A Contemplative Perspective on Mind Wandering

Abstract

In this chapter, perspectives on mind wandering will be explored from the point of view of contemplative practices, such as meditation and mindfulness.To the contemplative practitioner, mind wandering directs attention toward mental constructions, such as imagined futures, which are considered central to human suffering (Bartok J, Roemer L (2017) Remembering-and-receiving: mindfulness and acceptance in Zen. In: Masuda A, O’Donohue WT (eds) Handbook of zen, mindfulness, and behavioral health. Springer, p 237-250; Hazlett-Stevens H (2017) Zen, mindfulness, and cognitive-behavior therapy. In: Masuda A, O’Donohue WT (eds) Handbook of Zen, mindfulness, and behavioral health. Springer, p 255-270; Im S (2017) What is measured by self-report measures of mindfulness?: Conceptual and measurement issues. In: Masuda A, O’Donohue WT (eds) Handbook of Zen, mindfulness, and behavioral health. Springer, p 215-235; Kabat-Zinn, Mindfulness 7:277-278, 2016). When attention is diverted away from what is happening here and now in favor of past events or prospective futures, a sense of dissatisfaction, or dukkha, is created (Hazlett-Stevens H (2017) Zen, mindfulness, and cognitive-behavior therapy. In: Masuda A, O’Donohue WT (eds) Handbook of Zen, mindfulness, and behavioral health. Springer, p 255-270; Kabat-Zinn, Mindfulness 7:277-278, 2016; Li P, Ramirez DR (2017) Zen and psychotherapy. In: Masuda A, O’Donohue WT (eds) Handbook of Zen, mindfulness, and behavioral health. Springer, p 169-194; Rosch,E (2015) The Emperor’s clothes: A look behind the Western mindfulness mystique. In: Ostafin BD, Robinson MD, Meier BP (eds) Handbook of mindfulness and self-regulation. Springer, p 271-292) which the contemplative practitioner regards as something to wake up from.Mind wandering describes thoughts and feelings that deviate from the present task of the here and now (Smallwood and Schooler, Psychological Bulletin 132(6):946-958, 2006). Mind wandering can occur involuntary while engaged in various tasks, drawing attentional resources away by thinking of something, or sometime, else (Mason et al., Science 315(5810):393-395, 2007). For instance, task-unrelated thinking, or mind wandering, during reading or other academic activities can affect reading comprehension and cause a decrease in academic performance (Mooneyham and Schooler. Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology/Revue Canadienne de Psychologie Expérimentale 67(1):11-18, 2013; Smallwood et al., Consciousness and Cognition 12(3):452-484, 2003; Smallwood et al., Psychonomic Bulletin & Review 14(2):230-236, 2007; Smallwood et al., Memory & Cognition 36(6):1144-1150, 2008). Mind wandering can take the form of rumination or worry, key factors underlining mental disorders such as depression and anxiety. Mind wandering has also been described as a deficit in attentional control and memory (McVay & Kane, 2009; Unsworth & McMillan, 2014) and is a predictor of performance errors and negative mood and correlates with depression (Smallwood et al., Memory & Cognition 36(6):1144-1150, 2008; Smallwood and O’Connor. Cognition & Emotion 25(8):1481-1490, 2011; Smallwood and Schooler, Psychological Bulletin 132(6):946-958, 2006).The use of contemplative practice to alleviate some of the negative effects of mind wandering is presented. How mind wandering is seen from a contemplative point of view will be presented along with application of contemplative practice in mental health professional and educational settings. Mind wandering also plays a role in self-identity. The contemplative perspective on this is that the sense of self is, in part, a result of mind wandering.KeywordsContemplative practiceDefault mode networkMeditationMindfulnessMBSRMBCTMind wandering