Mindfulness-based interventions in context: Past, present, and future, 2003

Baer’s review (2003; this issue) suggests that mindfulness-based interventions are clinically efficacious, but that better designed studies are now needed to substantiate the field and place it on a firm foundation for future growth.Her  review,  coupled  with  other  lines  of  evidence,  suggests that interest in incorporating mindfulness into clinical interventions in medicine and psychology is growing.It is thus important that professionals coming to this field understand some of the unique factors associated with the delivery of mindfulness-based interventions and the potential conceptual and practical pitfalls of not recognizing the features of this broadly unfamiliar landscape.This commentary highlights and contextualizes (1) what exactly mindfulness is, (2) where it came from, (3) how it came to be introduced into medicine and health care, (4)issues of cross-cultural sensitivity and understanding in the  study  of  meditative  practices  stemming  from  other cultures  and  in  applications  of  them  in  novel  settings,(5) why it is important for people who are teaching mindfulness to practice themselves, (6) results from 3 recent studies  from  the  Center  for  Mindfulness  in  Medicine,Health Care, and Society not reviewed by Baer but which raise  a  number  of  key  questions  about  clinical  applicability, study design, and mechanism of action, and (7)current opportunities for professional training and development in mindfulness and its clinical applications.