This is noted because the words for “mindfulness” themselves are varied and textured and come in many different definitions, as well as narratives. Having noted that, it is interesting to see that the same thing can be found in the Western tradition of understanding mindfulness in the third-wave psychotherapies.
The third-wave of cognitive behavior therapies include the following: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT; Hayes, Strosahl, & Wilson, 1999); Cognitive Behavioral Analysis System of Psychotherapy (CBASP); Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT; Linehan, 1993); Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP); and Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy (IBCT). I would also include Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT, Segal, Williams, & Teasdale), which was developed by Zindel Segal, Mark Williams and John Teasdale and based on Jon Kabat-Zinn's Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program. These third wave psychotherapies have not been without some controversy and have been scrutinized and will continue to be scrutinized. Ost (2008) reviewed many of these therapies and concluded that “the third wave treatment RCTs used a research methodology that was significantly less stringent than CBT studies; that the mean effect size was moderate for both ACT and DBT, and that none of the third wave therapies fulfilled the criteria for empirically supported treatments. The article ends with suggestions on how to improve future RCTs to increase the possibility of them becoming empirically supported treatments. However, Guadiano (2009) cited that there was a mismatch in the samples Ost cited and that Ost’s conclusion was inconclusive. Kahl (2012) concluded the following:
The third wave of behavioural psychotherapies is an important arena of moder...
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• Difficulty making eye contact
• Difficulty talking
And later the website adds that “common, everyday experiences that may be difficult to endure when you have social anxiety disorder”. These include the following:
• Using a public restroom or telephone
• Returning items to a store
• Interacting with strangers
• Writing in front of others
• Making eye contact
• Entering a room in which people are already seated
• Ordering food in a restaurant
• Being introduced to strangers
• Initiating conversations
When one goes back and looks at the symptoms of autism, it is no wonder that autism and social anxiety disorder are co-occurring diagnoses.
So for the moment, let’s look at how some of the third wave psychotherapies address anxiety and social anxiety disorder. Those most often used are the second wave CBT, and the third wave DBT, ACT, and
One of the most common anxiety disorder is social phobia, which can sometimes be interchangeable with Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD). Marc de Rosnay, and others, states that Social Anxiety Disorder is characterized by a clearly noticeable fear and avoidance of most social situations where the individual may be put under scrutiny by others, and by fear in such situations, the individual will behave in an embarrassing manner (de Rosnay). One of the most notable feature of social phobia is that it has an early onset, as early as 7-9 months in most cases. The characteristics of having social phobia, or social anxiety disorder, is that the individuals are shy when meeting new people, quiet in a large group, blush easily, and often avoids making eye contact. There are a lot of concerns/problems with having social anxiety disorder. As a group, individuals with anxiety disorders had the largest burden of role disability compared to other common mental health conditions, exceeding the burden for mood disorders and in some cases, substance abuse (Grigorenko).
In general, Social Anxiety Disorder, or Social Phobia, is defined as an anxiety disorder characterized by an overwhelming amount of anxiety and excessive self-consciousness in everyday social situations (“Social Phobia,” 2014). These individuals have trouble with basic communication and interaction, often to the point where they can physically feel the effects of their anxiety. Profuse sweating, stomach ache, and nausea are not uncommon occurrences when a person with Social Anxiety Disorder is placed in an uncomfortable situation. There are several hypothesized causes of Social Anxiety Disorder; however, one of the most
Hollon, S. D. & Beck, A. T. (2004). Cognitive and cognitive behavioral therapies. Bergin And Garfield’S Handbook Of Psychotherapy And Behavior Change, 5 pp. 447--492.
Cognitive Therapy (CT) and Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) is a type of psychotherapeutic treatment that helps clients better understand and uncover their feelings and thoughts that may influence their behaviors. Cognitive therapy aims its treatments at treating a wide range of disorders, such as depression, anxiety, addictions, and phobias. Cognitive therapy focuses on dealing with a specific problem of a client and is short-term in its therapy style. While clients are in therapy, they are guided in how to identify and correct disturbing thought patterns that have a negative influence on their behavior.
The origin of mindfulness is rooted in Buddhist philosophy and practice tradition which is more than two and half thousand years old. Mindfulness can be practisced by anyone of any faith and religion and involves training the mind and doesn’t enforce any religious belief system.
Social anxiety disorder is the third largest psychological problem in the United States. It affects approximately 15 million Americans every year. It is a widely misunderstood disorder, where nearly 90% of people with social anxiety disorder are misdiagnosed. They are often misdiagnosed with schizophrenia, manic-depression, clinical depression, panic disorder, and or personality disorder (Richards 1-3). Misdiagnosis and undertreatment of anxiety disorders, according to "The Economic Burden of Anxiety Disorders," a study commissioned by the ADAA, costs the United States more than $42 billion a year and more than $22.84 billion is linked to the repeated use of healthcare services for symptoms that mimic physical illness. In addition, people with anxiety disorder are three-to-five times more likely to go to the doctor and six times more likely to be hospitalized for psychiatric disorders when compared to those who do not suffer from anxiety disorders ("Brief Overview of Anxiety Disorders" 2) (3).
Social anxiety is a prevalent and common disorder amongst society. Social anxiety disorder is expressed as a fear in public and social situations for an individual (Kashdan, Farmer, Adams, Mcknight, Ferssizidis, Nezelf 2013). A person with social anxiety fears that a social appearance, outcome, or situation will lead a to negative response to their surrounding audience (Kashdan, Farmer, Adams, Mcknight, Ferssizidis, Nezelf 2013). However there are numerous treatments for social anxiety. Cognitive behavioral therapy is one of the most efficacious treatments that a patient may receive (Hambrick, Weeks, Harb, & Heimberg, 2003. Cognitive behavioral therapy has numerous techniques that can be used on patients. The result of using cognitive behavioral therapy on patients shows that it has long-term and short-term effectiveness (Hambrick, Weeks, Harb, & Heimberg, 2003. In conclusion a patient with social anxiety disorder should have the opportunity to try cognitive behavioral therapy.
