A treatment in search of a disease? Challenges in mindfulness research and practice

Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Patients with Cardiovascular Disease: A Focused Review for Practicing Clinicians

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

With growing scientific and public interest in the health benefits of mindfulness, clinicians increasingly face questions and solicitations for advice from patients about the efficacy of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) for cardiovascular disease (CVD). In this clinician-focused review, we aim to revisit empirical studies on MBIs for CVD with the purpose of informing clinicians' decisions on how to provide recommendations consistent with updated scientific findings to patients interested in MBIs.

RECENT FINDINGS

We start by defining MBIs and identifying the possible physiological, psychological, behavioral, and cognitive mechanisms underlying the potentially positive effects of MBIs for CVD. Potential mechanisms include the reduction of sympathetic nervous system activity, improved vagal control, and biological markers (physiological); psychological distress and cardiovascular health behaviors (psychological and behavioral); and executive function, memory, and attention (cognitive). Then, we summarize the extant evidence to identify gaps and limitations in MBI research for the purpose of informing future directions for cardiovascular and behavioral medicine researchers. We conclude with practical recommendations for clinicians communicating with patients with CVD who are interested in MBIs.

The emancipation of mindfulness from its religious context

The present paper argues that if the so-called mindfulness movement is to reach its full potential it needs to emancipate from its religious context and ally itself fully with psychological science. The argument that mindfulness meditation needs a religious context for ethical reasons is untenable. Although mindfulness skills may well be used for un-ethical purposes, this applies equally to both religious (e.g., Buddhist) and secular contexts, and is best handled by an open-minded philosophical-ethical discussion. One problem with present mindfulness-based treatments and mindfulness research is that they are still partly enmeshed with Buddhist conceptualizations of the world, which are thought to represent "seeing things as they are". If the full potential of mindfulness meditation is to be understood, research methods are needed which focus on the phenomenological practices involved in terms of psychological processes such as the regulation of attention and attitudes.