Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Our Time: A Curriculum that is up to the Task

Area of Science:

• Mindfulness-Based Interventions
• Social Justice in Health
• Climate Change Psychology

Background:

• Growing public awareness of interconnected social injustices, inequities, and environmental crises.
• Mindfulness-Based Programs (MBPs), including Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), traditionally focus on individual wellbeing.
• Limited accessibility and focus on systemic social inequities within current MBP research and practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine how current social and environmental realities influence MBP teachers and researchers.
• To explore integrating anti-oppression teaching methods and content into MBSR while maintaining program fidelity.
• To foster prosocial behavior change and awareness of bias through mindfulness for 'bigger than self' concerns.

Main Methods:

• Presentation of perspectives from a racially diverse group of MBP teachers and trainers.
• Discussion on retaining MBSR fidelity while embracing anti-oppression pedagogy.
• Focus on inclusive recognition of micro, meso, and macro drivers of distress and flourishing.

Main Results:

• Mindfulness practice can foster compassionate reconnection to self, others, and the natural world.
• Inner personal transformation supports prosocial behavior change and awareness of personal bias.
• Potential for MBPs to address systemic social inequities and broader societal challenges.

Conclusions:

• There is a growing trend to explore how MBP participation can influence 'bigger than self' concerns.
• Integrating anti-oppression methods can enhance inclusivity and relevance of MBPs.
• Mindfulness practice holds potential for fostering individual and collective transformation in response to global crises.