Abstract
The Guest House, a poem by Rumi (translated by Barks & Moyne, 1997) that has been utilized in mindfulness-based therapeutic approaches (e.g., Roemer & Orsillo, 2002; Segal, Williams, & Teasdale, 2002), conveys the essence of mindfulnessandexperiential acceptance. Such a “stance” stands in sharp contrast to the approach that many of us take toward our thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations, particularly those that we label “unwanted.” Bringing mindfulness and/or acceptance to our private experiences may fundamentally alter our relationship to these phenomena. How would we know if an individual was willing to “welcome and entertain them all” (Segal, 2003)? What might it look like to “meet them at the door laughing”? How might we measure this critical shift via self-report or experimental designs?
Access provided by Autonomous University of Puebla. Download to read the full chapter text
Chapter PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Keywords
- Emotion Regulation
- Emotional Intelligence
- Anxiety Sensitivity
- Mindfulness Training
- Mindfulness Meditation
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
References
Bach, P., & Hayes, S. C. (2002). The use of acceptance and commitment therapy to prevent the rehospitalization of psychotic patients: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 70, 1129–1139.
Baer, R. A. (2003). Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical Psychology: Science & Practice, 10, 125–143.
Baer, R. A., Smith, G. T., & Cochran, K. B. (2004). Assessment of mindfulness by self-report: The Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills. Assessment, 11, 191–206.
Barks, C., & Moyne, J. (1997). The essential Rumi. San Francisco: Harper.
Barrios, B., & Hartmann, D. P. (1986). The contributions of traditional assessment: Concepts, issues, and methodologies. In R. O. Nelson & S. C. Hayes (Eds.), Conceptual foundations of behavioral assessment (pp. 81–110). New York: Guilford.
Bishop, S. R. (2002). What do we really know about mindfulness-based stress reduction? Psychosomatic Medicine, 64, 71–84.
Bishop, S. R., Lau, M., Shapiro, S., Carlson, L., Anderson, N. D., Carmody, J., et al. (2004). Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 11, 230–241.
Bishop, S. R., Segal, Z. V., Lau, M., Anderson, N. D., Carlson, L., Shapiro, S., et al. (2003). The Toronto Mindfulness Scale: Development and validation. Manuscript in preparation.
Blackledge, J. T., & Hayes, S. C. (2001). Emotion regulation in acceptance and commitment therapy. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 57, 243–255.
Block-Lerner, J., Plumb, J. C., & Orsillo, S. M. (2003, November). Facilitating an experientially accepting stance in the laboratory: Can we design manipulations to test mechanisms of change? Paper presented at the Association for Advancement of Behavior Therapy, Boston, MA.
Borkovec, T. D. (2002). Life in the future versus life in the present. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 9, 76–80.
Breslin, C. F., Zack, M., & McMain, S. (2002). An information processing analysis of mindfulness: Implications for relapse prevention in the treatment of substance abuse. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 9, 275–299.
Brown, K.W., & Ryan, R. M. (2003). The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84, 822–848.
Buchheld, N., & Walach, H. (2002). Mindfulness in Vipassana meditation and psychotherapy: Development of the Freiburg Mindfulness Questionnaire. Zeitschrift für Klinische Psychologie, Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, 50, 153–172.
Cambell-Sills, L., Barlow, D. H., Brown, T. A., & Hoffman, S. G. (2004). Appraisal and regulation of emotion in anxiety and mood disorders. Manuscript submitted for publication.
Campos, P. E. (2002). Integrating Buddhist philosophy with cognitive and behavioral practice (Introduction). Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 9, 38–40.
Catanzaro, S. J., & Mearns, J. (1990). Measuring generalized expectancies for negative mood regulation: Initial scale development and implications. Journal of Personality Assessment, 54, 546–563.
Craven, J. L. (1989). Meditation and psychotherapy. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 34, 648–653.
Davidson, R. J., Kabat-Zinn, J., Schumacher, J., Rosenkranz, M., Muller, D., Santorelli, S., et al. (2003). Alterations in brain and immune function produced by mindfulness meditation. Psychosomatic Medicine, 65, 564–570.
Deikman, A. J. (1982). The observing self: Mysticism and psychotherapy. Boston: Beacon Press.
Delprato, D. J. (1981). The constructional approach to behavioral modification. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 12, 49–55.
Dimidjian, S., Linehan, M. M., Marlatt, G. A., & Segal, Z. (2002, November). Mindfulness practice: Clinical application and training. Clinical roundtable conducted at the annual meeting of the Association for Advancement of Behavior Therapy, Reno, NV.
