Mindfulness-Based Intervention for Stress Reduction in Adult Singaporeans a Pilot Study

The mindfulness intervention will consist of three tracks of mindfulness practice adapted from a traditional Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) protocol. The three mindfulness tracks will incorporate essential elements of mindfulness practice: a) cultivating attentional stability by directing focus to present-moment bodily experiences (Moore et al., 2012), and b) fostering mindful meta-awareness by nonreactively and nonjudgmentally observing and accepting experiences (Dahl et al., 2015).

The sham meditation group will aim to be indistinguishable from meditation practice for newcomers (Zeidan et al., 2015). Non-specific elements of meditation, such as a soothing instructor's voice and terminology designed to create the expectation of authentic mindfulness meditation for those unfamiliar with the practice, will be emphasized. However, the instructions will deliberately exclude the training of the two fundamental cognitive/meta-cognitive processes crucial in mindfulness practice. This intentional omission will involve 1) removing any attentional stability by providing participants with no specific point to anchor their attention and 2) offering no guidance on cultivating mindful meta-cognitive qualities of attention. Participants in the mindfulness group will be taught to observe and accept their present-moment experience without judgment or reaction. In contrast, sham instructions will provide no such guidance.