The Impact of Intensive Mindfulness Training on Attentional Control, Cognitive Style, and Affect

To evaluate the impact of an intensive period of mindfulness meditation training on cognitive and affective function, a non-clinical group of 20 novice meditators were tested before and after participation in a 10-day intensive mindfulness meditation retreat. They were evaluated with self-report sca...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cognitive therapy and research 2008-06, Vol.32 (3), p.303-322
Main Authors: Chambers, Richard, Lo, Barbara Chuen Yee, Allen, Nicholas B.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Attention
Behavior modification
Biological and medical sciences
Clinical Psychology
Cognition & reasoning
Cognitive Psychology
Cognitive style
Intervention
Medical sciences
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Meditation
Memory
Metacognition
Mindfulness
Original Article
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Quality of Life Research
Relaxation. Biofeedback. Hypnosis. Selfregulation. Meditation
Treatments
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Summary:To evaluate the impact of an intensive period of mindfulness meditation training on cognitive and affective function, a non-clinical group of 20 novice meditators were tested before and after participation in a 10-day intensive mindfulness meditation retreat. They were evaluated with self-report scales measuring mindfulness, rumination and affect, as well as performance tasks assessing working memory, sustained attention, and attention switching. Results indicated that those completing the mindfulness training demonstrated significant improvements in self-reported mindfulness, depressive symptoms, rumination, and performance measures of working memory and sustained attention, relative to a comparison group who did not undergo any meditation training. This study suggests future directions for the elucidation of the critical processes that underlie the therapeutic benefits of mindfulness-based interventions.
ISSN:0147-5916
1573-2819
DOI:10.1007/s10608-007-9119-0