Abstract
Mindfulness is proposed as a core psychotherapy process. It is defined as a state of psychological freedom that occurs when attention remains quiet and limber, without attachment to any particular point of view. It can be shown that this process is collaborativefy employed by psychotherapist and patient within all psychotherapy orientations, and also by the integrative psychotherapist when making optimal choices among orientations. This article addresses (1) the defining attributes of mindfulness, (2) relevant conceptual approaches that lend theoretical support for a mindfulness factor, (3) two attentional forms of mindfulness that seem to have particular correspondence with either psychodynamic or cognitive-behavioral therapy, (4) clinical applications, and (5) the role of mindfulness for the integrative decision-making process.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Andrews, J. D. W., Norcross, J. C., & Halgin, R. P. (1992). Training in psychotherapy integration. In J. C. Norcross & M. R. Goldfried (Eds.), Handbook of psychotherapy integration (pp. 563–593). New York: Basic Books.
Arkowitz, H. (1995). Common factors or processes of change in psychotherapy? Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 2, 94–100.
Beck, A. T., Rush, A. J., Shaw, B. F., & Emery, G. (1979). Cognitive therapy of depression. New York: Guilford Press.
Bohart, A. (1983). Detachment: A variable common to many psychotherapies? Paper presented at the 63rd Annual Convention of the Western Psychological Association, San Francisco, CA.
Bohart, A., & Tallman, K. (1996). The active client: Therapy as self-help. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 36, 7–30.
Bugental, J. F. T. (1987). The art of the psychotherapist. New York: W. W. Norton.
Bugental, J. F. T., & Sterling, M. M. (1995). Existential-humanistic psychotherapy: New perspectives. In A. S. Gurman & S. B. Messer (Eds.), Essential psychotherapies (pp. 226–260). New York: Guilford Press.
Castaneda, C. (1972). Journey to Ixtlan. New York: Simon & Schuster.
Chodron, P. (1997). When things fall apart. Boston: Shambhala.
Cortright, B. (1997). Psychotherapy and spirit. Albany: State University of New York Press.
Craske, M. G., & Barlow, D. H. (1993). Panic disorder and agoraphobia. In D. H. Barlow (Ed.), Clinical handbook of psychological disorders (pp. 1–48). New York: Guilford Press.
Deikman, A. (1976). A guide to implementing the receptive mode. National Park Service, U.S. Department of Interior.
Deikman, A. J. (1982). The observing self. Boston: Beacon Press.
Epstein, M. D. (1984). On the neglect of evenly suspended attention. Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 16, 193–205.
Epstein, M. (1995). Thoughts without a thinker. New York: Basic Books.
Frank, J. D. (1995). Psychotherapy as rhetoric: Some implications. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 2, 90–93.
Gallwey, T. W. (1974). The inner game of tennis. New York: Bantam.
Garfield, S. L. (1992). Eclectic psychotherapy: A common factors approach. In J. C. Norcross & M. R. Goldfried (Eds.), Handbook of psychotherapy integration (pp. 169–201). New York: Basic Books.
Gergen K. J. (1991). The saturated self. New York: Basic Books.
Goldfried, M. R., Castonguay, L. G., & Safran, J. D. (1992). Core issues and future directions in psychotherapy integration. In J. C. Norcross & M. R. Goldfried (Eds.), Handbook of psychotherapy integration (pp. 593–617). New York: Basic Books.
Goleman, D. (1980). A map for inner space. In R. N. Walsh & F. Vaughan (Eds.), Beyond ego (pp. 141–150). Los Angeles: J. P. Tarcher.
Hanh, T. N. (1976). Miracle of mindfulness: A manual of meditation. Boston: Beacon Press.
Heard, H. L. & Linehan, M. M. (1994). Dialectical behavior therapy: An integrative approach to the treatment of borderline personality disorder. Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, 4, 55–83.
Helson, H. (1964). Adaptation level theory. New York: Harper & Row.
Horowitz, M. J. (1988). Introduction to psychodynamics: A new synthesis. New York: Basic Books.
Hunt, Morton (1994). Natural history of love. New York: Anchor Books.
Kabat-Zinn, J. (1994). Wherever you go there you are. New York: Hyperion.
Krishnamurti, J. (1964). The problem of freedom. In D. Rajagopal (Ed.), Krishnamurti: Think on these things (pp. 9–17). New York: HarperCollins.
Langer, Ellen. (1989). Mindfulness. New York: Addison-Wesley.
Layton, M. (1995, November/December). Mastering mindfulness. Family Therapy Networker, pp. 28–30.
Mahoney, M. J. (1991). Human change processes. New York: Basic Books.
Mander, J. (1992). In the absence of the sacred. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books.
Martin, J. R. (1988). A multi-modal analysis of self-esteem motivation. Paper presented at 68th Annual Convention of the Western Psychological Association, San Francisco, CA.
Martin, J. R. (1995). Mindfulness: A common factor? Paper presented at 11th Annual Conference of the Society for the Exploration of Psychotherapy Integration, Washington, DC.
Martin, J. R. (1996). When (and how) does psychotherapy integration improve clinical effectiveness? In J. C. Norcross (Ed.), When (and how) does psychotherapy integration improve clinical effectiveness? A roundtable. Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, 6, 295–332.
Martin, J. R. (1997, April). Limbering across cognitive-behavioral, psychodynamic, and systems orientations. In J. R. Martin (Chair), Retooling for integration: Perspectives on the training of post-licensed psychotherapists. Symposium presented at the 13th annual conference of the Society for the Exploration of Psychotherapy Integration, Toronto, Canada.
Rogers, C. (1951). Client-centered therapy. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Rosenbaum, R., & Dyckman, J. (1996). No self? No problem! Actualizing the empty self in psychotherapy. In M. Hoyt (Ed.), Constructive therapies (Vol. II; pp. 238–274) New York: Guilford Press.
Rosenhans, D. L. (1973). On being sane in insane places. Science, 179, 250–257.
Roszak, T. (1993). Ecopsychology. San Francisco: Sierra Club.
Safran, J. D. (1989). Insight and action in psychotherapy. Journal of Integrative and Eclectic Psychotherapy, 8(3), 3–19.
Safran, J. D., & Segal, Z. V. (1990). Interpersonal process in cognitive therapy. New York: Basic Books.
Sampson, E. E. (1986). What has been inadvertently discovered? A commentary. Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour, 16, 33–39.
Speeth, K. R. (1982). On psychotherapeutic attention. Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 14, 141–160.
Wachtel, P. L. (1989). The poverty of affluence. Philadelphia, PA: New Society Publishers.
Wachtel, P. L. (1991). From eclecticism to synthesis: Toward a more seamless psychotherapeutic integration. Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, 1, 43–54.
Wachtel, P. L., & McKinney, M. K. (1992). Cyclical psychodynamics and integrative psychodynamic therapy. In J. C. Norcross & M. R. Goldfried (Eds.), Handbook of psychotherapy integration (pp. 335–373). New York: Basic Books.
Wachtel, P. L. (1993). Therapeutic communication. New York: Guilford Press.
Watts, A. (1975). Tao: The watercourse way. New York: Pantheon Books.
Weekes, C. (1976). Simple, effective treatment of agoraphobia. New York: Hawthorn Books.
Weinberger, J. (1995). Common factors aren't so common: The common factors dilemma. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 2, 45–69.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Martin, J.R. Mindfulness: A Proposed Common Factor. Journal of Psychotherapy Integration 7, 291–312 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:JOPI.0000010885.18025.bc
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:JOPI.0000010885.18025.bc