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Acceptance and Mindfulness-Based Approaches to Anxiety pp 71–99Cite as

Assessing Mindfulness and Experiential Acceptance

Attempts to Capture Inherently Elusive Phenomena

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Part of the book series: Series in Anxiety and Related Disorders ((SARD))

Abstract

The Guest House, a poem by Rumi (translated by Barks & Moyne, 1997) that has been utilized in mindfulness-based therapeutic approaches (e.g., Roemer & Orsillo, 2002; Segal, Williams, & Teasdale, 2002), conveys the essence of mindfulnessandexperiential acceptance. Such a “stance” stands in sharp contrast to the approach that many of us take toward our thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations, particularly those that we label “unwanted.” Bringing mindfulness and/or acceptance to our private experiences may fundamentally alter our relationship to these phenomena. How would we know if an individual was willing to “welcome and entertain them all” (Segal, 2003)? What might it look like to “meet them at the door laughing”? How might we measure this critical shift via self-report or experimental designs?

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, New York, USA

    Jennifer Block-Lerner

  2. Boston VA Healthcare System, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Kristalyn Salters-Pedneault & Matthew T. Tull

Authors
  1. Jennifer Block-Lerner
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  2. Kristalyn Salters-Pedneault
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  3. Matthew T. Tull
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Suffolk University, Boston, Massachusetts

    Susan M. Orsillo

  2. University of Massachusetts, Boston, Massachusetts

    Lizabeth Roemer

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Block-Lerner, J., Salters-Pedneault, K., Tull, M.T. (2005). Assessing Mindfulness and Experiential Acceptance. In: Orsillo, S.M., Roemer, L. (eds) Acceptance and Mindfulness-Based Approaches to Anxiety. Series in Anxiety and Related Disorders. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-25989-9_3

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