Iterative Refinement of a Sensory-Based Mindfulness Coaching Approach: An Exploratory Qualitative Action Research...

This exploratory qualitative action research study examined the implementation and iterative refinement of mindfulness-flow-awareness-coaching (MFAC), a sensory-based mindfulness coaching approach, and explored participants' reported experiences. Six Korean university students completed pre-MFAC and post-MFAC interviews and the six-session MFAC framework. One participant's initial Session 4 was discontinued after an unexpected recollection resulted in emotional overwhelm, and an adjusted Session 4 was conducted one week later, resulting in 37 session deliveries. The study drew on interview and session transcripts, participant records, action records, and observational and reflexive notes. The first author conducted a chronological implementation analysis and reflexive thematic analysis, which identified four practice-based principles: prioritising sensory noticing over interpretation, establishing psychological safety before task completion, balancing structural consistency with responsive adaptation, and framing action-oriented activities as revisable attempts. Three themes characterised participants' reported experiences: greater openness to sensory and emotional experience, contextualised self-understanding through meaning-making, and movement towards feasible action. Participants also reported discomfort, interruptions, ambiguous experiences, and incomplete actions. These findings offer a contextually grounded account of how we refined MFAC and how participants interpreted their engagement. This study positions MFAC as a practice-informed approach rather than as evidence of therapeutic efficacy or causal psychological change. Future research employing diverse methodologies should examine its applicability and transferability to broader populations and settings.