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Raugh IM, Strauss GP. Integrating mindfulness into the extended process model of emotion regulation: The dual-mode model of mindful emotion regulation. Emotion 2024; 24:847-866. [PMID: 37843512 PMCID: PMC11009092 DOI: 10.1037/emo0001308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2023]
Abstract
Extensive research has been conducted regarding how people manage their emotions. Within this research, there has been growing attention toward the role of mindfulness in emotion regulation. While prior reviews have discussed mindfulness in the context of emotion regulation, they have not provided a thorough integration using the prevailing models of emotion regulation or mindfulness. The present review discusses the Extended Process Model of Emotion Regulation and Monitoring and Acceptance Theory of mindfulness in order to propose a novel integrated framework, the Dual-mode Model of Mindful Emotion Regulation (D-MER). This model proposes two "modes" of mindfulness: Implementation and facilitation. Implementation posits that mindfulness skills can be used as emotion regulation strategies through attentional deployment and cognitive change. Facilitation posits that mindfulness as a state or trait affects emotion generation and regulation through effects on cognitive processes and positive or negative valence systems. Further, the D-MER posits that mindfulness experience can improve the efficiency of mindfulness-based emotion regulation strategies (implementation) while effects of mindfulness on emotion regulation processes become increasingly trait-like and automatic over time (facilitation). Empirical and theoretical support for this model are discussed, specific hypotheses to guide further research are provided, and clinical implications are presented. Use of this model may identify mechanisms underlying the interaction between mindfulness and emotion regulation which can be used in ongoing affective and clinical research. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
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Ramirez-Duran D, Stokes H, Kern ML. Going within, between and beyond: An exploration of regular Ashtanga Yoga practitioners' conceptualizations of five dimensions of wellbeing. Front Psychol 2022; 13:1018620. [PMID: 36619108 PMCID: PMC9811318 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1018620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Yoga is an embodied practice underpinned by philosophical elements, seeking to evolve different dimensions of human existence for optimal functioning in relation to oneself, others and beyond. This mixed-methods research focused on 137 regular Ashtanga Yoga practitioners (AYPs) by investigating their conceptualizations of five dimensions of wellbeing (i.e., physical, emotional, psychological, social, spiritual). Conceptualizations were analysed through word count analysis and Reflexive Thematic Analysis separately for each dimension, yielding four themes in each case, which partly aligned with existing wellbeing and yoga models, and partly extended on the existing literature. Further higher level analysis identified shared meanings across these five dimensions, expressed in themes grouped within five topics (i.e., freedom from and managing suffering, a positive and integrated sense of self, a sense of equanimity and steadiness, the self in relation to others and the world, meta-awareness). Furthermore, it also portrayed each dimension as multileveled, represented in three levels of human functioning. The foundational level encompassed the absence and managing suffering, representing functioning in coping and recovery mode. The optimal functioning level included a positive and integrated sense of self, a sense of equanimity and steadiness, and the self in relation to others and the world, representing functioning in personal development and growth mode. The contemplative and transcendental level involved meta-awareness in every dimension of wellbeing, representing functioning in transpersonal mode. As a result, we propose a preliminary model informed both by this empirical work and previous theories. While the continuousness of themes across dimensions reinforces the importance of embodiment and transcendence in wellbeing frameworks, the notion of the self as a multi-level system could be further explored in relation to knowing about and cultivating wellbeing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Ramirez-Duran
- Centre for Wellbeing Science, Melbourne Graduate School of Education, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Helen Stokes
- Melbourne Graduate School of Education, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Margaret L. Kern
