Critical Self-Assessment of Mindfulness in Positive Psychology

This essay provides a critical self-assessment of personal experiences with mindfulness, integrating relevant positive psychological literature. It explores the connection between mindfulness and psychological well-being, referencing interventions like MBCT, DBT, and ACT. The essay discusses mindfulness in the context of self-acceptance, self-compassion, and self-knowledge, contrasting it with ego development theories. It highlights the role of mindfulness in reducing psychological and physical symptoms, enhancing self-awareness, and promoting self-kindness. Furthermore, the essay examines the application of mindfulness in therapeutic settings, particularly for managing stress and improving the therapeutic relationship. It also touches on the benefits of mindfulness for individuals with cancer, focusing on stress reduction and improved coping mechanisms through practices like body scans and mindful walking. The essay concludes by emphasizing the potential of mindfulness in fostering character strengths and overall well-being.

Running head: POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY PRACTICES 1
Positive psychology practices
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A Critical self-assessment to my personal experiences and mindfulness
Mindfulness is empirically and theoretically linked to psychological well-being. The
aspect of mindfulness includes the non-judgmental and the awareness of an individual's day to
day experiences. These aspects are considered as the potential in impacting the antidotes contrary
to the usual forms associated with the psychological distress, fear and the anxiety. Many of these
mindfulness aspects are involved in the maladaptive propensity to suppress or avoid distressing
emotions and thoughts. Integrating mindfulness into the psychology is dated back to the year
1950-1960s. In spite of mindfulness research beginning in the year 1960. The mindfulness
medication studies started in the year 1970. It was until then when mindfulness was integrated
into medication as an intervention to facilitate the psychological wellbeing. Through the use of
mindfulness associated principles and several interventions were developed later (Davidson et
al.,2003)
These interventions are like MBCT also referred to as mindfulness- Based cognitive
therapy, DBT (Dialectical Behavior therapy), ATC (Acceptance commitment therapy). The
primary objective of this essay is to provide a critical reflection upon chosen experiential
resources. Then integrate a discussion of the experiences with a sound reading of the relevant
positive psychological, academic literature (Zeidan, Johnson, Diamond & Goolkasian, 2010)
In the modern Western societies, mindfulness is a practice that has been cultivated and
applied in a wide range of contexts. These contexts include self-experiences, self-exploration,
and transformation. There are some research studies about mindfulness and self-associate it to
self-acceptance, self-compassion, self-perspective change, self-consciousness, self-concepts, and
self-reconstruction. The growth of researchers and reviews in the clinical practices have proven

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that mindfulness in medication provides a significant effect in reducing psychological and the
physical symptoms (Speca, Carlson, Goodey & Angen, 2000)
Mindfulness contributes to the improved growth of the mental well being and increases
self-knowledge. On the other side, it was recommended that mindfulness medication engagement
or the interventions are linked to enhanced confident self- attitude like self-kindness,
indifference, and the self-compassion. In a positive sense, some of the above discussed positive
transformations within self-attitude could be seen quantitively. For instance, it has been proven
that self-compassion in the medication focus may facilitate a self-kindness to an individual with
the highest level of self-critics and shame (Garland, Gaylord, Boettiger & Howard, 2010)
The mindful is not similar to the development of ego of the theory of positive
disintegration. Ego development is understood as a trait with five major inherent features. That is
the autonomy, individuality, and self-commitment. Ego development tries to explain the stages
of the growth in a way differentiate people of personal experiences in life. However, the method
lacks a clear difference between form and context and any generous nature to different levels
(Robins, Keng, Ekblad & Brantley, 2012).
Positive disintegration theory describes the mechanism of mental development by outlining
different processes of psychological life. The approach emphasizes the need of emotions the self-
development in adults. The process has significantly helped in understanding and compiling my
own inner experiences
There a definite difference was seen between the self and the quiet ego. The quiet ego is
defined as the well neutral ground in which the individual seeks an integrated as well as self-
identity when interacting with other individuals. The quiet ego is not just focused on the self. But

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it also can incorporate other individuals and still maintain on the self-identity. The quiet ego is
made up of four characteristics. These are the interdependence, detached awareness, growth
which implies the development of self and other people, family compassion that entails empathy
and happiness. The ego theory put more emphasis on the balance between the growth of the self
and others. Different researchers of the quiet ego think that if an ego becomes entirely for a very
long period, it can be suppressed and so its identity (Rerup, 2005).
The mindfulness can be viewed as state-like equality or a positive self-attitude that
insists on progressive self-insights. Self-awareness and integration in a lifetime perception in
acknowledging of that a real self could be a transformation process. The more a person has a
higher internalization and integration of mindfulness, the more flexible and a mature the person
could be regarding behaviors and in mind.
The dispositional mindfulness refers to person's tendency or the ability to adhere to
mindful states for an absolute time limit constituted by continuous well-developed attention and
the inhibitory understood as the trait. The dispositional mindfulness benefits quiet range of both
social and psychological outcome, for example, increased self-esteem, reduced adverse effects
and a high number.
Furthermore, it's proven that mindfulness can be related to a decline in self-identification
against self-image, the moderate defensive trend against a low ego-involvement. Subsequently,
mindfulness defensive advocates self-knowledge that is the self-knowledge of nature and the
satisfactory experiences. Also, it raises one's capability to begin the adventures of dynamic
transformations other than the unchanging and constant entity. That means the gradual change
implied perspectives and self-concepts at the self-qualitative stage. According to (van der Zwan,

