Mindfulness in Therapy: A Critical Analysis

Initially inspired by Buddhist philosophy and practice, mindfulness has become ubiquitous in psychotherapy, counseling, and popular psychology. Several mindfulness interventions have been developed and investigated, many of them attaining strong empirical support for a variety of conditions. However, the authors argue that mindfulness interventions should not be used uncritically and indiscriminately, because, for instance, there is not enough efficacy evidence for all the uses and applications of mindfulness (e.g., mobile apps). Second, following the definition of the concept, the authors argue that detachment may decrease motivational relevance in the face of personal goals and may encourage low intensity affect in cases where this would not be either needed or desirable. On the other hand, they argue that mindfulness-based interventions can be particularly useful treating chronic and severe cases, particularly in depression, pain conditions, and addictions.