6: Conclusion

While consciousness associated with mindfulness has long been recognised in Eastern philosophy and spirituality, in major religions’ mystical spiritualism, and in certain Western philosophical teachings, it only became accepted in the West as the result of scholarly efforts (Johnsen & Tolle, 2016). Such acceptance was not straightforward, as being in a state of mindfulness could only be experienced by an individual for themselves. Mindful awareness provides clarity in understanding one’s life circumstances, disrupts previously established patterns of functioning, either temporarily or permanently, and so helps individuals to overcome unpleasant events or sentiments. As increasingly more people are practising mindfulness in ever more diverse settings, and as more objective measures have been proposed to capture the effects of mindfulness practice, there is growing evidence that mindfulness can positively impact on physical and psychological health but also bring about other benefits for subjective well-being.