Mindfulness and the mindful therapist: possible contributions to hypnosis

Abstract

Mindfulness, an old Buddhist practice, has gained an importance in psychotherapy such as in Hakomi, cognitive therapy or in ‘Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction’.

Mindfulness is described as being composed of four essential components: (1) attention, concentration, meta-awareness, (2) the internal observer and disidentification, (3) attention to the present moment and beginner's mind, (4) acceptance, equanimity and nonjudging. Hypnosis and mindfulness relate to each other in a complementary way in many dimensions and create spectrums between: (1) absorption – open awareness, (2) dissociation – disidentification, (3) suggestibility – consensus consciousness – awakening, (4) goal- and change-orientation – exploration – equanimity and acceptance, (5) lack of consciousness – hidden observer – internal observer, (6) regression – progression – experiencing the present moment, (7) top-down-interventions – bottom-up-interventions, (8) doing-mode – being-mode. In hypnosis these full spectrums can be used. Moreover, in the dimension of the therapeutic relationship, a mindful therapist can be beneficial for the therapeutic process, for example to support mindfulness and the internal observer and acceptance in the client and for the creation of corrective experiences. Aspects of interpersonal neurobiology of mindfulness and difficulties in making a comparison between hypnosis and mindfulness at the neurophysiological level are discussed. Copyright © 2009 British Society of Experimental & Clinical Hypnosis. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.