Dimidjian, S., & Linehan, M. M. (2003). Defining an agenda for future research on the clinical application of mindfulness practice. Clinical Psychology: Science & Practice, 10, 166–171.
Dougher, M. J. (1994). The act of acceptance. In S. C. Hayes, N. S. Jacobson, V. M. Follette, & M. J. Dougher (Eds.), Acceptance and change: Content and context in psychotherapy (pp. 37–45). Reno, NV: Context Press.
Dunn, B. R., Hartigan, J. A., & Mikulas, W. L. (1999). Concentration and mindfulness meditations: Unique forms of consciousness. Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback, 24, 147–165.
Eifert, G. H., & Heffner, M. (2003). The effects of acceptance versus control contexts on avoidance of panic-related symptoms. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 34, 293–312.
Feldman, G. C., Hayes, A. M., Kumar, S. M., & Greeson, J. M. (2003, November). Clarifying the construct of mindfulness: Relations with emotional avoidance, overengagement, and change with mindfulness training. Paper presented at the Association for Advancement of Behavior Therapy, Boston, MA.
Gratz, K. L., & Roemer, L. (2004). Multidimensional assessment of emotion regulation and dysregulation: Development, factor structure, and initial validation of the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 26, 41–54.
Gross, J. J., & John, O. P. (2003). Individual differences in two emotion regulation processes: Implications for affect, relationships, and well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85, 348–362.
Haas, J. R. (1994). The elusive nature of acceptance. In S. C. Hayes, N. S. Jacobson, V. M. Follette, & M. J. Dougher (Eds.), Acceptance and change: Content and context in psychotherapy (pp. 33–35). Reno, NV: Context Press.
Hayes, A. M., & Feldman, G. (2004). Clarifying the construct of mindfulness in the context of emotion regulation and the process of change in therapy. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 11, 255–262.
Hayes, S. C. (1984). Making sense of spirituality. Behaviorism, 12, 99–110.
Hayes, S. C. (1994). Content, context, and types of psychological acceptance. In S. C. Hayes, N. S. Jacobson, V. M. Follette, & M. J. Dougher (Eds.), Acceptance and change: Content and context in psychotherapy (pp. 13–32). Reno, NV: Context Press.
Hayes, S. C. (2002a). Acceptance, mindfulness, and science. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 9, 101–106.
Hayes, S. C. (2002b). Buddhism and acceptance and commitment therapy. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 9, 58–66.
Hayes, S. C., Barnes-Holmes, D., Roche, B. (Eds.). (2001). Relational frame theory: A post-Skinnerian account of human language and cognition. New York: Plenum.
Hayes, S. C., Bissett, R. T., Korn, Z., Zettle, R. D., Rosenfarb, I. S., Cooper, L. D., et al. (1999). The impact of acceptance versus control rationales on pain tolerance. The Psychological Record, 49, 33–47.
Hayes, S. C., Brownstein, A. J., Haas, J. R., & Greenway, D. E. (1986). Instructions, multiple schedules, and extinction: Distinguishing rule governed from schedule controlled behavior. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 46, 137–147.
Hayes, S. C., Follette, V., & Linehan, M. M. (2004). Mindfulness and acceptance: Expanding the cognitive-behavioral tradition. New York: Guilford.
Hayes, S. C., & Shenk, C. (2004). Operationalizing mindfulness without unnecessary attachments. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 11, 249–254.
Hayes, S. C., Strosahl, K. D., & Wilson, K. G. (1999). Acceptance and commitment therapy: An experiential approach to behavior change. New York: Guilford.
Hayes, S. C., Strosahl, K. D., Wilson, K. G., Bissett, R., T., Pistorello, J., Toarmino, D., et al. (2004). Measuring experiential avoidance: A preliminary test of a working model. The Psychological Record, 54, 553–578.
Hayes, S. C., & Wilson, K. G. (2003). Mindfulness: Method and process. Clinical Psychology: Science & Practice, 10, 161–165.
Hayes, S. C., Wilson, K. G., Gifford, E. V., Follette, V. M., & Strosahl, K. (1996). Experiential avoidance and behavioral disorders: A functional dimensional approach to diagnosis and treatment. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 64, 1152–1168.
Heaton, R. K. (1981). The Wisconsin Card Sort Test. Lutz, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.
Kabat-Zinn, J. (1990). Full catastrophe living: Using the wisdom of your body and mind to face stress, pain, and illness. New York: Dell Publishing.
Kabat-Zinn, J. (1994). Wherever you go there you are: Mindfulness meditation in everyday life. New York: Hyperion.
