Mindfulness and Disability

Abstract Abstract Mindfulness, a practice from ancient contemplative traditions, has recently been adopted by Western science for its beneficial effects on mind and body. Disability, which includes a wide range of physical, sensory, psychological, and cognitive impairments, affects the overall quality of life of millions of individuals worldwide. Mindfulness practices offer significant practical benefits to disabled people and empower them to enhance their well-being in daily life. This chapter provides an overview of mindfulness as practiced in the Buddhist tradition and the essence of mindfulness practice and mindfulness-based interventions as used in the field of disabilities. An examination of the research at the intersection of mindfulness and disabilities suggests growing confidence in the importance of adapting standard mindfulness practices and integrating them within Western therapies for virtually all areas of human disability. While not intended as a stand-alone therapy for the core symptoms of any disability, mindfulness practices provide adjunctive psychosocial mind-body benefits that make it possible for individuals with disability to skillfully navigate the stresses and strains of everyday life with dignity, equanimity, and resilience.