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Mindfulness is defined as learning to pay attention intentionally, in the present moment, and non-judgementally. It has provided the basis for significant new developments in cognitive therapy and a range of mindfulness-based therapies programmes aim to help participants to learn to focus their attention on positive experiences in the here and now and to become more self-accepting.
In The Mindful Brain, Daniel Siegel argues that developing a capacity for mindfulness has a significant range of benefits. He draws on extensive research studies to argue that ‘specific applications of mindful awareness improve the capacity to regulate emotion, to combat emotional dysfunction, to improve patterns of thinking, and to reduce negative mindsets’ (p. 6). He goes on to suggest that this can improve physical as well as mental health, for example in boosting the immune system.
One of the main themes of the book is an exploration of the links between mindfulness and the attachment theory concept of attunement, meaning the way in which a parent, for example, focuses attention on the internal world of his or her child. This attunement ‘harnesses neural circuitry that enable two people to ‘feel felt’ by each other’ and Siegel suggests that this is crucial in creating and maintaining vibrant, reflective and harmonious relationships (p. xiv). In Siegel's view, attunement is the foundation stone of self-regulation; mindfulness can be regarded as