- Centre for Wellbeing Science, Melbourne Graduate School of Education, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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Francis SEB, Shawyer F, Cayoun B, Enticott J, Meadows GN. Group Mindfulness-Integrated Cognitive Behavior Therapy (MiCBT) Reduces Depression and Anxiety and Improves Flourishing in a Transdiagnostic Primary Care Sample Compared to Treatment-as-Usual: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:815170. [PMID: 35711582 PMCID: PMC9193586 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.815170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This study investigated the effectiveness of a group-based 8-week intervention, Mindfulness-integrated Cognitive Behavior Therapy (MiCBT), to decrease psychological distress and increase wellbeing in a heterogeneous population in primary health care. MiCBT focuses on the importance of interoception and its interaction with cognition in emotional experience. These interactions are represented in the co-emergence model of reinforcement, in which non-reactivity (equanimity) to interoceptive signals facilitates adaptive behavior. METHODS Participants (n = 125, aged 20-72) were randomized to two groups (MiCBT), and treatment-as-usual (TAU). Outcomes were assessed at pre-, mid-, and post-intervention and at 6-month follow-up. The primary outcome was psychological distress, measured by the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21). Secondary outcome measures were the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale-10 (K10), Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), and Flourishing Scale (FS). Mediator or process measures of interoceptive awareness, metacognitive awareness (decentering), equanimity, and social functioning were included to investigate putative mediators. RESULTS The MiCBT intervention significantly reduced DASS-21 scores at mid and post-treatment and the gains were maintained at 6-month follow-up (p < 0.0001, d = 0.38). Flourishing scores also showed significant improvement post-treatment and at 6-month follow-up (d = 0.24, p < 0.0001). All measures selected showed a similar pattern of positive change, with the exception of the SWLS, which failed to reach significance. Mediation analysis suggested equanimity to be the most influential mediator of the primary outcome. CONCLUSIONS The results support the effectiveness of MiCBT in creating rapid and sustainable reduction of psychological distress and improvement in flourishing in a primary mental health care setting with heterogenous groups. These promising results support the scaled-up implementation of this intervention. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION This trial is registered with the Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry: https://www.anzctr.org.au/ACTRN12617000061336.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E B Francis
- Southern Synergy, Department of Psychiatry, School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Frances Shawyer
- Southern Synergy, Department of Psychiatry, School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Bruno Cayoun
- Mindfulness-Integrated Cognitive Behavior Therapy Institute, Hobart, TAS, Australia
| | - Joanne Enticott
- Southern Synergy, Department of Psychiatry, School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Monash Centre for Health Research and Implementation, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Graham N Meadows
- Southern Synergy, Department of Psychiatry, School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Mental Health Program, Monash Health, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
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Wongpakaran N, Wongpakaran T, Wedding D, Mirnics Z, Kövi Z. Role of Equanimity on the Mediation Model of Neuroticism, Perceived Stress and Depressive Symptoms. Healthcare (Basel) 2021; 9:healthcare9101300. [PMID: 34682980 PMCID: PMC8544574 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare9101300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2021] [Revised: 09/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Equanimity is widely and commonly practiced, but few have investigated the concept in clinical research. While the mediation model of neuroticism, perceived stress and depression have been demonstrated, it remains unclear whether equanimity mediates the relationship of these variables in parallel, serial or moderated mediation models. This study aimed to investigate the role of equanimity among those models. Methods: In all, 644 general participants (74.2% female, mean age = 28.28 (SD = 10.6)) provided data on the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), the Neuroticism Inventory (NI), depression subscale of the Core Symptom Index, and the equanimity subscale of the inner Strength-based Inventory. Mediation and moderation analyses with the 5000 bootstrapping method were applied. Results: Equanimity was shown to moderate the relationship between NI/PSS and depressive symptom. Statistical evaluation supported all parallel, serial and moderated mediation models. Equanimity as a moderator provided a higher amount of percent variance explained by depressive symptoms than parallel and serial mediation models. Conclusions: Results suggest that the effect of perceived stress and neuroticism on depression can be mitigated by increasing levels of equanimity. The results demonstrated one potential benefit from practicing equanimity; enabling its extension to mental health problems could constitute an interesting focus for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nahathai Wongpakaran
- Geriatric Psychiatry Unit and Psychotherapy Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mia University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand;
| | - Tinakon Wongpakaran
- Geriatric Psychiatry Unit and Psychotherapy Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mia University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand;
- Correspondence: (T.W.); (Z.K.); Tel.: +66-53-935422 (ext. 320) (T.W.); +36-7-038-42092 (Z.K.); Fax: +66-53-935426 (T.W.)
