Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-995ml Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-29T05:14:42.786Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

17 - Attention, Centering, and Being Mindful: Medical Specialties to the Performing Arts

from IV - MINDFULNESS AND THE PERFORMING ARTS

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 January 2016

Patsy Tremayne
Affiliation:
University of Western Sydney, Australia
Ashlee Morgan
Affiliation:
University of Melbourne, Australia
Amy L. Baltzell
Affiliation:
Boston University
Get access

Summary

My experience is what I agree to attend to.

William James (cited in Gallagher, 2009, p. 1)

As a performer, the act of mindfulness is a valuable and optimal state of being. One's ability to be mindful can discernibly affect physical performance in a diverse range of contexts; for example, a dancer performing as part of a group, or a doctor answering a question in an oral exam. This chapter explores the notion of mindfulness, with a particular focus on the aligned concepts of attention and centering, among performing artists and medical practitioners. Despite the obvious disparities of challenges and tasks between the performing arts and medical specialties, the relevance of mindfulness proves a distinguishable commonality across the disciplines. Throughout this chapter, case study examples will be drawn upon to illustrate the pertinence of mindfulness for the performer and also the important contextual considerations for the performance psychologist.

Mindfulness is being in touch with the present moment. It also involves paying attention in an engaged way. Deciding what to pay attention to takes work. When the performance psychologist is working with the client, he or she needs to be aware of the sociocultural context in which the performance is embedded. Understanding the social norms of the performance domain and the expectations of important others (e.g., family and/or colleagues) is beneficial when endeavoring to enhance the client's performance. In the case studies that follow, we apply a range of psychological skills within different sociocultural contexts, with the goal of enhancing the mindful approach of the performer. It is essential to understand the context when tailoring mindfulness-based interventions. For example, the anesthetist mixing a cocktail of sleep-inducing drugs prior to an operation has substantially different demands and pressures placed upon her or him than an actor about to walk on stage to a full house on the first night. While the hospital registrar and voice student may share similar performance anxiety in relation to their exams, they have different social norms that create a set of background expectations in which performance is compared. However, one thing they all have in common is the need for mindfulness in what they do, and the effective psychologist encourages adaptation of mindfulness to a variety of different performance domains and deals with numerous factors that inhibit mindful performance.

Type
Chapter
Information
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2016