Kabat-Zinn, J. (2003). Mindfulness-based interventions in context: Past, present, and future. Clinical Psychology: Science & Practice, 10, 144–156.
Kumar, S. M. (2002). An introduction to Buddhism for the cognitive-behavioral therapist. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 9, 40–43.
Labouvie-Vief, G., Chiodo, L. M., Goguen, L. A., Diehl, M., & Orwoll, L. (1995). Representations of self across the life span. Psychology and Aging, 10, 404–415.
Langer, E. J. (1989). Mindfulness. Cambridge, MA: Perseus Books.
Langer, E. J., & Moldoveanu, M. (2000). The construct of mindfulness. Journal of Social Issues, 56, 1–9.
Levitt, J. T., Brown, T. A., Orsillo, S. M., & Barlow, D. H. (2004). The effects of acceptance versus suppression of emotion on subjective and psychophysiological response to carbon dioxide challenge in patients with panic disorder. Behavior Therapy, 35, 747–766
Linehan, M. M. (1993a). Cognitive-behavioral treatment of borderline personality disorder. New York: Guilford.
Linehan, M. M. (1993b). Skills training manual for cognitive behavioral treatment of borderline personality disorder. New York: Guilford.
Litz, B. (1992). Emotional numbing in combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder: A critical review and reformulation. Clinical Psychology Review, 12, 417–432.
Marlatt, G. A. (1994). Addiction and acceptance. In S. C. Hayes, N. S. Jacobson, V. M. Follette, & M. J. Dougher (Eds.), Acceptance and change: Content and context in psychotherapy (pp. 175–197). Reno, NV: Context Press.
Marlatt, G. A., & Kristeller, J. L. (1999). Mindfulness and meditation. In W. R. Miller (Ed.), Integrating spirituality into treatment: Resources for practitioners (pp. 67–84). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Martin, J. R. (1997). Mindfulness: A proposed common factor. Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, 7, 291–312.
Martin, M. M., & Rubin, R. B. (1995). A new measure of cognitive flexibility. Psychological Reports, 76, 623–626.
McCracken, L. M. (1998). Learning to live with pain: Acceptance of pain predicts adjustment in persons with chronic pain. Pain, 74, 21–27.
McCracken, L. M., & Eccleston, C. (2003). Coping or acceptance: What to do about chronic pain? Pain, 105, 197–204.
Moore, R. G., Hayhurst, H., & Teasdale, J. D. (1996). Measure of awareness and coping in autobiographical memory: Instructions for administration and coding. Unpublished manuscript, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
Neff, K. (2003a). The development and validation of a scale to measure self-compassion. Self and Identity, 2, 223–250.
Neff, K. (2003b). Self-compassion: An alternative conceptualization of a healthy attitude toward oneself. Self and Identity, 2, 85–102.
Nelson, R. O., & Hayes, S. C. (1986). The nature of behavioral assessment. In R. O. Nelson & S. C. Hayes (Eds.), Conceptual foundations of behavioral assessment (pp. 3–41). New York: Guilford.
Orsillo, S. M., Roemer, L., Block-Lerner, J., & Tull, M. T. (2004). Acceptance, mindfulness, and cognitive-behavioral therapy: Comparisons, contrasts, and application to anxiety. In S. C. Hayes, V. Follette, & M. M. Linehan (Eds.), Mindfulness and acceptance: Expanding the cognitive-behavioral tradition. New York: Guilford.
Perez-de-Albeniz, A., & Holmes, J. (2000). Meditation: Concepts, effects and uses in therapy. International Journal of Psychotherapy, 5, 49–58.
Peterson, R. A., & Reiss, S. (1992). Anxiety Sensitivity Index manual (2nd ed.). Worthington, OH: International Diagnostic Systems.
Purdon, C. (1999). Thought suppression and psychopathology. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 37, 1029–1054.
Roemer, L., & Orsillo, S. M. (2002). Expanding our conceptualization of and treatment for generalized anxiety disorder: Integrating mindfulness/acceptance-based approaches with existing cognitive-behavioral models (Featured article). Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 9, 54–68.
Roemer, L., & Orsillo, S. M. (2003). Mindfulness: A promising intervention strategy in need of further study. Clinical Psychology: Science & Practice, 10, 172–178.
Salovey, P., Mayer, J. D., Goldman, S. L., Turvey, C., & Palfai, T. P. (1995). Emotional attention, clarity and repair: Exploring emotional intelligence using the trait meta-mood scale. In J.W. Pennebaker (Ed.), Emotion, disclosure, and health (pp. 125–154). Washington, DC: APA Books.
