Mindfulness and Meditaion

Mindfulness and Meditation in Psychology
INTRO
Clients seek psychological therapy for mental health issues because they have come to a point in their lives that they feel that an improvement in their mental state would have a positive affect in their personal lives. A client 's behavioral health affects how a client thinks about themselves and how the client interacts with the world around them.
Mindfulness is, "Paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally." (Kabat-Zinn, 1994). Mindfulness and meditation empowers the individual to work with one 's own stress, illness, challenges, and demands of daily living. By incorporating mindfulness and meditation into therapy for mental health and mental illness, optimal therapeutic effects may be achieved.
Mindfulness and meditation involves a cognitive change in lifestyle by the client. This behavioral change helps people to relax mentally as well as emotionally which eventually leads to a strengthen immune system. The purpose of this paper is to describe the optimal therapeutic effects achieved by mindfulness and meditation.
DISCUSSION
Humans are emotional creatures, they think and react emotionally. By training the brain to practice mindful meditation and similar techniques, a person can learn to be more objective in an emotionally difficult situation. Client 's who suffer from chronic and terminal illnesses, such as breast cancer, also suffer from depression associated with emotional stress.
In an article by Krasner, it was noted that a group of 27 breast cancer patients showed a significant decrease in levels of anxiety, a positive increase in mental adjustments, and a diminished sense of helpless. Mindfulness helps a patient internalize their locus of control which gives a patient power over their disease and destiny. This empowerment and optimum therapeutic effect produces positive brain activity which in turn help boost the patient 's immune system.
Another advantage of mindfulness based cognitive therapy (MBCT), is the diminished relapse of a depressive state. MA and Teasdale in an article noted that, "MBCT is a cost-efficient and efficacious intervention to reduce relapse/recurrence in patients with recurrent major depressive disorder." As a person learns to be more aware of the present moment and not judge, reflect, or become engrossed in it. Their control over their emotional state is stronger.
The client learns to recognize future feeling of insecurity and is prepared not to act in a mindless, automatic manner. Violence, alcohol, and drug abuse are only a few of the many negative outcomes that occur when people are not prepared to deal with traumatic emotions. Because a person may feel that their emotional state is uncontrollable and everlasting they may not see that in reality emotions are merely transient.
Mindfulness consists of paying attention to an experience from moment to moment — without drifting into thoughts of the past or concerns about the future, or getting caught up in neurotic thoughts or opinions about what 's going on. One of the goals of meditation is the "mindful state," which is awareness of objects, mind-states, and physical states but not attached to them.
We tend to fall into patterns. Patterns are attachments formed when we cannot distinguish between what we do, why we do it, and who we are. Meditation psychologically reinforces the mind and body affect. It helps establish more control on what we do and how our body reacts on what we do. This is called functional awareness; a client must learn that they are separate from their functions.
According to Benner, "some drug addiction centers have used meditation techniques to help counter the strong attachment for drugs and alcohol and to empower the struggling addict to recognize the source and nature of the craving and to counter it with "right mindfulness." Right mindfulness comes from Buddhist teachings and is said to lead to the end of suffering.
CONCLUSION
Mindfulness plays an important role in the psychological well being of a client. Practicing mindfulness and meditation can increase a person 's self awareness and help form self-regulating behavior. Over time a decline in mood changes and stress have been reported by even some Cancer patients (Brown and Ryan, 2003).
Although future research is needed, there is some evidence to support the importance of mindfulness and meditation in conjunction with psychological therapy. One of the most important therapeutic effects that cannot be ignored is the improvement of a client 's quality of life. Through this approach a client can experience a more joyful and rewarding life. They experience an increase in ability to cope with illnesses and an improvement in their physical and emotional health.

References
1. Brown Kirk Warren, & Ryan, R. M. (2003, April). The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. 84(4), 822-848.
2. Kabat-Zinn, J. (1994). Wherever you go, there you are: Mindfulness meditation in everyday life. New York: Hyperion.
3. Krasner, M. (2004,Summer). Mindfulness-based interventions: A coming of age? Families, Systems, & Health, 22(2), 207-212.
4. Ma, S. H., & Teasdale, J. D. (2004, February). Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression: Replication and exploration of differential relapse prevention effects. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 72(1), 31-40.
5. Phillips, Jan (2006, Week 3) Spirituality and Mental Health Chapman University.
6. Serendip. (1999). Meditation and the brain (Biology 202). Retrieved from Bryn Mawr College: http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro99/web2/Benner.html#5.

References: 1. Brown Kirk Warren, & Ryan, R. M. (2003, April). The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. 84(4), 822-848. 2. Kabat-Zinn, J. (1994). Wherever you go, there you are: Mindfulness meditation in everyday life. New York: Hyperion. 3. Krasner, M. (2004,Summer). Mindfulness-based interventions: A coming of age? Families, Systems, & Health, 22(2), 207-212. 4. Ma, S. H., & Teasdale, J. D. (2004, February). Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression: Replication and exploration of differential relapse prevention effects. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 72(1), 31-40. 5. Phillips, Jan (2006, Week 3) Spirituality and Mental Health Chapman University. 6. Serendip. (1999). Meditation and the brain (Biology 202). Retrieved from Bryn Mawr College: http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro99/web2/Benner.html#5.