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Embodied Mindfulness

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Abstract

In this paper, we review different definitions and operationalization of mindfulness according to both Buddhist tradition and western conceptualizations, namely mindfulness as defined in modern mindfulness-meditation programs and Langerian mindfulness. Additionally, we compare and contrast these different approaches and propose a common link between them through the theory of embodiment. Using evidence from neurobiology, we explicate the concept of embodied mindfulness and argue for its utility in the empirical study of mindfulness and its mechanisms of change. To conclude, we briefly discuss the implications of embodied mindfulness on research and clinical interventions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, McGill University, 3700 McTavish Street, Montreal, QC, H3A 1Y2, Canada

    Bassam Khoury

  2. Department of Psychology, Harvard University, 33 Kirkland Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA

    Bassam Khoury, Francesco Pagnini & Natalie Trent

  3. Department of Psychology, McGill University, Quebec, Canada

    Bärbel Knäuper & Kimberly Carrière

  4. Department of Psychology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy

    Francesco Pagnini

  5. Istituto Mente Corpo, Bologna, Italy

    Alberto Chiesa

  6. Associazione di Psicologia Cognitiva/Scuola di Psicoterapia Cognitiva, Rome, Italy

    Alberto Chiesa

Authors
  1. Bassam Khoury
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  2. Bärbel Knäuper
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  3. Francesco Pagnini
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  4. Natalie Trent
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  5. Alberto Chiesa
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  6. Kimberly Carrière
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bassam Khoury.

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This article does not contain any studies with human participants performed by any of the authors. No official funding was provided. All authors have actively participated in this manuscript and have no competing interests.

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Khoury, B., Knäuper, B., Pagnini, F. et al. Embodied Mindfulness. Mindfulness 8, 1160–1171 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-017-0700-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-017-0700-7

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