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Mindfulness: In Plain English
By Bhante Henepola Gunaratana, 2002, Wisdom Publications, 208 pages, $14.95
Mindfulness: In Plain English is a book that absolutely anyone can benefit from. The author, Gunaratana, states in the introduction, “It is our intention to present you with the clearest and most concise directions for vipassana meditation in the English language.” It appears that Gunaratana accomplishes his goal. Gunaratana indicates that vipassana meditation, also known as “insight” meditation, was originally a Buddhist practice incorporated in the Thervada sect of South and Southeast Asia. Gunaratana explains that this Thervada practice is rich with culture and tradition but explicitly avoids this component of it within his book. Instead, his book is more of a manual for the beginner vipassana meditator. It provides the tools and the understanding necessary for one to get started and to begin proficiency, while also simplifying and normalizing the obstacles that one will likely face on the “road to discovery”.
So you might ask, “what does Buddhism, Thervada sects, or vissipana mediation have to do with me or the field of psychology???” In recent history psychologists have attempted to empirically understand topics such as insight and mindfulness while Eastern religions have been exploring these concepts for thousands of years. As Gunaratana explains, Vipassana meditation revolves around “mindfulness”, a general awareness and an ability to focus beginning by cueing into one’s own breathing. Roth (1997) describes this process as the breath being “used as the primary object of attention because it is always present, always changing, and is the link between the body and the mind. However, it is the skill of carefully paying attention, moment by moment, that is being developed. This skill is equally applicable to all other activities of daily life. Mindfulness is the process of deeply experiencing one's life as it is unfolding in the present moment.” In our fast pace world with more demands on us than ever, it is easy to start spreading one’s focus in many directions and to take important things for granted: like breathing! Gunaratana “waters down” the Buddhist component of learning mindfulness while still illustrating its contributions. Clients of most any religious orientation or belief system could appreciate the content of this book and the simple but articulate way in which it is delivered.
Mindfulness: In Plain English presents flowing instruction on how to practice meditation. The articulate style with which Gunaratana’s instructions unfold is amiably analogous to the manner in which he suggests that the reader should approach meditation. Among several tips in the chapter on attitude, he writes, “Don’t strain,” and “Let go”. Gunaratana does not assume that readers will simply know what meditation is or that it will make sense to them. Chapter one, for instance, is titled “Meditation: Why Bother?” Before delving into “Attitude”, the next few chapters are devoted to “What Meditation Isn’t” and “What Meditation Is”. Common misconceptions regarding meditation as simply a relaxation tool or as some kind of psychic phenomenon are dispelled. Many kinds of meditation are described and vipassana meditation is explained in detail.
Gunaratana tells us that vipassana meditation is a tool to develop mindfulness. It starts with breathing and becoming aware of how it feels as air travels through one’s nostrils and back out. Requiring a high degree of discipline (but not “force”), Gunaratana expresses that this is not an easy task. He illustrates examples of many possible distractions and how to deal with them and how to be okay with them. Similar to most any skill, he states that becoming adept at meditation requires practice. Developing this kind of nonjudgmental awareness, in which internal verbalization is not necessary, can be useful on many fronts. In the chapter, “Meditation in Everyday Life” Gunaratana describes how mindfulness can be applied to every facet of one’s life. Being aware does not have to end at the end of one’s 15-minute meditation session. Besides being aware of how one breathes, one can be mindful of how they walk, of their posture, and of the various components of activities that one may take for granted. One can be very mindful of every moment and meditate on it whether one feels happy, bored, anxious, or sad. One can also be mindful of when their mind is drifting and use that as a tool to improve concentration.
Clients of many kinds can surely benefit from learning mindfulness. Roth (1997) lists the many kinds of problems with which she has used mindfulness training as a component of treatment: angina, asthma, bereavement, cancer, chronic fatigue, congestive heart failure, Crohn's disease, fibromyalgia, hepatitis, HIV infection and AIDS, hyperlipidemia, irritable bowel syndrome, multiple sclerosis, obesity, posttraumatic stress disorder, psoriasis, psychosis, psychosocial stress, rheumatoid arthritis, schizophrenia, seizure disorder, substance abuse recovery, and traumatic brain injury. The topic of mindfulness has also been incorporated into successful psycho-educational group therapy for groups such as adults with ADHD (Hesslinger, Van Elst, Ludger, & Nyberg, 2002), and women with PTSD and histories of childhood sexual abuse (Wolfsdorf & Zlotnik, 2001). Teasdale, et al. (2002, 2000) have also shown mindfulness to be an important aspect of their cognitive-behavioral treatment in the prevention of relapsing major depressive episodes because clients become more aware and accepting of passing thoughts and sensations that could otherwise become disruptive.
The research cited above shows potential value for the integration of mindfulness into treatment of these disorders, but group psychotherapy may not make sense for a particular client. While clients may not be seeking a referral, they may express a desire to learn more about meditation or mindfulness while their psychotherapist might not feel adept enough with meditation to teach the skills personally. This is where bibliotherapy with Gunaratana’s Mindfulness: In Plain English could become extremely useful. Clinicians can have clients read the book and help them process their experience of attempting meditation and greater mindfulness. In this manner, the client is enabled to pursue a skill independently while having the psychotherapist available to talk about what arises during these moments of heightened awareness.
Mindfulness: In Plain English can be an effective bibliotherapy tool that a clinician can utilize to foster clients’ nonjudgmental awareness. Regardless of religion or problem at hand, most anyone can benefit from achieving mindfulness through learning how to meditate. Gunaratana writes a clear manual that flows and that is also a captivating read. Although based on ancient tradition, Gunaratana makes one realize that meditation and mindfulness are methods that can be helpful in a contemporary world.
References
Hesslinger, B., Van Elst, L., & Tebartz; N. E. (2002). Psychotherapy of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in adults: A pilot study using a structured skills training program. European Archives of Psychiatry & Clinical Neuroscience, 252(4), 177-184.
Roth, B. (1997). Mindfulness-based stress reduction in the inner-city. Advances: The Journal of the Mind-Body Health, 13(4), 50-58.
Teasdale, J. D., Moore, R. G., Hayhurst, H., Pope, M., Williams, S., & Segal, Z. V. (2002). Metacognitive awareness and prevention of relapse in depression: Empirical evidence. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 70(2), 275-287.
Teasdale, J. D., Segal, Z. V., Williams, J. M. G., Ridgeway, V. A., Soulsby, J. M., Lau, M. A. (2000). Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 68(4), 615-623.
Wolfsdorf, B. A., & Zlotnick , C. (2001). Affect management in group therapy for women with posttraumatic stress disorder and histories of childhood sexual abuse. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 57(2), 169-181.