Analysis Of Ellen Langer's Mindfulness

Introduction

In Mindfulness, Ellen Langer presents her research on mindfulness and mindlessness in work, health, interpersonal relationships, and everyday living. Mindful qualities include the ability to create new categories, openness to new information, awareness of more than one perspective, attention to process rather than outcome and control over context. Mindfully considering things in new and thought-provoking ways can seem difficult but it leads to an “exhilarating, never tiring” control of our own thinking (Langer, 1989, pg. 137). Mindfulness can lead to several benefits including increased “flexibility, productivity, innovation, leadership ability, and satisfaction” (Langer, 1989, pg. 133). When we actively engage in the present

137). I entered Pacific Clinics with energy and openness to a new experience. The first intake I observed was beside the employment specialist. She was meeting with a new client that was diagnosed with ADHD and interested in securing a job. With no experience in this area, I had no preconceptions about the work ability of the client. However, as the meeting progressed, it became clear that the employment specialist had placed this client into a category. It was conveyed by the tone of her voice and the way she asked each question that she had an idea of this mans abilities before she knew his narrative. She began by asking him a series of impersonal questions to fill in the information necessary for the intake forms. She asked each question automatically as if she had repeated this task hundreds of times and always reached the necessary

However, Langer shows that through mindlessness we may not be fully present or conscious during these activities. This mindlessness can disconnect us from our behaviors and ultimately limit our experiences. Incorporating mindfulness into occupational therapy practice can help increase client awareness of the present and establish a deeper meaning in daily activities. Occupational therapists can also integrate mindfulness into their professional and person life to become further aware of their own participation in meaningful occupations.

In developing my skills as an occupational therapist, it may become difficult to maintain mindfulness. As routines and habits become established, I may acquire automatic behaviors or become focused on the outcome rather than the process. In order to overcome these challenges, I must become aware of my own mindset. According to Taylor (2008), the most effect therapists are the ones that continually assess their interpersonal behaviors in therapy. Mindfully evaluating my interpersonal behaviors can allow me to reassess habitual ways of thinking and develop a greater sense of