Assessing the Effect of a 2-Year Mindfulness-Based Training Programme on Personal and Professional Functioning: A Mixed-Methods Study

Mindfulness-based interventions are increasingly a part of mainstream society. The training of professionals to teach these programmes is an important element in maintaining the quality and integrity of this approach. The objective of this study was to examine the experience of trainees undertaking a 2-year training curriculum and how this supported adaptation when they began teaching. The study was a convergent mixed-methods design, including a descriptive survey of trainees using a questionnaire and a descriptive phenomenological exploration of trainees’ experiences using focus group interviews. A significant majority of graduates were women and either health professionals or coaches. Most graduates continued to teach after completion of the training, predominantly Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) or an adapted MBSR. Qualitative analysis revealed themes related to the structure and content of the curriculum, changing identity, sensitivity to local context, the importance of learning this approach in a community, and embodied experience. The latter two themes were particularly significant when navigating challenging emotional and somatic experiences. Teachers-in-training internalised the essential qualities of mindfulness as an awareness practice. This capacity required the effort of personal practice alongside theoretical understanding, the support of community and a willingness to be present with a wider range of experience. These factors combined to support the embodiment of the essential qualities of mindfulness. A majority of graduates actively explored teaching MBIs in their professional contexts after completion, and the personal shifts that they experienced through the cultivation of mindful living during the training provided a robust foundation on which to begin teaching a contemporary mindfulness approach to others in a context sensitive way. This study is not preregistered.