Description of the Strategy

Clinical interventions based on mindfulness meditation are appearing with increasing frequency in the empirical literature. Such interventions have been developed to reduce distress and improve quality of life in individuals suffering from a wide range of physical and mental disorders, including chronic pain, cancer, eating disorders, anxiety disorders, mood disorders, and substance abuse. The literature contains terminology referring to a number of related concepts and techniques, including “mindfulness training,” “mindful practice,” “mindfulness-based” interventions, “mindfulness meditation,” and, most simply, “mindfulness.” To complicate matters, there is a similar, but distinct, social psychological construct of “mindfulness” with a different origin and separate theoretical and research literature, which will not be addressed in this entry.

Mindfulness meditation is distinct from concentration meditation. Together, ...