These types encompass Cognitive Therapy, Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), and Multimodal Therapy. For instance, an individual anguish from a quiet confidence that activates negative thoughts about his or her capacity or display. As a result of these patterns of negative thinking, the person might start averting social issues or passing up opportunities for advancement (Wedding & Corsini, 2014). Cognitive behavior therapy frequently adapted for clients who are comfortable with contemplation. For CBT to be efficient, the Client must be eager to evaluate his or her logic and feelings. Such rumination may be difficult, but it is an excellent way to acquire how internal states impact outward behavior. Cognitive behavior therapy is also appropriate for people looking for an interim alternative treatment that does not inevitably contain pharmacological medication. One of the assets of CBT that aid clients was developing coping strategies that may be beneficial both now and in the
One must first understand that due to neuroplasticity, the brain is known to rewire itself after different experiences. A paper in the prestigious Nature Review, acknowledged twenty-one studies that found positive changes in neurological activity after mindfulness. Researchers observed enhanced meta-awareness in the frontal cortex, which controls executive functions; Hippocampus (memory) improvements; and changes in the corpus callosum (communication between hemispheres). (Tang, Hölzel and Posner) One notable study prompted further research into mindfulness. In this study, the participants had never undergone meditation or mindfulness training and after only eight weeks showed an increase in the elusive grey matter density and thickness in brain regions for attention, self-awareness, and memory. (Hölzel, Carmody and Vangel) With such stunning neurological changes visible on MRI images, one researcher said, “[this] is like reversing the assumed cortical thinning associated with ageing.” (Dobkin and Hassed 19) With mounting evidence for mindfulness, professionals began to find applications of mindfulness
Mindfulness is a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, as a therapeutic technique. The M square, as I call it, which stands for Mindfulness and Meditation is making an impact on today’s society, as it has been used by more people with each passing day. They are starting to acknowledge the benefits, some of which are the improvement in both mental and physical health, acceptance of one’s self, lower stress and depression, and maybe more, but to mention a few. Not excluding these two great men: Dr. Martinez, a Biocognitive Psychologist, and Keith Mitchell, an ex-American football linebacker in the National Football League. Both Dr. Martinez and Keith are strong supporters and practitioners of meditation and mindfulness.
To begin with, mindfulness is when someone can pay attention to the present moment “without being devoted to different points of view” (Martin, 1997). Along with staying focused on the present moment, mindfulness is when the particular person does not judge the current experience as the person tries to comprehend the present situation. Mindfulness makes a person reflect on one’s self by not only figuring out one’s thoughts, but also the feelings that go along with it. The complex nature of mindfulness demonstrates that it has multiple purposes that cultivates a person into realizing the potential of the brain (Davis & Hayes,
People with social anxiety may usually experience extreme distress in some of these situations: when they are being introduced to other people, being teased or criticized, being the center of attention, meeting important people or authoritative people, being watched while doing something, having to announce something in a public situation, embarrassing easily, or making eye contact. Social anxiety may be selective, though. A person may have an extreme fear of one occasion, such as public speaking, but be perfectly comfortable in any other situation.
Main Point 1: There are three main categories of phobias. The first category is Specific Phobias which are known as simple phobias. Specific phobias or simple phobias are usually fears about specific situations, living creatures, places, activities, or things. Examples of simple phobias is dentophobia (dentists), aerophobia (flying), claustrophobia (small spaces), and acrophobia (heights). The other two categories are Social Phobia and Agoraphobia. These two are known as complex phobias. The article “What is a Phobia?”, describes them as complex phobias because “they are linked to deep-rooted fear or anxiety about certain situations, incidents or circumstances, which make them more disabling than simple phobias.” Social phobia is also referred to as social anxiety disorder. Social phobia may be defined in which a person has an excessive and unreasonable fear of social situations. (Webmd.com) A person with social phobia finds being in social situations very difficult to handle with because of the lack of social skills or experiences that person may have. Going out to social events such as parties or functions may cause anxiety to a person with social phobia. There is that fear a person has of being embarrassed in public. People with this phobia may be afraid of a specific situation such as public speaking. Medicinenet.com defines “agoraphobia” as “a fear of being outside or otherwise being in a situation from which one either cannot escape or from which escaping would be difficult or humiliating.” The results of agoraphobia are anxiety and panic attacks. People with agoraphobia sometimes confine themselves inside their own home when symptoms are
Cognitive therapy approaches of psychotherapy have proved to be one of the most effective psychological approaches for a wide range of behavioral problems. “CBT teaches anxiety reduction skills that people can use for the rest of their lives. Research shows the
All of us at one point in our life have had a fear of something, whether it’s public speaking, trying something new for the first time, or even presenting just like we're all going to be doing. I'm sure most of us will be nervous and we try our best to get rid of that feeling. Some people have Social anxiety which is known as social phobia. It is the fear of social interaction with other people and of being judged and looked down upon. It can also be a fear of embarrassment. This leads to feelings of inadequacy, self-consciousness, and depression. Social anxiety is an issue that affects many individuals as it should be taken more seriously and should not be considered as a weakness. Moreover, individuals with social anxiety should not be judged