Introduction & Theoretical Background
Mindfulness-based programs such as mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT: Segal, Williams & Teasdale, 2013) and mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR: Kabat-Zinn, 1990) have demonstrated beneficial effects for a wide range of psychological disorders, as well as helping people to cope with pain and illness (Goink et al, 2015; Khoury et al, 2013). Mindful awareness exercises form part of treatment approaches such as dialectical behavior therapy (DBT: Linehan, 1993) and compassion focused therapy (CFT: Gilbert, 2014).
The Body Scan exercise forms part of the Psychology Tools For Mindfulness Audio Collection, a guided introduction to the practice of mindfulness meditation. The exercise encourages present-moment awareness using the sensations of the body as an anchor for the attention. Bodily sensations can provide a steadying anchor for mindful awareness and help us to unhook from the thinking mind when we get lost in thought. The Body Scan encourages us to practise connecting with our bodily sensations