To be honest it was quite a few sessions after my shrink introduced that topic before I said “Hey, can we just be clear about what you mean when you say practising mindfulness”. Let’s start with the American Psychological Association's Dictionary [1]
Mindfulness n. awareness of one’s internal states and surroundings. The concept has been applied to various therapeutic interventions—for example, mindfulness-based cognitive behaviour therapy, mindfulness-based stress reduction, and mindfulness meditation—to help people avoid destructive or automatic habits and responses by learning to observe their thoughts, emotions, and other present-moment experiences without judging or reacting to them. —mindful adj.
We often equate meditation with mindfulness but it’s worth noting that meditation is a practice and mindfulness is a quality. Also, there are other benefits, practices and uses for each.[2] If you are interested in pretty graphics then there is of course something for you at Information is Beautiful by none other than David McCandless, a name familiar to hardcore data-viz nerds [3].
There are also many different types of meditation. The meditation that we do at ND&MW every Monday (at 11:30am Eastern - plug plug) is a mindfulness meditation. You can also practise mindfulness informally, such as mindful walking, eating, swimming or even having a shower.[4]
The answer is yes and no. There are a couple of disclaimers in the Psychology field. For people with trauma, it may bring up some painful memories, so it’s worth checking in with your therapist & having a support buddy to check in with.
Also, quite a few neurodivergent folks have reported having had a hard time with meditation and mindfulness. Neuro-affirming and Actually AuDHD mental health professional Dasha Koleshik points out:
My thoughts will never stop, nor can I have a relaxing time “watching them go by” ... watching my thoughts would be like watching a Formula 1 race… yeah, not my idea of a chillaxing time either. Don’t feel like a failure. You’re still awesome, even if your brain doesn’t “switch off” or “go quiet” enough for you to “observe your thoughts”.[5]
Sue Hutton unpacks the findings of the mindfulness research program at CAMH Toronto that “a large number of neurodiverse people have told me they are mindfulness drop-outs.”[6] One young autistic woman described her experience “When I’m told to focus on sensations of my breath, I feel like there is a noose wrapped around my neck, getting tighter and tighter as I keep paying attention.”
As Sue says, the mindfulness practice developed in the 1980s didn’t have the modifications needed for a wide variety of brains. ND folk know very well that it’s a minority of health care professionals that accommodate neurodivergent clients. If you are someone with Aphantasia and not able to create pictures in your mind, then you may not find the visualisations in some meditation practices to be helpful. If you have different experiences of interoception, following along with descriptions of body sensations, like breathing, might not map at all with what you are being told.
So where does that leave us? Are neurodivergent folks left out? Not at all. As Sue points out
Mindfulness has something to offer the world. Neurodiversity has something to offer mindfulness.
Like in most other parts of our life, such as accommodations at home and work, individualising your practice of mindfulness can be the answer. If feeling your breathing is hard maybe adding a soft sound to the aspiration is easier to follow. If you have a racing mind and a sensitivity to sound, maybe noise cancelling headphones and a walk over the bridge.
I’m a big fan of swimming laps including slowing my speed to fit my breathing, whilst noticing my thoughts and the whole-body sensations as I swim through the water. Another curious one: it might not look like mindful meditation but cooking familiar recipes is also a mindful practice for me. I know a few bakers that would agree.
If you want to take it further, Sue has a follow up article of tips for neurodiverse meditation practice.[7] No matter what your identity, whatever works best for you is best for you.
Thanks for following us on this mindfulness journey. Maybe we’ll see you at a Monday Meditation Meetup.
Shelly and Heath