Mechanisms of mindfulness training: Monitor and Acceptance Theory (MAT

In the paper

“monitoring skills (Observe), but not acceptance (Accept without Judgment), increased following training compared to a waitlist control.”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Baas et al., 2014 source

In the paper

“five studies have tested this prediction.”

In the paper

“in a combined sample of meditators and non-meditators, monitoring skills (Observe) (and also acceptance skills) were related to performance on a focused attention task (Moore & Malinowski, 2009).”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Moore & Malinowski, 2009 source

In the paper

“stress (e.g., subjective and physiological stress reactivity)”

In the paper

“Over the course of mindfulness training, sustained attention also improves as the ability to maintain contact with present-moment experience develops (Chiesa et al., 2011).”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Chiesa et al., 2011 source

In the paper

“stress reduction (Creswell & Lindsay, 2014)”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Creswell & Lindsay, 2014

In the paper

“MAT posits that there are distinct and synergistic effects of attention monitoring and acceptance skills on outcomes reported in the mindfulness literature.”

In the paper

“learning the skill of attention monitoring is sufficient for improving cognitive outcomes (e.g., selective attention, sustained attention, and task switching; working memory; insight)”

In the paper

“randomized controlled trials indicate that mindfulness training can impact a broad range of outcomes, including effects on cognition and affect (e.g., attention, working memory, emotion regulation; for reviews, see Chiesa, Calati, & Serretti, 2011; Keng, Smoski, & Robins, 2011; Tang, Hölzel, & Posner, 2015)”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Chiesa, Calati, & Serretti, 2011 source
• Not checked yetcites Keng, Smoski, & Robins, 2011 source
• Not checked yetcites Tang, Hölzel, & Posner, 2015 source

In the paper

“the dispositional tendency to be mindful in daily life (as measured by validated self-report instruments of trait mindfulness) is associated with an array of beneficial emotion and attention regulation outcomes (Brown, Ryan, & Creswell, 2007).”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Brown, Ryan, & Creswell, 2007 source

In the paper

“two components are commonly described across mindfulness definitions and measures: (1) the use of attention to monitor one’s present moment experiences, and (2) a mental attitude of acceptance toward momentary experience”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Bishop et al., 2004
• Not checked yetcites Quaglia, Brown, Lindsay, Creswell, & Goodman, 2014

In the paper

“training in both attention monitoring and acceptance is necessary for improving affective (e.g., executive function tasks balancing attention and affect regulation; reductions in depressive and anxiety symptoms)”

In the paper

“In contrast to this consistent pattern of attention monitoring associating with heightened distress and negative reactivity, it is important to note that the tendency to monitor one’s experiences has also been shown to enhance some positive outcomes.”

In the paper

“Systematic desensitization and exposure therapies also involve a willingness to monitor difficult experiences with a stance of acceptance (e.g., Becker & Zayfert, 2001).”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Becker & Zayfert, 2001 source

In the paper

“Self-reported acceptance correlates with less automatic emotional responding, characterized by decreased anterior insula activity in response to negative stimuli (Paul, Stanton, Greeson, Smoski, & Wang, 2013)”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Paul, Stanton, Greeson, Smoski, & Wang, 2013 source

In the paper

“In another student sample, participants high in monitoring (Observe) but low in acceptance (Nonjudgment) had higher levels of depressive and anxiety symptoms, affective lability, and distress intolerance than participants low in both monitoring and acceptance skills (Pearson, Lawless, Brown, & Bravo, 2015).”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Pearson, Lawless, Brown, & Bravo, 2015 source

In the paper

“Across a number of healthy and patient populations, the tendency to monitor (Observe) one’s experiences has been consistently related to greater psychological distress outcomes in affective contexts.”

In the paper

“This early engagement and disengagement with affective stimuli influences the trajectory of the emotional experience, reducing ongoing emotional reactivity and the need for cognitive change and response modulation strategies (Slutsky, Rahl, Lindsay, & Creswell, in press).”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Slutsky, Rahl, Lindsay, & Creswell, in press

In the paper

“In accordance with previous theoretical work (Creswell & Lindsay, 2014), MAT suggests that attention monitoring skills may impact stress-related health outcomes through their association with affective reactivity and increased focus on negative cues.”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Creswell & Lindsay, 2014

In the paper

“without concomitant training in acceptance, initial skill development in attention monitoring may increase attention toward salient distressing stimuli, intensifying negative affective states”

In the paper

“Active acceptance fosters a middle way between suppressing experiences and over-identifying with them.”

In the paper

“an accepting mindset has been effective for adjusting to chronic pain (McCracken, 1998)”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites McCracken, 1998 source

In the paper

“suggesting that in the absence of an accepting orientation towards distressing experiences, closely monitoring these experiences may exacerbate them.”

