Bridging inner work and social change: Reimagining mindfulness research through the mindful tree of justice framework

As global crises deepen, there is growing recognition that social transformation requires not only structural change but also a shift in consciousness toward interconnection and collective care. Mindfulness-especially as rooted in cultural, spiritual, and justice-based traditions-offers a powerful pathway for both personal and societal transformation. In this introductory article to the special issue Leveraging Inner Transformation for Social Transformation, we advance a framework called the Mindful Tree of Justice, illustrating how mindfulness can foster inner healing, relational awareness, and collective action. Drawing from historical and contemporary movements, we situate socially engaged mindfulness as both an ancient and emergent force for liberation. The Mindful Tree of Justice metaphor integrates four key conditions that researchers can explore to enhance the transformative potential of mindfulness: critical consciousness (water), cocreation (fertilizer), centering the collective (ecosystem), and culture (soil). Mindfulness is conceptualized as the sun-illuminating inner transformation (roots), fostering interconnectedness (trunk), and energizing outer transformation (branches and leaves). We highlight empirical contributions across 11 articles from this special issue that exemplify these dimensions in historically marginalized communities and across a range of institutional settings. This framework calls researchers to move beyond individualist models of mindfulness, recentering justice, cultural wisdom, and community-led practices. We conclude by proposing future directions for research that include participatory approaches, expanded outcome measures, and deeper attention to ethics and equity. The Mindful Tree of Justice offers a regenerative vision for mindfulness as a bridge between healing and action, personal restoration and structural change. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).