In this special issue of the Journal Social Group Work in Mindfulness-Based Interventions, we celebrate the contributions of the mindfulness movement to social work with groups. For the uninitiated, mindfulness refers to a practice of paying attention and staying in the present, moment-by-moment, to feelings, thoughts, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment without being judgmental.
Since the late-1970s the work of Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) has made mindfulness more accessible and provided an opportunity to develop an evidence base for this ancient practice. To jump start this special issue, a few key things that readers are encouraged to keep in mind when practicing mindfulness in groups and on your own are:
Pay close attention to your breathing and to what you are sensing in a given moment: the sights, sounds, and smells that ordinarily escape conscious awareness.
Become aware that your thoughts and emotions are momentary and do not define you.
Tune into your body’s physical sensations using all of your senses of sight, sound, smell, taste and touch.
Research has shown that people who practice mindfulness daily can lower their blood pressure, strengthen their immune system, and improve concentration and lower stress.
I encourage readers of this special issue to explore the burgeoning field of mindfulness and to incorporate multisensory strategies in their work with groups, to open new pathways of experience and communication.
Many thanks to Diana Coholic, who has so ably, thoughtfully and mindfully guest edited this special issue of the Journal.