There is a wealth of information on mindfulness, meditation and associated disciplines and my invitation to you is to conduct your own exploration into this increasingly rich realm. In the United States, the groundswell of interest in all things mindful is enormous; nevertheless this comparatively small island nation of ours is paddling behind doggedly!
With this in mind I have tried, where possible, to keep the links listed in this section UK centric.
Press Articles on Mindfulness
- Meditation improves the immune system, research shows (Daily Telegraph)
- It’s time for your meditation (The Independent)
- Meditation and mindfulness may give your brain a boost (Washington Post)
- Mind over matter (Harvard Medical School)
- Mindfulness and mental illness (Daily Mail)
Mindfulness Talks & Videos
- MBSR videos with Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, pioneer of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction.
- Audio talks by Western Buddhist Teachers – Free to download, searchable database of talks from some the leading lights in the Theravada Buddhist tradition. A fantastic resource.
Mindfulness Training
Institutions in the UK where you can train in mindfulness based approaches…oh and the granddaddy of them all which is in Massachusetts, USA.
- University of Bangor Centre for Mindfulness Research and Practice
- University of Oxford Mindfulness Centre
- University of Exeter Mood Disorders Centre
- University of Aberdeen Study in Mindfulness
- University of Massachusetts Center for Mindfulness
Retreat Centres
These retreat centres are not secular, but practice mindfulness meditation within the wider Buddhist tradition of Theravada and Insight Meditation/Vipassana.
- Gaia House in Devon
- London Insight Meditation
- Sharpham House in Devon (The Barn Retreat)
- Amaravati Buddhist Monastery in Hertfordshire
- Chithurst Buddhist Monastery in Hampshire
Mindfulness & Individual Therapy
Two excellent articles exploring the role of mindfulness in individual therapy.
- Mindfulness: What is it? Where did it come from? (PDF) – Ronald Siegel, Christopher Germer, & Andrew Olendzki published in the Clinical Handbook of Mindfulness. New York: Springer. Fabrizio Didonna (Ed.) (2008).
- What is Mindfulness? (PDF) – Christopher Germer, Insight Journal, Volume 22: Fall 2004
Mindfulness & Neuroscience
A smattering of scientific papers mostly grabbed from the Wellspring Institute (a peerless resource in its own right).
- This is your Brain on Mindfulness
- The Benefits of Being Present: Mindfulness and Its Role in Psychological Well-being
- Mindfulness Training as a Clinical Intervention: A Conceptual and Empirical Review
- Studying the Well-trained Mind
- Mindfulness: A Proposed Operational Definition
- Mechanisms of Mindfulness
- Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation
- Meditation and the Neuroscience of Consciousness
Recommended Therapists in SW London
- Alison West – Transpersonal Psychotherapist (Individuals & Groups)
- Jane Zoega – Existential Psychotherapist & Counsellor
- Belinda Rydings – Relational Coaching Psychologist
- Oliver Backhouse – Psychosynthesis Therapist & Life Coach
- Ursula James – Clinical Hypnotherapist & Author
- Bijan – Smoking Cessation Expert
And if that is not enough for you, you can find a bibliography of more scientific based papers on mindfulness in the Mindfulness Research Guide.