Mindfulness is the act of tuning into the present moment, a practice that can improve mental focus, memory skills, and positively impact one’s mental health. Gaining a great deal of popularity in recent years, mindfulness has also been found to be empirically beneficial, through scientific research. Research indicates that exposure to chronic stress makes individuals more vulnerable to mental health conditions, including depression and anxiety disorders.
Why is mindfulness important for mental health and how does it help? Researchers are still understanding the mechanisms behind mindfulness, but mental health disorders may be less likely to develop when mindfulness is practiced regularly. And it can be an effective component of treatment.
Read on to learn about the benefits of mindfulness for mental health. Then understand its role in the treatment of major depression, anxiety, addiction, and psychosis.
Mindfulness is the practice of being more aware of one’s experience in the present moment in a state of calm concentration. This includes focusing on thoughts, feelings, smells, and sounds occurring from one moment to the next. Evidence suggests that mindfulness works by increasing the volume, density, and thickness of brain tissue called gray matter. These changes increase connectivity among the essential brain structures responsible for cognitive processing, memory, self-awareness, and emotional regulation. As individuals improve these cognitive skills, they also learn to notice signs of stress at earlier stages when intervention is more helpful.
Individuals often respond to uncomfortable emotions and thoughts in one of two ways—avoidance, or over-engagement. Individuals may try to avoid discomfort by misusing alcohol or engaging in risky behavior. And those who get caught up in their reactions may add to their distress by ruminating or worrying.
Mindfulness-based interventions aim to break these harmful patterns from a more balanced perspective, encouraging individuals to face their discomfort with some objective distance. As a result, individuals learn to view their thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations as manageable, temporary events.
Clinicians are now utilizing mindfulness as an effective treatment component for several mental health disorders. Some uses have become established, and others are still being explored, but its efficacy in treatment is becoming clearer. Here is more about some of the most promising uses of mindfulness in mental health treatment.
Major Depression is a disorder characterized by a persistent low mood and loss of interest in enjoyable activities. Individuals also develop disrupted sleep and eating patterns, have difficulty thinking clearly, and may have thoughts of self-harm. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a first-line psychological treatment for depression focusing on the interaction between thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.
Meditation-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is an intervention combining mindfulness training with elements of CBT, with research showing MBCT is as effective for depression as standard CBT. Surprisingly, those with recurring depression relapse and treatment-resistant depression benefit significantly from this treatment approach. This is a vital development, since treatment-resistant depression presents many challenges and is associated with worse health outcomes.
Negative thinking and rumination contribute to a chronically low mood in depression. And because rumination amplifies an individual’s negative thoughts and emotions, they experience more harmful distress than those without depression in similar circumstances. Mindfulness helps individuals disengage from these harmful thought patterns. By increasing awareness of these mental behaviors, individuals can intentionally shift away from them and break the pattern of sustained negativity, effectively taking fuel from the fire.
Anxiety disorders are defined by patterns of excessive worry that persist even without a specific stressor. Muscle tension, restlessness, rumination, and fear are symptoms that commonly occur with several anxiety disorders and disrupt an individual’s daily functioning. Stress shares many of the same symptoms, but the key difference is the presence of a stressor. For example, an individual feeling stressed about getting laid off feels relieved when they find a new job, whereas an individual with anxiety feels distressed regardless of their job status.
CBT is effective at reducing anxiety symptoms, but only about half of the individuals with anxiety disorders maintain high functioning following treatment. This has opened the door for mindfulness-based interventions as an additional therapy for better outcomes.
Mindfulness-based interventions can reduce the severity of anxiety symptoms with similar efficacy to CBT. Mindfulness for anxiety teaches individuals to pay attention to their breath, scan their body for sensations, walk as a form of meditation, and use mindfulness in everyday life. Attending to the present moment is particularly valuable for individuals struggling with anxiety since worries are often directed at situations from the past or future. And instead of chasing worries when they arise, individuals can learn to remain fully present and focus on their breath. They learn that their worries can come and go, rather than occupying their mind continuously.
Addiction is a complex disorder involving compulsive behaviors, biological processes, motivation, and impaired cognitive functions. Cognitive-behavioral therapies are part of a comprehensive treatment plan for addiction, and mindfulness is emerging as another effective therapeutic element.
The compulsive nature of addiction results in automatic addictive behaviors, meaning that individuals often respond to cues and triggers without a conscious thought process. Mindfulness interrupts this by introducing greater awareness of triggers and the memories attached to them, encouraging individuals to self-regulate their addictive behaviors. As the habit of mindfulness becomes more established, an individual may approach everyday moments with a more mindful outlook. This can help individuals catch early signs of addictive behaviors and prevent them from occurring.
Mindfulness interventions for addiction are most often delivered in a group therapy format, typically for eight consecutive weeks. A clinician teaches mindfulness exercises to all group members, such as body scans and breathing exercises. Group members practice these exercises between sessions, self-monitor their symptoms, and discuss their progress each week. This therapeutic process not only combats the automatic thought processes but also helps improve connectivity in the brain and adjust the natural reward process.
Psychosis is a condition where individuals lose connection with reality, experiencing symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, agitation, and incoherent speech. When individuals have hallucinations, they believe they are seeing, hearing, or even smelling something that is not actually there. Another hallmark of psychosis is delusional thinking, where individuals hold an unshakable false belief about something bizarre or unlikely.
One study evaluated the effectiveness of mindfulness training for individuals with psychotic symptoms. A follow-up survey reported that two facets of mindfulness, “observing” (noticing feelings, thoughts, and external stimuli) and “acting with awareness” (paying attention to the present moment), were positively linked with recovery. Observing was linked with the most improvement, including symptom reduction, improved insight about their condition, and improved engagement in relationships and daily activities.
The positive impact of this study is promising, although the mechanisms behind these changes are somewhat unclear. The training itself may have been therapeutic enough to promote change, or the process of learning new skills helped individuals self-manage their symptoms. Despite the uncertainty, these positive outcomes mean mindfulness training may eventually play a more significant role in psychosis treatment.
Studies are looking more deeply into mindfulness and aim to create more targeted and effective applications of this mental health tool. As its popularity continues to expand, so does its potential impact on improving the well-being of those who practice it.
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