In the paper

“Acceptance has also been described as an important mechanism of change in a number of psychotherapeutic treatment approaches (e.g., ACT and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT); Hayes, Villatte, Levin, & Hildebrandt, 2011; Herbert, Forman, & England, 2009)”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Hayes, Villatte, Levin, & Hildebrandt, 2011 source
• Not checked yetcites Herbert, Forman, & England, 2009

In the paper

“Finally, because monitoring heightens affective experience, monitoring is not predicted to improve cognitive performance on affectively-charged tasks; affect can disrupt cognitive performance unless effectively processed and quickly regulated.”

In the paper

“when instructed to adopt an accepting stance toward their monitored experience, panic disorder patients report lower anxiety; Levitt, Brown, Orsillo, & Barlow, 2004”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Levitt, Brown, Orsillo, & Barlow, 2004 source

In the paper

“Acting early in the stage of attentional deployment (Gross, 2015), acceptance allows a person to orient towards arising affective experiences, monitor them as they occur, and let them pass.”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Gross, 2015 source

In the paper

“However, without an attitude of acceptance to facilitate processes of early engagement and disengagement with emotional stimuli (Vago & Nakamura, 2011), attention may be biased toward emotional cues (and attempts to regulate reactivity) and away from task performance.”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Vago & Nakamura, 2011 source

In the paper

“In distressing contexts, monitoring momentary experiences in the absence of acceptance encourages a narrow focus on negative stimuli while excluding available neutral sensory cues (Farb et al., 2010).”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Farb et al., 2010 source

In the paper

“by enhancing one’s focus on present experience, training in attention monitoring may also allow positive stimuli to be noticed more frequently and intensely.”

In the paper

“In psychotherapy, acceptance plays a role in cognitive defusion, allowing burdensome or intrusive negative experiences and memories to be described so that cognitive processing and possibly meaning-making can take place; the patient integrates these difficult experiences into his or her narrative, or lets them go (e.g., Dryden & Still, 2006).”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Dryden & Still, 2006 source

In the paper

“We propose that the combination of monitoring and acceptance drives the effects of mindfulness training on affective, stress reduction, and health outcomes.”

In the paper

“when panic disorder patients monitor body sensations (such as their heart rate) during a panic attack, this monitoring can prolong anxiety and panic symptoms (e.g., Ehlers & Breuer, 1996).”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Ehlers & Breuer, 1996 source

In the paper

“By bringing attention to present-moment experiences, MAT posits that monitoring may intensify and heighten all experiences: negative, positive, and neutral alike.”

In the paper

“Together, monitoring and acceptance may allow momentary emotional stimuli to be processed efficiently in order to inform and refocus attention on cognitive performance”

In the paper

“the trait tendency to monitor experiences without concurrent acceptance skills is expected to enhance attention to salient emotional cues, both negative and positive affective states.”

In the paper

“MAT posits that attention monitoring practices in mindfulness training interventions are a critical mechanism for improving cognitive functioning outcomes in affectively neutral contexts.”

• Also stated in: § MAT Core Tenets · plain

  “is a mechanism for the effects of mindfulness on improving cognitive functioning outcomes in affectively neutral contexts.”

In the paper

“MAT views attention monitoring as a skill that enhances awareness of present-moment experience, whether that experience is positive, negative, or neutral.”

• Also stated in: § MAT Core Tenets · plain

  “Attention monitoring skills enhance awareness of present-moment experience.”

In the paper

“In sum, the available evidence relating attention monitoring skills with cognitive and affective outcomes provides preliminary support for Tenet #1.”

In the paper

“a strong tendency to monitor may increase focus on somatic sensations and intensify them unless viewed with acceptance.”

In the paper

“because monitoring increases focus on affective cues without concurrent emotion regulation, MAT predicts that attention monitoring alone is not sufficient for improving performance on cognitive tasks that balance attention and emotion regulation.”

In the paper

“With long-term practice, though, as acceptance becomes a more automatic response and less effortful regulation of emotion is necessary, the neural correlates of acceptance may change, involving changes in resting state functional connectivity (cf. Brewer et al., 2011; Desbordes et al., 2015).”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Brewer et al., 2011 source
• Not checked yetcites Desbordes et al., 2015 source

In the paper

“increases in self-reported acceptance underlie decreases in symptom severity for patients with anxiety and depressive disorders (Arch et al., 2012; Forman, Herbert, Moitra, Yeomans, & Geller, 2007).”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Arch et al., 2012 source
• Not checked yetcites Forman, Herbert, Moitra, Yeomans, & Geller, 2007 source

In the paper

“boost performance on cognitive tasks that involve emotion regulation.”

