Mindfulness and Marines

 

On Sunday I read an article in the local newspaper that described mindfullness experiments that are being conducted by the Marine Corps.  A goal is understanding the differences in stress responses between groups of Marines trained in mindfulness techniques and those of a control group not trained in the techniques.  The article also addressed the misunderstanding that mindfulness training includes a religious element.  This mistaken belief has kept some people from learning this valuable information.

I have been very impressed with the usefulness of mindfulness in psychotherapy since learning about Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) many years ago.  The work of Jon Kabat-Zinn in researching mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts Medical School has also been important.    I recommend his books, especially Coming To Our Senses.    

Bill