Mindfulness is an ancient practice and represents an integral part within Buddhism. First evidence of it can be found in Vedantic texts. Its main idea is to concentrate on a phenomenon or sensation (i.e. the breath) whilst accepting and acknowledging any stimuli such as noise, thoughts and physical sensations with an open and non-judgemental attitude. One of its original purposes was therefore to foster deeper levels of insight, acceptance and focus. This is regarded as one of the prerequisites for reaching the Buddhist interpretation of enlightenment.

Mindfulness is also being recognized as an effective tool for combating numerous mental health problems such as anxiety, depression and substance misuse. Emerging psychotherapeutic approaches such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) lay a great emphasis on mindfulness. Governmental health care organizations such as the NHS often run treatment programs which implement mindfulness next to conventional treatment modalities (psychotherapeutic methods), such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) or Eye Movement and Desensitization Therapy (EMDR).

Since mindfulness opposes many aspects of (mainstream!) CBT, it is surprising that both are implemented simultaneously. In CBT for example, methods such as cognitive restructuring require the individual to recognize thoughts and adapt these should they cause distress due to a distorted perception of internal or external stimuli (i.e. their environment). The act of altering certain thoughts naturally entails that some are not accepted.

Mindfulness on the other hand emphasizes the acceptance and acknowledgement of negative thoughts. When negative thoughts are openly accepted, their occurrence can be non-judgmentally acknowledged. Practicing this gives individuals the freedom to engage in more adaptive behaviors instead of unhelpful ones such as avoidance (which can for example increase and maintains low self-esteem).

Both methods of dealing with mental illness have a solid evidence base and it will be interesting to see how they develop.