ABSTRACT
This chapter begins with a brief presentation of mindfulness and an illustration of the mindless attitude of the obsessive mind, followed by a discussion of how to adapt mindfulness practices to the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder. In mindful meditation, practitioners learn, a little at a time, to notice when their mind has drifted off, and to bring it back to the object of attention. A mindful attitude is something that individuals can present to a greater or lesser degree, independently of the practice of mindfulness. Just as the mind can be concentrated, disturbed, dreamy, and slow-moving or quick, it can also be mindful. Mindfulness can allow patients to give up the fruitless struggle against their own internal experiences in the vain attempt to neutralise them. Interest in the application of mindfulness-based protocols to the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder is very recent and, to date, there are no published randomised controlled studies.