| | - Danny Wedding
- School of Humanistic and Clinical Psychology, Saybrook University, Oakland, CA 94611, USA;
| | - Zsuzsanna Mirnics
- Institute of Psychology, Head of Department of Personality and Health Psychology, Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church in Hungary, Bécsi Street 324, H-1037 Budapest, Hungary;
| | - Zsuzsanna Kövi
- Institute of Psychology, Head of Department of Personality and Health Psychology, Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church in Hungary, Bécsi Street 324, H-1037 Budapest, Hungary;
- Correspondence: (T.W.); (Z.K.); Tel.: +66-53-935422 (ext. 320) (T.W.); +36-7-038-42092 (Z.K.); Fax: +66-53-935426 (T.W.)
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Abstract
A person's tendency to approach pleasant stimuli and to avoid unpleasant stimuli reflects a basic psychological phenomenon. The present research aimed to investigate the extent to which mindfulness practices and trait equanimity can attenuate this motivational process. In two studies, participants were asked to perform an Approach/Avoidance Task (AAT). In Study 1 (N = 84), prior to completing the AAT, participants were randomly assigned to one of two guided mindfulness-based meditation conditions (breathing or body-scan) or to an active control condition. In Study 2 (N = 71), which controlled for mindfulness practice, motor responses to the AAT were compared by level of equanimity of the participants (low vs. high). The results revealed that breathing meditation practice and trait equanimity significantly moderated participants' motor responses to the AAT, and that the body-scan meditation did not moderate these responses. Bayesian analyses showed that participants in the breathing meditation group (Study 1) and those with higher equanimity (Study 2) showed a reduction of bias in their motor responses to the AAT. These results suggest that meditation practice and trait equanimity may promote a decrease in automatic motivational approach and avoidance tendencies evoked by positive and negative stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Michaël Dambrun
- Université Clermont Auvergne, LAPSCO, Clermont-Ferrand, France
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Morse JM, Kent-Marvick J, Barry LA, Harvey J, Okang EN, Rudd EA, Wang CY, Williams MR. Developing the Resilience Framework for Nursing and Healthcare. Glob Qual Nurs Res 2021; 8:23333936211005475. [PMID: 33869667 PMCID: PMC8020405 DOI: 10.1177/23333936211005475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2021] [Revised: 03/08/2021] [Accepted: 03/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite four decades of resilience research, resilience remains a poor fit for practice as a scientific construct. Using the literature, we explored the concepts attributed to the development of resilience, identifying those that mitigate symptoms of distress caused by adversity and facilitate coping in seven classes of illness: transplants, cancer, mental illness, episodic illness, chronic and painful illness, unexpected events, and illness within a dyadic relationship. We identified protective, compensatory, and challenge-related coping-concept strategies that healthcare workers and patients use during the adversity experience. Healthcare-worker assessment and selection of appropriate coping concepts enable the individual to control their distress, resulting in attainment of equanimity and the state of resilience, permitting the resilient individual to work toward recovery, recalibration, and readjustment. We inductively developed and linked these conceptual components into a dynamic framework, The Resilience Framework for Nursing and Healthcare, making it widely applicable for healthcare across a variety of patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janice M. Morse
- University of Utah, Salt Lake City, USA
- University of Alberta
| | | | - Lisa A. Barry
- University of Utah, Salt Lake City, USA
- Intermountain Healthcare, Primary Children’s Hospital, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Jennifer Harvey
- University of Utah, Salt Lake City, USA
- Alaska Native Medical Center, Anchorage, Alaska
| | | | | | | | - Marcia R. Williams
- University of Utah, Salt Lake City, USA
- Cedarville University, Ohio
- Kettering Health Network, Cedarville, Ohio
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Eberth J, Sedlmeier P, Schäfer T. PROMISE: A Model of Insight and Equanimity as the Key Effects of Mindfulness Meditation. Front Psychol 2019; 10:2389. [PMID: 31695660 PMCID: PMC6817944 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2019] [Accepted: 10/07/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
