正念是一种不判断意识和接受内部经验的状态。通过基于循证正念的干预措施来实现该状态,这些干预措施可用于治疗心理问题和增强运动员和其他表演者的表现。本条目描述了与正念相关的基本过程,增强这些过程的干预组件以及正念干预对增强运动表现的有用性。
Exploring Mindfulness
从公众到运动心理学家,大多数人都同意,最佳表现似乎要求运动员保持对运动任务的全面参与和吸收的关注,这个国家通常被称为“流动”。然而,维持这种重点的障碍,例如人群噪音,成功的压力,身体痛苦以及对可能失败的想法。这些障碍是不可避免的,数据表明,控制这些变量的努力(例如试图忽略痛苦,人群的噪音以及似乎妨碍的思想和情绪)在很大程度上是无效的。相比之下,正念干预措施有助于运动员提高内部和外部经历的无判断意识(能够意识到自己的经历而不判断他们是好是坏,对或错等);接受他们的内部认知,情感和生理(即身体感觉);以及愿意体验内部和外部状态的同时继续进行与田径运动真正重要的行为。重要的是,正念练习的目标不是减少,避免或改变运动员的主观困扰或增加信心和积极思考等特征。相反,目的是发展所必需的技能,而不必纠缠于内部或外部的情况
经验,不判断这些经验是对或错,好是坏,而无需尝试改变这些经验。Instead of engaging in behaviors in order to reduce uncomfortable experiences (known as experiential avoidance), mindfulness encourages experiential acceptance, which is defined as a willingness to pursue (rather than avoid) one’s goals (e.g., practicing hard during each practice) and values (e.g., maximizing athletic skill) regardless of how or what one may think or feel at any moment.
Along this line, mindfulness can be described as存在无论是什么,无论是什么,doingsomething with those processes in an impossible attempt to create the perfect internal state or situation within which to perform. For instance, this approach helps athletes learn that they can perform well while at the same time experiencing a variety of internal states (e.g., frustration, tiredness, worry) or dealing with an array of external distracters (e.g., opponents, poor officiating, coaching behaviors). Athletes can therefore shift from a perspective of “I want to perform well,但我今天不自信,也很烦人”(这种观点鼓励经验避免策略),以“我想表现良好,andI’m not feeling confident today and I’m irritated.” This shift enhances the athlete’s ability to nonjudgmentally accept internal experiences (even if they do not feel good) and by doing so helps the athlete maintain awareness and attention to the immediate task at hand. By developing the capacity to perform well while experiencing a wider range of internal states and among shifting environmental situations, athletes can function more effectively by maintaining an increased capacity to remain task-focused as circumstances inevitably change.
Mindfulness Techniques
许多正念练习都被用来传达不可能消除或控制运动员经历的正常过程的可能性,以及成功的表现不需要理想的身体,情感或认知状态的观点。当然,如果运动员不得不感觉身体健全,只想积极的想法,并且不会感到不利的情绪以表现良好,那么很少有运动员能够在任何一天都能表现出色。同样的现实适用于任何生活中的所有人类。
Mindfulness techniques include a variety of meditative-type exercises that develop the ability to (a) become aware of one’s internal and external experiences and recognize the inevitable and transient nature of these experiences and (b) recognize the costs of attempting to control, avoid, or modify experiences judged as “negative” versus the benefits of a nonjudging awareness and acceptance of internal experiences. A primary mechanism by which mindfulness exercises work is by developing a decentered (i.e., distanced) perspective about one’s own thoughts and emotions and recognizing that thoughts and emotions are internal events that inevitably come and go, do not have to be evaluated or altered, and do not have to direct one’s behavioral choices. Mindfulness techniques do not alter the content of athletes’ internal experiences at all. Instead, they alter the relationship athletes have to their internal experiences. So, mindfulness does not attempt to change the frequency of thoughts and emotions, the type of thoughts and emotions, or the intensity of thoughts and emotions in order to promote optimal performance but instead advocates that athletes can function optimally while having these experiences. This leads to both on and off-field behaviors that promote more functional athletic performance, from disciplined practice behaviors to committed competitive behaviors.
Mindfulness practices include various exercises that can range in length from 5 to 45 minutes and often involve sitting in place and allowing attention to move from aspects of one’s body (e.g., breathing, parts of the anatomy) to the various thoughts, sensations, and emotions that naturally come and go. Ultimately, mindfulness practices create a climate within which athletes become aware of their cognitive, emotional, and physiological states; accept and allow for the presence of these internal experiences; maintain focus on task-relevant stimuli and contingencies; develop the capacity to self-regulate attention as desired (i.e., direct attention as needed to perform better); and embrace behaviors that are consistent with their goals.
References:
- Aherne,C。和Moran,A。P.(2011)。正念训练对运动员流动的影响:初步调查。The Sport Psychologist, 25,177–189。
- Gardner,F。L.和Moore,Z。E.(2007)。Thepsychologyof enhancing human performance: The mindfulness-acceptance-commitment (MAC) approach.纽约:施普林格。
- Kabat-Zinn,J。(2005)。进入我们的感官:通过正念治愈自己和世界。New York: Hyperion.
- Moore, Z. E. (2009). Theoretical and empirical developments of the mindfulness-acceptancecommitment (MAC) approach to performance enhancement.Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology, 3,291–302。