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Azrin, N. H., and Nunn, R. G. (1973). Habit reversal: A method of eliminating nervous habits and tics. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 11(4), 619–628. doi: 10.1016/0005-7967(73)90119-8CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bernier, M., Thienot, E., Codron, R., and Fournier, J. F. (2009). Mindfulness and acceptance approaches in sport performance. Journal of Clinical Sports Psychology, 25(4), 320–333.Google Scholar
Bicchieri, C. (2006). The grammar of society: The nature and dynamics of social norms. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Bishop, S. R., Lau, M. A., Shapiro, S. L., Carlson, L. E., Anderson, N. D., Carmody, J., … Devins, G. (2004). Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 11(3), 230–241. doi: 10.1093/clipsy.bph077Google Scholar
Brown, K. W., and Ryan, R. M. (2003). The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(4), 822–848. doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.84.4.822CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Broww, D. P. (1977). A model for the levels of concentrative meditation. International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 25(4), 236–273. doi: 10.1080/00207147708415984CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chambers, R., Chuen Yee Lo, B., and Allen, N. B. (2008). The impact of intensive mindfulness training on attentional control, cognitive style, and affect. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 32(3), 303–322. doi: 10.1007/s10608-007-9119-0CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Covey, S. R. (1989). The 7 habits of highly effective people. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.Google Scholar
Davidson, R. J., Kabat-Zinn, J., Schumacher, J., Rosenkranz, M., Muller, D., Santorelli, S.F., … Sheridan, J. F. (2003). Alterations in brain and immune function produced by mindfulness meditation. Psychosomatic Medicine, 65(4), 564–570. doi: 10.1097/01.PSY.0000077505.67574.E3CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Easterbrook, J. A. (1959). The effects of emotion on cue utilization and the organization of behavior. Psychological Review, 66(3), 183–201. doi: 10.1037/h0047707CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Feltz, D. L., and Landers, D. M. (1983). The effect of mental practice on motor skill learning and performance. Journal of Sport Psychology, 42, 764–781.Google Scholar
Franklin, E. (1996). Dance imagery for technique and performance. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.Google Scholar
Gallagher, W. (2009). Rapt: Attention and the focused life. New York, NY: Penguin.Google Scholar
Hinshaw, K. E. (1991). The effect of mental practice on motor skill performance: A critical evaluation and meta-analysis. Imagination, Cognition and Personality, 11(1), 3–35. doi: 10.2190/X9BA-KJ68-07AN-QMJ8CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hoffman, S. L., and Hanrahan, S. J. (2012). Mental skills for musicians: Managing music performance anxiety and enhancing performance. Sport, Exercise and Performance Psychology, 1(1), 17–28. doi: http://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/a0025409CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hull, C. L. (1951). Essentials of behaviour. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.Google Scholar
Jha, A. P., Krompinger, J., and Baime, M. J. (2007). Mindfulness training modifies subsystems of attention. Cognitive, Affective and Behavioral Neuroscience, 7(2), 109–119.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kabat-Zinn, J. (2005). Coming to our senses: Healing ourselves and the world throughmindfulness. New York, NY: Hyperion.Google Scholar
Kazantzis, N., and Deane, F. P. (1999). Psychologists’ use of homework assignments in clinical practice. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 30(6), 581–585. doi: 10.1037/0735-7028.30.6.581Google Scholar
Kee, Y. H., and Wang, C. K. J. (2008). Relationships between mindfulness, flow dispositions and mental skills adoption: A cluster analytic approach. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 9(4), 393–411. doi: 10.1016/j.psychsport.2007.07.001CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Krane, V., and Williams, J. M. (2006). Psychological characteristics of peak performance. In Williams, J. M. (Ed.), Applied sport psychology personal growth to peak performance (, pp. 207–227). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.Google Scholar
Kristeller, J. L., and Hallet, C. B. (1999). An exploratory study of a meditation-based intervention for binge eating disorder. Journal of Health Psychology, 4(3), 357–363. doi: 10.1177/135910539900400305CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Langer, E. J. (2005). On becoming an artist: Reinventing yourself through mindful creativity. New York, NY: Ballantine.Google Scholar
Langer, E. J., and Piper, A. I. (1987). The prevention of mindlessness. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 53(2), 280–287. doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.53.2.280CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Langer, E. J., Russell, T., and Eisenkraft, N. (2009). Orchestral performance and the footprint of mindfulness. Psychology of Music, 32(2), 125–136. doi: 10.1177/0305735607086053Google Scholar
Meichenbaum, D. (1985). Stress inoculation training. Elmford, NY: Pergamon Press.Google Scholar
Miltenberger, R. G., and Fuqua, R. W. (1985). A comparison of contingent vs non-contingent competing response practice in the treatment of nervous habits. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatrty, 16(3), 195–200. doi: 10.1016/0005-7916(85)90063-1Google ScholarPubMed
Morris, T., Spittle, M., and Perry, C. (2004). Imagery in sport and exercise. In Morris, T. & Summers, J. (Eds.), Sport psychology: Theory, applications and issues. Brisbane, Australia: John Wiley & Sons.Google Scholar
Morris, T., Spittle, M., and Watt, A. P. (2005). Imagery in sport. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.Google Scholar
Murphy, S. M., and Martin, K. A. (2002). The use of imagery in sport. In Horn, T. S. (Ed.), Advances in sport psychology (, pp. 221–250). Champaign: IL: Human Kinetics.Google Scholar
Nideffer, R. M. (1976). Test of attentional and interpersonal style. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 34(3), 394–404. doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.34.3.394CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nideffer, R. M. (1989). Theoretical and practical relationships between attention, anxiety, and performance in sport. In Hackfort, D. and Spielberger, D. (Eds.), Anxiety in sport: An international perspective (pp. 117–136). New York, NY: Hemisphere.Google Scholar
Nideffer, R. M. (1994). Psyched to win. Champaign, IL: Leisure Press.Google Scholar
Nideffer, R. M., and Sagal, M. (2006). Concentration and attention control training. In Williams, J. M. (Ed.), Applied sport psychology: Personal growth to peak performance (, pp. 382–403). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.Google Scholar
Nordin, S. A., and Cumming, J. (2008). Types and functions of athletes’ imagery: Testing predictions from the applied model of imagery use by examining effectiveness. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 6, 189–206.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Posner, M. I., and Rothbart, M. K. (1992). Attentional mechanisms and conscious experience. In Milner, A. D. and Rugg, M. E. (Eds.), The neuropsychology of consciousness. (pp. 91–111). San Diego: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Ravizza, K. H. (2002). A philosophical construct: A framework for performance enhancement. International Journal of Sport Psychology, 33(1), 4–18.Google Scholar
Romero, K., and Silvestri, L. (1990). The role of mental practice in the acquisition and performance of motor skills. Journal of Instructional Psychology, 17(4), 218–221.Google Scholar
Shao, R., and Skarlicki, D. P. (2009). The role of mindfulness in predicting individual performance. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, 41(4), 195–201. doi: 10:1037/a0015166CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schmertz, S. K., Anderson, P. L., and Robins, D. L. (2009). The relation between self-report mindfulness and performance on tasks of sustained attention. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 31, 60–66. doi: 10.1007/s10862-008-9086-0CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shapiro, S. L., Carlson, L. E., Astin, J. A., and Freedman, B. (2006). Mechanisms of mindfulness. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 62(3), 373–386. doi: 10.1002/jclp.20237CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Speeth, K. R. (1982). On psychotherapeutic attention. Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 14(2), 141–160.Google Scholar
Valentine, E. R., and Sweet, P. L. G. (1999). Meditation and attention: A comparison of the effects of concentrative and mindfulness meditation on sustained attention. Mental Health, Religion and Culture, 2(1), 59–70. doi: 10.1080/13674679908406332CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vealey, R. S., and Greenleaf, C. A. (2006). Seeing is believing: Understanding and using imagery in sport. In Williams, J. M. (Ed.), Applied sport psychology: Personal growth to peak performance (, pp. 306–348). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.Google Scholar
Weick, K. E., and Sutcliffe, K. M. (2006). Mindfulness and the quality of organizational attention. Organization Science, 17(4), 514–524. doi: 10.1287/orsc.1060.0196CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weick, K. E., Sutcliffe, K., and Obstfeld, D. (2000). High reliability: The power of mindfulness. Leader to Leader, 17, 33–38.Google Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×