Mindful Attunement

Abstract

Mindful attunement is the integration of mindful awareness and healthy, sustainable connection with both the internal and external experiences of self that drives intentional thinking and behaviors that support well-being. This chapter details how physiology, emotions, and cognitions influence a sense of internal integration and attunement. Mindful self-care is introduced as a method for cultivating mindful attunement among the internal aspects of self, within the context of external (e.g., social) challenges using the attuned representation model of self (ARMS). The connections between mindful attunement, mindful self-care, and positive embodiment are illustrated using case examples. The Mindful Self-Care Scale, a tool for the assessment of the aspects of self-care addressing each area of the ARMS through actionable practices, is reviewed. This chapter ends by detailing the mindful self-care process, which involves mindful awareness of self-care as essential to well-being, assessment of self-care domains, assessment-driven self-care goal setting, and engagement in self-care.