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Vente, Huizink, Bögels, & de Bruin,2017) with mindfulness, a self-referential scene is
diminished while a person experiences become augmented. Mindfulness can transform the style
of self-concentration. It is proven that mindfulness medication makes a person fully aware and
partially attentive to everything is happening with no investment or judgment. The self-focus,
therefore, leads to clearness and correctness in individual's opinion and perception. In this
clearness, a repeated process arise in the sense of self is observed in the medication.
A health professional should utilize mindfulness practice as a way of coming up with a
resilience.one should be able to improve the ability to listen and be competitive to self and also
to others. A qualified medical officer with mindfulness training can evaluate warning signs of
stress in the patient and use his or her mindfulness experience to manage and control them
effectively. The critical determinants of a positive therapeutic result are through the described
data that suggest the quality of therapy knowledge and personal therapist characteristics
(Grossman, 2008). The variance that occurs in the outcomes of a therapeutic operation depends
on the therapeutic relationship especially the therapist and the client. The state of mindfulness is
a measure that has been found to affect the relationship between the healthcare practitioner and
therapist with their emotional life. Research has found that the premedical and medical students
training in stress reduction based on mindfulness were able to reduce their depression and
distress and increase their intellect. The counseling students teaching on another stress reduction
based on mindfulness program were discovered to have a significant decrease in adverse
influence, stress, rumination and trait and state anxiety (Astin, 1997). These students also
showed an increase in self- love and positive effect. The research on therapist who meditate on
client's outcomes should know that mindfulness to therapist to have the ability to get knowledge
and communicate and show the inner experiences of the clients and indicate the client's suffering

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while helping the client to express their body feelings and sensations (Geschwind, Peeters,
Drukker, van, & Wichers, 2011).
A study conducted on doctoral students participating in mindfulness training shown an
increased report of participator's mindfulness abilities. These include skills to examine internal
phenomena and their self- affectionate ratings. Mindfulness practice has been found to nature the
compassion for person and empathy to others. The counseling students' state of mindfulness
were found to be a prediction of self- efficacy, and understanding and was connected to the
capacity to steer the attention (Peterson, & Pbert, 1992). Mindfulness does promote therapeutic
operation as it can increase response flexibility and increase the empathy.
The presence of mindfulness meditation by the beginning therapist could result to
therapeutic presence. The consent of mindfulness practice has been found to help the counseling
students in training to relate to others and also to themselves with acceptance, empathy, and
genuineness. Mindfulness helps the students in learning how self- care practice could help to
prevent burnout, compassion fatigue and traumatization experiences. The importance of
mindfulness practice has been seen to be influential to all partakers of the therapeutic
association. A study carried out to investigate the benefits of mindfulness showed that the patient
whose care was taken by non- meditative trainees scored lower than those care was being made
by meditating psychotherapist trainees. The study of mindfulness was carried out under the
following measures; subjective experiences, global functioning and on the symptoms
improvement checklist (Walach, Buchheld, Buttenmüller, Kleinknecht & Schmidt, 2006).
These studies concluded that the most effective way to improve on the therapeutic relationship is
through teachings of mindfulness strategies. In the most recent years, the researchers have shown

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the essence of including mindfulness practice to the therapist to improve the therapeutic
relationship.
Through various seminars in mindfulness medication, have developed a capacity of self-
regulation and the attention in cultivating the insights that regard necessary procedures in
identity. The knowledge and the skills here helped in handling different patients like people
living with cancer patients. The essential components of mindfulness in medication has a
particular salience towards a cancer patient. The origin of stress among the cancer people can be
linked to past experiences. These experiences may include the characteristics associated with the
causes of cancer or the regrets that result from the opportunities in life (Jain et al.,2007)
Other anxieties related to future expectations like pain suffering and the loss of life. The
exercises of mindfulness offer some powerful antidotes to the origin of stress in cancer
individuals. These stresses lie in their memories and imaginations through focusing on present
experiences. Many of the cancer individuals are interested in the mindfulness-based stress
reduction (MBSR) originates from the beliefs that an individual with cancer might have resulted
from the expectations from the stress and other psychological factors. Through mindfulness-
based stress reduction, awareness has been raised to these cancer patients on how they should
moderate their levels of anxiety. The knowledge has greatly helped in dealing with the side
effects associated with the cancer infections. These side effects are the pain and nausea. Thus,
allowing them to assume their active roles and also act to their daily routines (Jha, Stanley,
Kiyonaga, Wong & Gelfand, 2010)
MBSR readiness in these aspects in very many ways. Therefore, adapting to the practices and
the attitudes of the acceptance that holds the experiences and helping in giving up to the

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imperative feelings. Accepting and facing the skills as they are calls for patients to some of the
limitations and losses. These losses and constraints create a ground for personal expression in
enhancing self-efficacy.
The other central part of mindfulness is based on the character strengths. Some of these
characters facilitate the practices of mindfulness and the results of its methods. Some of the
programs within the mindfulness-based practices are sited meditation, the body scan, meditation
while eating and the mindful walk. The aware body scan invites individuals for curiosity and the
compassionate about its practice. The kindness directed to one's self is the central part of the
meditation practices. The next commonly used method is the few little space breath. The
practice involves the tuning to the present conditions. Breath focusing and then the expansion of
the awareness within the body. It can be attributed to the methods of three unique strengths.
These include one for the curiosity, self-regulation at the concentration stage and different
perspectives. The mindful walk is assigned to the way one can activate the behaviors associated
with the wellbeing and the energy (Miller, Fletcher & Kabat-Zinn, 1995)
In conclusion, mindfulness has provided many opportunities in expressing the strengths
and the work within the emerging contextual minor distinctions. The empirical research
members are left with many questions which require answers. One of them is whether focusing
on the traits strengths improves those strengths. Mindfulness helps the individuals to enhance the
powers and also express their value for another individual.

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