Had not heard this term until reading this quarter’s Tricycle, Fall 2021!
I started meditation practice in the early 1970’s as part of Karate training…
I kept an on and off practice until the early 1990’s when I spontaneously awoke at 3 am to sit pretty much every night for about 5 years.
Mostly an alone meditator, with extensive reading about Buddhism and meditation.
Eventually joined a few weekend meditations with others, and then multiple week plus Vipassana trainings at Barre MA, and later at Spirit Rock.
I was involved in research studies of the role of meditation on the immune response.
I have co-taught Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) classes for a couple of years…
I consider Jon Kabat Zinn a friend and mentor.
Jon constructed an amazing training program, stripping out religion from mindfulness training…
I have seen amazing changes when persons attend MBSR trainings…
I have also seen failures…
I have had some experience with this subject…
So… McMindfulness???
Perhaps this is a similar criticism to those modern yoga practices, when they tend toward only a physical exercise practice…
Maybe…
I seems to me the important part which gets left out of exercise yoga, is the mindfulness, meditative, practices.
This Tricycle article mentions that some individuals may be harmed by mindfulness training…
Of course, that is possible!
That is why MBSR programs needs trained practitioners, that is why retreats have trained teachers, and you need training if you use mindfulness training in your psychology practice…
There are similar risks with psychedelic therapy…
If your personality is fragmented, a practitioner first needs to assess and help create a stronger less fragmented personality…
Meditation and psychedelic therapy can both be like tossing a large boulder on to your “raft” of self…
I you have a strong raft it can fall apart and be lashed back together, perhaps leaving out parts that no longer serve, creating even a stronger raft…
http://enlightenedmdphd.blogspot.com/2018/06/the-raft-of-relationship.html
The article also mentions worries about “cultural misappropriation,” and possible reinforcement of materialistic and nihilistic elements in people and our culture…
For example, Google using mindfulness as a “tool of global capitalism.”
They didn’t even mention mindfulness training which may be used make better soldiers…
http://enlightenedmdphd.blogspot.com/2014/05/war-and-peace.html
Perhaps this is a part of evolution…
We live in a capitalistic society, everyone is trying to make a buck.
Inevitably, people will try to monetize mindfulness…
On the other hand, we all have needs for shelter, to eat, sometimes to send our kids to college…
The article also mentions that those that critique mindfulness are getting something out of being a critic, including money…
The article mentions second and third generation mindfulness… not sure I even understand what these might be…
I no longer do research in this area.
Nonetheless, I like to keep track of what is happening in these areas of mindfulness and meditation training…
My general feeling is that as mindfulness has moved into the mainstream, it will continue to evolve…
My hope is that meditation and psychedelic therapy will continue to evolve together…
http://enlightenedmdphd.blogspot.com/2017/01/invitations-and-demands-to-growth-of.html
http://enlightenedmdphd.blogspot.com/2017/03/boredom-pain-addiction.html
Namaste