In a comprehensive meta-analysis on the effects of mindfulness meditation, Eberth and Sedlmeier (2012) identified a multitude of positive effects that covered a wide range of psychological variables, such as heightened mindfulness as measured through contemporary mindfulness scales, reduced negative emotions, increased positive emotions, changes in self-concept, enhanced attention, perception, and wellbeing, improved interpersonal abilities, and a reduction of negative personality traits. The present research aimed at developing and testing a comprehensive model explaining the wide range of mindfulness meditation effects and their temporal and causal relationships. In Study 1, interviews with meditators at different levels of experience were analyzed using a grounded theory procedure. The resulting model was triangulated and refined by concepts from both Western research and ancient Buddhist scriptures. The model developed highlights equanimity (reduction in emotional reactivity) and insight (alteration of cognitions) as the two key effects of mindfulness meditation that eventually lead to increased wellbeing. The model was pilot-tested with a large sample of meditators and non-meditators in Study 2. Data showed an acceptable fit with the model and indicated that meditators and non-meditators score significantly differently on the model's core categories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliane Eberth
- Department of Psychology, Chemnitz University of Technology, Chemnitz, Germany
| | - Peter Sedlmeier
- Department of Psychology, Chemnitz University of Technology, Chemnitz, Germany
| | - Thomas Schäfer
- Department of Psychology, MSB Medical School Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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Mckay F. Equanimity: The somatization of a moral sentiment from the eighteenth to late twentieth century. J Hist Behav Sci 2019; 55:281-298. [PMID: 31313322 DOI: 10.1002/jhbs.21990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Over the past 40 years, mindfulness-based therapies (MBTs) have gained a reputation among the biomedical community for their ability to contribute to health, mental capital, and human flourishing. Recently, however, critical mindfulness scholars have questioned the moral import of MBTs, claiming that, in modernizing meditation, they strip Buddhist practices of their ethical and soteriological content. Inspired by Harrington and Dunne's (2015, p. 630) recent call to historicize this present discontent, I offer an account for this perceived "de-ethicization" of mindfulness, locating it in a long history of changes in the ontological infrastructures supporting moral reasoning from the eighteenth century onwards. Through the example of equanimity-a virtue that has been a part of Western and Eastern character ethics and theories of flourishing from the ancient period to the modern age-I show how, from the eighteenth century, research in the natural sciences on nervous diseases, stress, and relaxation, provided a frame for rethinking moral equanimity as a somatic experience of physiological calm. This transformation reaches its peak in the late twentieth century in research on mindfulness, which builds upon that tradition by folding into its ambit Eastern conceptions of equanimity as well. Insofar as modern MBTs continue to somatize moral virtues, I argue that they raise questions about the degree to which they are conducive to human flourishing and well-being, as opposed to the related but narrower notions of health and mental capital.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francis Mckay
- Berkeley Center for New Media, University of California, Berkeley, California
- The Transformations of the Human Program, The Berggruen Institute, Los Angeles, California
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9
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Abstract
CONTEXT Modern science and the classic text on hatha yoga, Hatha Yoga Pradipika, report physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and relational benefits of yoga practice. While all have specific suggestions for how to practice, little research has been done to ascertain whether specific practice approaches impact the benefits experienced by practitioners. AIMS Our aim was to relate the experience level of the practitioner, the context of practice approaches (time of day, duration of practice, frequency of practice, etc.), and experience level of the teacher, to the likelihood of reporting particular benefits of yoga. METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional descriptive survey of yoga practitioners across levels and styles of practice. Data were compiled from a large voluntary convenience sample (n = 2620) regarding respondents' methods of practice, yoga experience levels, and benefits experienced. Multiple logistic regression was used to identify approaches to yoga practice that positively predicted particular benefits. RESULTS Frequency of practice, either with or without a teacher, was a positive predictor of reporting nearly all benefits of yoga, with an increased likelihood of experiencing most benefits when the practitioner did yoga five or more days per week. Other aspects of practice approach, experience level of the practitioner, and the experience level of the teacher, had less effect on the benefits reported. CONCLUSIONS Practice frequency of at least 5 days per week will provide practitioners with the greatest amount of benefit across all categories of benefits. Other practice approaches can vary more widely without having a marked impact on most benefits experienced.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Anne S Rasmussen
- Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Rikke Olesen
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
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Kalra S, Priya G, Grewal E, Aye TT, Waraich BK, SweLatt T, Khun T, Phanvarine M, Sutta S, Kaush U, Manilka, Ruder S, Kalra B. Lessons for the Health-care Practitioner from Buddhism. Indian J Endocrinol Metab 2018; 22:812-817. [PMID: 30766824 PMCID: PMC6330872 DOI: 10.4103/ijem.ijem_286_17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
From its earliest days, Buddhism has been closely intertwined with the practice of medicine, both being concerned in their own way in the alleviation and prevention of human suffering. However, while the connection between Buddhism and healthcare has long been noted, there is scarce literature on how Buddhist philosophy can guide health-care practitioners in their professional as well as personal lives. In the sutras, we find analogies that describe the Buddha as a doctor, knowledge of Dharma as the treatment, and all lay people as patients. The occurrence of disease is closely related to one's mental, physical and spiritual health, society, culture, and environment. It is not enough to approach medicine in a manner that simply eradicates symptoms; the psychosocial aspects of disease and its mind based causes and remedies must be a primary consideration. Holistic care involves harmonization of all these elements, and the Buddhist philosophy offers great insight for the physician. The Buddhist medical literature lays out moral guidelines and ethics for a health-care practitioner and this has corollaries in the principles of medical ethics: nonmaleficence, benevolence, justice, and autonomy. There is emphasis on loving-kindness, compassion, empathy, and equanimity as key attributes of an ideal physician. The practice of medicine is a stressful profession with physician burnout an often neglected problem. Mindfulness meditation, as developed in Buddhism, can help health-care professionals cope up with the stress and develop the essential attributes to improve patient care and self-care. This article outlines the spiritual and ethical values which underlie Buddhist concern for the sick and gives an overview of lessons which health-care practitioners can imbibe from Buddhism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanjay Kalra
- Department of Endocrinology, Bharti Hospital, Karnal, Haryana, India
| | - Gagan Priya
- Department of Endocrinology, Fortis Hospital, Mohali, Punjab, India
| | - Emmy Grewal
- Department of Endocrinology, Ivy Hospital, Mohali, Punjab, India
| | - Than Than Aye
- President, Myanmar Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Yangon, Myanmar
| | - B K Waraich
- Department of Psychiatry, Fortis Hospital, Mohali, Punjab, India
| | - Tint SweLatt
- Department of Medicine, University of Medicine 2, Yangon, Myanmar
| | - Touch Khun
- Department of Diabetes Care, Kossamak Hospital, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
| | - Menh Phanvarine
- Department of Diabetes Care, Hope Worldwide Medical Center, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
| | - Sun Sutta
- Department of Medicine, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
| | - Uditha Kaush
- Department of Endocrinology, Colombo South Teaching Hospital, Kalubowila, Colombo, Sri Lanka
| | - Manilka
- Department of Endocrinology, National Hospital of Sri Lanka, Colombo, Sri Lanka
| | - Sundeep Ruder
- Department of Endocrinology, Life Fourways Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Bharti Kalra
- Department of Obstetrics, Bharti Hospital, Karnal, Haryana, India
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Kalra S, Joshi A, Kalra B, Shanbhag VG, Bhattacharya R, Verma K, Baruah MP, Sahay R, Bajaj S, Agrawal N, Chakraborty A, Balhara YPS, Chaudhary S, Khandelwal D, Aggarwal S, Ram N, Jacob J, Julka S, Priya G, Bhattacharya S, Dalal K. Bhagavad Gita for the Physician. Indian J Endocrinol Metab 2017; 21:893-897. [PMID: 29285455 PMCID: PMC5729680 DOI: 10.4103/ijem.ijem_259_17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
