Why It Doesn't Work?

Many mindfulness programs (the MBSR from the University of Massachusetts, and the MBET from the University of Murcia) seem to have something in common that can make it difficult to take advantage of them, especially when they are taken too hard by practitioners: being very purists and perfectionists, trying to comply with all the demands of the program can have collateral effects generating stress, instead of reducing it.

Moreover, according to what I am finding out, everything seems to indicate that when the program is carried out with a very rigid attitude on the part of the practitioner (or the teachers), assuming that the practitioner is unable to carry out the practice due to factors beyond their control, their perception of being a competent person and in the degree to achieve what they propose comes to less, increasing frustration and reducing the level of self-efficacy.

According to the data available, everything indicates that when a program is not achieved in a percentage of completion greater than 30%, the person seems to experience a reduced your level of self-efficacy.

This encourages the configuration of less demanding and more flexible stress reduction / regulation programs, incorporating the concept of mindfulness, sometimes treated by teachers with excessive firmness and rigidity, especially if they come from Zazen, to the concept of fluency, based on flexibility and in the adaptation of the challenges to the abilities and possibilities of the person.