Mindfulness is a technique of deliberately focusing attention on the present, clearing the noise from our minds, and not allowing ourselves to be distracted by random thoughts constantly running through our heads (Focus on the Family, 2019). Mindfulness is progressively being implemented as a tool for coping with stress and self-care in mental health practice and Christians from various traditions are reclaiming these reflective aspects of their faith (Timbers & Hollenberger, 2022). At the heart of Christian mindfulness or contemplation is the awareness of God in the present moment; as a person directs their gaze on God, they find that God’s eyes are also on them, concerned with whatever occupies them (Egan, 2003).

Many of the Psalms note the benefits of spiritual reflection on God, for example, Psalms 1:2 says “Blessed is the one whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on His law day and night”, Psalm 16:8  says “I will keep my eyes always on the Lord, with Him at my right hand, I will not be shaken”,  Psalm 63: 6 (MSG) says “If I’m sleepless at midnight, I spend the hours in grateful reflection”.

Mindful prayer is often referred to as apophatic prayer which involves emptying the mind of words and ideas and simply resting in the presence of God.  The individual ceases doing and simply turns to conscious abiding in the presence of God (Knabb et al. 2019). Brother Lawrence, a Carmelite monk who lived in the seventeenth century, offers a particularly outstanding example of Christian contemplative practice in his book “The Practice of the Presence of God”. This book demonstrates the need to be simply embedded in the awareness of God in the present moment: “This practice of the presence of God, which can be somewhat difficult in the beginning, secretly accomplishes marvellous effects in the soul, drawing abundant graces from the Lord” (De Meester, 1994). Brother Lawrence advises, “strive to be attentive to God’s presence. If your mind wanders or withdraws occasionally, don’t get upset. Since these disturbances tend to distract the mind rather than focus it, we must use the will to gently collect our thoughts” (De Meester, 1994, p. 65). This type of Christian mindfulness features a gentle intentionality in which one’s attention is collected, focused, and committed (Wang, 2023).

Other Classic examples of Christian contemplative practices include St. John Climacus’ Ladder of Divine Ascent (1982), The Cloud of Unknowing (Bangley, 2006), the Ignatian exercises (Ravier, 2018), Jean-Pierre de Caussade’s Sacrament of the Present Moment (2009), St. John of the Cross’ Dark Night of the Soul (2016).

In 2018 a randomised controlled trial of a contemplative prayer program found that this 2-week program for Christians resulted in reductions in identified stress and an increased sense of surrender or yielding to God which helped to change their thinking on the demands of their environment (Knabb & Vazquez, 2018).  This is comparable to the openness and non-judgmental stance that is highlighted in definitions of mindfulness mental health interventions (Timbers & Hollenberger, 2022).

Although the evidence demonstrates how mindfulness is being adapted to Christian practices related to prayer and contemplative spiritual disciplines, Christian leaders would benefit from more education on how the core elements of mindfulness are based in Christian theology (Timbers & Hollenberger, 2022). An organisation which values the importance of Mindfulness from the Christian perspective and who is interested in educating young people is An Tobar Nua. (www.antobarnuaretreats.ie, n.d.) They have developed a program called SAOL, which is a tool to facilitate engaging and reflective conversation for secondary school students in order to help enrich their academic and personal development. SAOL is a free and complete resource available on SAOL.antobarnuaretreats.ie. Register today to see how SAOL could help you as you explore Christian practices for mental wellbeing.

Bibliography

Bangley, B. (2006). The Cloud of Unknowing. Paraclete Press.

Climacus, J. (1982). The ladder of divine ascent . (Colm Luibheid & Norman Russell, trans). Paulist Press.

Cross, S. J. (2016). Dark night of the soul . Book Tree (E. Allison Peers,Trans.).

De Cassade, J. (2009). The sacrament of the present moment . San Francisco: Harper.

De Meester, C. (1994). Writings and conversations on the practice f the presence of God. ICS Publications.

De Mello, A. (1995). The way to love: The last meditations of Anthony Mello. Doubleday.

Egan, K. J. (2003). Carmelite prayer: A tradition for the 21st century. Paulist Press.

Focus on the Family. (2019, July 11). MINDFULNESS: A CHRISTIAN APPROACH. Retrieved from https://www.focusonthefamily.com: https://www.focusonthefamily.com/family-qa/mindfulness-a-christian-approach/

Keating, T. (2009). Intimacy with God: An introduction to centering. Crossroad.

Knabb, J. V. (2019). Set Your Minds on Things Above: Shifting from Trauma-Based Ruminations to Ruminating on God. Mental Health, Religion & Culture: 22, 384–99.

Merton, T. (2007). New seeds of contemplation. New Directions.

Ravier, A. (2018). A do it at home retreat: The spiritual exercises of St. Ignatian. Ignatius Press.

Timbers, V. H. (2022, Jan 01). Christian Mindfulness and Mental Health: Coping through Sacred Traditions and Embodied Awareness. Religions, p. 62.

Wang, D. C. ( 2023, December 08). Christian Mindfulness and Global Public Health: A Commentary and Agenda. pp. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-023-02290-6.