Mindfulness and Anxiety Regulation

We are investigating how mindfulness can help individuals manage anxiety-arousing experiences. Mindfulness involves the self-regulation of attention so that one focuses on one’s current thoughts, feelings, and surroundings in an open, nonjudgmental manner. When engaging in mindfulness, one maintains a conscious awareness of the present moment with an orientation that is characterized by openness, curiosity, and acceptance. In research led by Alex Hayns (doctoral student at The University of Auckland), we recently completed a series of studies that included a randomized, controlled trial of mindfulness training for individuals with social anxiety. Other research led by Virginia Farnsworth-Grodd (doctoral student at The University of Auckland) is evaluating the role of dispositional mindfulness in practice strategies and performance anxiety, and performance experiences of musicians.