Salters, K., & Roemer, L. (2003, November). Flexibility and sensitivity to current environmental contingencies: Exploring basic processes in experiential acceptance and avoidance. Paper presented at the Association for Advancement of Behavior Therapy, Boston, MA.
Sanderson, C., & Linehan, M. M. (1999). Acceptance and forgiveness. In W. R. Miller (Ed.), Integrating spirituality into treatment: Resources for practitioners (pp. 199–216). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Segal, Z.V. (2003, November). Discussion. In K. Salters and J. Block-Lerner (Chairs), Mindfulness and acceptance-based behavioral therapies: Methodologies and mechanisms. Symposium conducted at the Association for Advancement of Behavior Therapy, Boston, MA.
Segal, Z. V., Williams, J. M., & Teasdale, J. D. (2002). Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression: A new approach to preventing relapse. New York: Guilford.
Seligman, M. E. P. (2002). Positive psychology, positive prevention, and positive therapy. In C. R. Snyder & S. J. Lopez (Eds.), Handbook of positive psychology (pp. 89–105). New York: Oxford University Press.
Shapiro, S. L., & Schwartz, G. E. R. (2000). Intentional systemic mindfulness: An integrative model for self-regulation and health. Advances in Mind-Body Medicine, 2000, 16, 128–134.
Shapiro, S. L., & Walsh, R. (2003). An analysis of recent meditation research and suggestions for future directions. The Humanistic Psychologist, 31, 86–114.
Sternberg, R. J. (2000). Images of mindfulness. Journal of Social Issues, 56, 11–26.
Stewart, S. H., Samoluk, S. B., & MacDonald, A. B. (1999). Anxiety sensitivity and substance use and abuse. In S. Taylor (Ed.), Anxiety sensitivity: Therapy, research, and treatment of the fear of anxiety (pp. 287–319). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Street, W. R. (1994). Attitude-behavior congruity, mindfulness, and self-focused attention: A behavior-analytic reconstruction. The Behavior Analyst, 17, 145–153.
Taylor, S., & Cox, B. J. (1998). An expanded Anxiety Sensitivity Index: Evidence for a hierarchic structure in a clinical sample. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 12, 463–483.
Teasdale, J. D., Moore, R. G., Hayhurst, H., Pope, M., Williams, S., & Segal, Z. V. (2002). Metacognitive awareness and prevention of relapse in depression: Empirical evidence. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 70, 275–287.
Teasdale, J. D., Segal, Z. V., & Williams, J. M. G. (2003). Mindfulness training and problem formulation. Clinical Psychology: Science & Practice, 10, 157–160.
Tull, M.T., Jakupcak, M., & Roemer, L. (2005). Anexperimental investigation of the effect of emotional acceptance and suppression on later emotional reactivity and willingness. Manuscript submitted for publication.
Valentine, E. R., & Sweet, P. L. G. (1999). Meditation and attention: A comparison of the effects of concentrative and mindfulness meditation on sustained attention. Mental Health, Religion, and Culture, 2, 59–70.
Walsh, R. (1980). The consciousness disciplines and the behavioral sciences: Questions of comparison and assessment. American Journal of Psychiatry, 137, 663–673.
Watts, A. (2000). What is Zen? New York: MJF Books.
Wegner, D. M., & Zanakos, S. (1994). Chronic thought suppression. Journal of Personality, 62, 615–640.
Wilson, K. G., & Murrell, A. R. (2004). Values-centered interventions: Setting a course for behavioral treatment. In S. C. Hayes, V. Follette, & M. M. Linehan (Eds.), Mindfulness and acceptance: Expanding the cognitive-behavioral tradition. New York: Guilford.
Williams, K. E., Chambless, D. L., & Ahrens, A. (1997). Are emotions frightening? An extension of the fear of fear construct. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 35, 239–248.
Zettle, R. D., & Hayes, S. C. (1987). Content and process analysis of cognitive therapy. Psychological Reports, 61, 939–953.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2005 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Block-Lerner, J., Salters-Pedneault, K., Tull, M.T. (2005). Assessing Mindfulness and Experiential Acceptance. In: Orsillo, S.M., Roemer, L. (eds) Acceptance and Mindfulness-Based Approaches to Anxiety. Series in Anxiety and Related Disorders. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-25989-9_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-25989-9_3
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-0-387-25988-8
Online ISBN: 978-0-387-25989-5
eBook Packages: Behavioral ScienceBehavioral Science and Psychology (R0)