This communication presents verses from the Bhagavad Gita which help define a good clinician's skills and behavior. Using the teachings of Lord Krishna, these curated verses suggest three essential skills that a physician must possess: Excellent knowledge, equanimity, and emotional attributes. Three good behaviors are listed (Pro-work ethics, Patient-centered care, and Preceptive leadership) and supported by thoughts written in the Gita.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanjay Kalra
- Department of Endocrinology, Bharti Hospital, Karnal, Haryana, India
| | - Ameya Joshi
- Department of Endocrinology, Bhaktivedanta Hospital and Research Institute, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
| | - Bharti Kalra
- Department of Gynecology, Bharti Hospital, Karnal, Haryana, India
| | - Vivekanand G. Shanbhag
- Deputy Director, Bhaktivedanta Hospital and Research Institute, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
| | - Rajib Bhattacharya
- Associate Professor of Endocrinology, University of Kansas Medical Centre, Kansas, USA
| | - Komal Verma
- Department of Behavioural and Allied Sciences, Amity University, Rajasthan, India
| | - Manash P. Baruah
- Department of Endocrinology, Excel Center, Guwahati, Assam, India
| | - Rakesh Sahay
- Deaprtment of Endocrinology, Osmania Hospital, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
| | - Sarita Bajaj
- Department of Medicine, MLN Medical College, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Navneet Agrawal
- Department of Medicine, Diabetes Obesity Thyroid Clinic, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Nanik Ram
- Department of Endocrinology, Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Jubbin Jacob
- Department of Medicine, Christian Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana, Punjab, India
| | - Sandeep Julka
- Deaprtment of Endocrinology, CHL Hospital, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India
| | - Gagan Priya
- Department of Endocrinology, Fortis Hospital, Mohali, Punjab, India
| | - Shelley Bhattacharya
- Associate Professor of Geriatric Medicine and Palliative Care, Department of Family Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Centre, Kansas, USA
| | - Komal Dalal
- Professor Spiritual Care and Advisor Clinical Research, Bhaktivedanta Hospital and research Institute, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
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Desbordes G, Gard T, Hoge EA, Hölzel BK, Kerr C, Lazar SW, Olendzki A, Vago DR. Moving beyond Mindfulness: Defining Equanimity as an Outcome Measure in Meditation and Contemplative Research. Mindfulness (N Y) 2014; 2014. [PMID: 25750687 DOI: 10.1007/s12671-013-0269-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 146] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
In light of a growing interest in contemplative practices such as meditation, the emerging field of contemplative science has been challenged to describe and objectively measure how these practices affect health and well-being. While "mindfulness" itself has been proposed as a measurable outcome of contemplative practices, this concept encompasses multiple components, some of which, as we review here, may be better characterized as equanimity. Equanimity can be defined as an even-minded mental state or dispositional tendency toward all experiences or objects, regardless of their origin or their affective valence (pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral). In this article we propose that equanimity be used as an outcome measure in contemplative research. We first define and discuss the inter-relationship between mindfulness and equanimity from the perspectives of both classical Buddhism and modern psychology and present existing meditation techniques for cultivating equanimity. We then review psychological, physiological, and neuroimaging methods that have been used to assess equanimity, either directly or indirectly. In conclusion, we propose that equanimity captures potentially the most important psychological element in the improvement of well-being, and therefore should be a focus in future research studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaëlle Desbordes
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, 149 Thirteenth Street, Boston, MA 02129
| | - Tim Gard
- Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Elizabeth A Hoge
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
| | - Britta K Hölzel
- Institute for Medical Psychology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Catherine Kerr
- Department of Department of Family Medicine, Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI
| | - Sara W Lazar
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
| | | | - David R Vago
- Department of Psychiatry, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Boston, MA
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