In the paper

“Certainly, studies show that self-reported acceptance alone is associated with lower depressive, anxiety, and stress symptoms (Barnes & Lynn, 2010; Brown et al., 2015; Cash & Whittingham, 2010; Desrosiers et al., 2013; Hamill et al., 2015);”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Barnes & Lynn, 2010 source
• Not checked yetcites Brown et al., 2015 source
• Not checked yetcites Cash & Whittingham, 2010 source

In the paper

“Studies of self-reported monitoring and acceptance mindfulness components provide some preliminarily support of MAT.”

In the paper

“In sum, studies testing the interaction between monitoring and acceptance suggest that acceptance (Nonreactivity, Nonjudgment) moderates the relationship between monitoring (Observe) and psychological distress outcomes, such that a high tendency to monitor experiences is associated with adaptive outcomes only with concomitant high levels of acceptance.”

In the paper

“We caution that these brief acceptance-focused interventions are less effective for those inexperienced with acceptance strategies”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Blacker et al., 2012 source
• Not checked yetcites Evans et al., 2014 source

In the paper

“Second, across studies testing interactions between attention monitoring and acceptance skills, the tendency to pay attention to momentary experiences predicts lower psychological distress and clinical symptoms and better markers of health only when combined with high levels of acceptance, suggesting that present-focused attention monitoring is only linked with effective affect regulation when one”

In the paper

“MAT predicts that monitoring skills in combination with acceptance skills drive improvements in cognitive functioning on tasks requiring effective emotion regulation for task performance.”

In the paper

“MAT makes predictions about the aspects of mindfulness training that underlie certain adaptive outcomes, but also specifies aspects of mindfulness training that are likely to exacerbate symptoms (i.e., when one monitors negative affect without an accepting stance).”

In the paper

“Executive attention depends on noticing when attention is pulled away from its intended focus (monitoring) and letting go of these distractors (acceptance).”

In the paper

“Thus, there is mixed evidence about the benefits of high trait levels of acceptance without parallel monitoring skills.”

In the paper

“Monitoring momentary experiences with acceptance may further enhance executive attention ability by facilitating both engagement and disengagement with emotional stimuli in order to refocus on cognitive performance.”

In the paper

“brief acceptance training–which involves monitoring a target object (e.g., momentary pain sensations, feelings of sadness) through an accepting and detached lens–is useful for regulating emotion”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Hayes et al., 1999 source

In the paper

“MAT is a new framework that identifies the putative active mechanisms underlying mindfulness training interventions: attention monitoring and acceptance.”

In the paper

“no studies have reported testing the interactive effects of attention monitoring and acceptance on this task (such that monitoring predicts better performance at high levels of acceptance, but not low acceptance).”

In the paper

“These interactions suggest that high acceptance skills may moderate the impact of attention monitoring skills on negative affective states, psychological distress and physical health.”

In the paper

“Despite these limitations, the body of evidence evaluated here follows a consistent pattern supporting the MAT account, suggesting that MAT may be helpful and generative for future mechanistically-focused mindfulness research.”

In the paper

“A meta-analysis suggests that acceptance is more effective than other emotion regulation strategies (e.g., distraction, reappraisal, rumination, suppression) for increasing pain tolerance”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Kohl, Rief, & Glombiewski, 2012 source

In the paper

“the basic components of attention monitoring and acceptance are common factors across these models.”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Baer, 2003
• Not checked yetcites Lutz, Jha, Dunne, & Saron, 2015 source
• Not checked yetcites Shapiro et al., 2006 source

In the paper

“These results suggest that focusing attention on negative or positive affective experiences can heighten them in the absence of acceptance.”

In the paper

“Still, there is evidence that mindfulness training studies that either control for these factors or lack these intervention elements (e.g., group support) have been linked with affective and physical health outcomes (e.g., Kabat-Zinn et al., 1998; Polusny et al., 2015; Rosenkranz et al., 2013; Taren et al., 2015), suggesting a mindfulness-specific impact on a broad array of outcomes.”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Kabat-Zinn et al., 1998 source
• Not checked yetcites Polusny et al., 2015 source
• Not checked yetcites Rosenkranz et al., 2013 source

In the paper

“By reducing distress and stress reactivity, MAT predicts that monitoring and acceptance together explain how mindfulness interventions may improve stress-related health outcomes (Creswell & Lindsay, 2014; Grossman, Niemann, Schmidt, & Walach, 2004).”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Creswell & Lindsay, 2014
• Not checked yetcites Grossman, Niemann, Schmidt, & Walach, 2004 source

In the paper

“Given the correlational nature of the evidence reviewed, it is premature to make strong conclusions about the active mechanisms driving mindfulness effects.”

In the paper

“among clinical populations, an accepting orientation may be difficult to immediately adopt”

What the sources say

• Not checked yetcites Singer & Dobson, 2009 source