The legitimacy of mindfulness has become widely accepted in the past few years, as empirical evidence now supports long-held beliefs that mindfulness has qualitative benefits for overall health and wellbeing. With the rapid rise in popularity of mindfulness, those who teach, coach, and mentor—even those with the best intentions—are not always qualified to instruct others on how to implement and use mindfulness practices.
How then, can an individual or organization know if they’re hiring an experienced mindfulness teacher or consultant? That’s a great question. In fact, until recently, there was no standard certification or accreditation for mindfulness instructors.
Mindfulness Certification & Accreditation
At the end of 2017, Business Wire reported that the International Mindfulness Teachers Association (IMTA) “formalized operations to meet the growing need for qualified mindfulness teachers and establish a clear, professional path to ensuring consistent, quality mindfulness teaching in classrooms, institutions, and organizations around the world.” In conjunction with this announcement, the IMTA launched a membership application where candidates can receive an internationally recognized certification and accreditation.
Organizations interested in contracting a mindfulness consultant to amplify the productivity of their employees should verify that the consultant is a Certified Mindfulness Teacher (CMT) or working toward certification (since the standard is still relatively new). This certification confirms that the instructor has completed a 200-hour training curriculum and has four years of personal mindfulness practice, including two multi-day silent retreats.
Why Hire a Mindfulness Consultant with Credentials?
The practice of mindfulness has been around for ages. In fact, The Wiley Blackwell Handbook of Mindfulness notes some of the earliest traditions are rooted in Buddhist, Hindu, and Chinese philosophies that date back thousands of years. However, it is only recently that mindfulness has found its way into the conversation of our culture—largely due to Jon Kabat-Zinn’s work.
Today, employers are rapidly deploying mindfulness programs in their organizations, as the potential savings and increased profitability are staggering. Corporations like Google, General Mills, and Target are incorporating these age-old strategies for the betterment of their businesses.
Some research suggests that, by implementing mindfulness, U.S. industries could save nearly $400 billion a year in emergency room costs alone. Furthermore, mindfulness increases employee engagement. A study by Gallup found that businesses that ranked in the top quartile of employee engagement—as opposed to the bottom quartile—had a workforce that was:
17% more productive
70% less like to suffer from a work-related incident
41% less likely to be absent
21% more profitable
In fact, these businesses earned 10% better customer ratings. As a result of this boost in productivity and reduced absenteeism, corporations are enjoying increased organizational workflow, collaboration, and innovation as well as more effective leadership. According to an article in Harvard Business Review, the healthcare giant Aetna implemented a mindfulness program and noted an estimated $3,000-per-employee increase in productivity (gained 62 minutes of productivity a week) as well as $2,000-per-employee savings on medical costs.
On an individual level, science-backed research is consistently proving that when mindfulness-based stress reduction programs are applied correctly, recipients often experience:
Improved cognitive flexibility
Improved emotional intelligence
Improved focus
Improved productivity
Improved relationship satisfaction
Improved working memory
Reduced anxiety
Reduced body aches
Reduced emotional reactivity
Reduced feelings of loneliness
Reduced rumination
Reduced stress
"Worldwide, demand is growing for qualified mindfulness teachers across many sectors including schools, hospitals, and businesses," noted Dawa Tarchin Phillips, executive director of IMTA in an interview with Business Wire. “The IMTA was founded to ensure that these organizations can find qualified, credentialed mindfulness teaching professionals so they can reap the many health, performance, and well-being benefits of these evidence-based practices.”
The problem is that many mindfulness practitioners who are ready for hire aren’t necessarily experienced enough to properly integrate a mindfulness program successfully. By looking for accreditations and certifications, businesses can ensure that they’re working with professionals who have the best interests of the company in mind.
The Problem with Popularity
Practitioners of mindfulness couldn’t be happier that mindfulness practices have skyrocketed in the last few years. This newfound popularity, however, increases the risk of pseudo-consultants, distorted research findings, and what is becoming referred to as “McMindfulness.”
In some factions of the field, mindfulness is becoming an enterprise. What’s particularly striking about the surge in popularity, is that the U.S. meditation market reached $1.21 billion in revenue in 2017! Market data forecasts predict this trend to continue to a staggering $2.08 billion by 2022. With this meteoric rise in economic viability, mindfulness is being packaged and marketed as a commodity, complete with exaggerated and distorted “scientific claims,” while simultaneously minimizing the challenges of implementing such programs. Many mindfulness enthusiasts are ignoring the fact that mindfulness is a practice, not an overnight solution.
Scientific American notes that “many psychologists, neuroscientists, and meditation experts are afraid that hype is outpacing the science.” To make matters worse, many studies use self-reported questionnaires for their data collection.
Thankfully, others are combating poorly-conducted studies with high-quality empirical data, as evidenced by a recent study published in PLOS ONE which analyzed MRI scans from participants who completed an eight-week mindfulness course. The scans showed that dispositional mindfulness co-varies with a smaller amygdala and reduced caudate volumes in community adults, meaning the reactionary “fight or flight” part of the brain shrank.
Furthermore, this study found that, as the amygdala shrank, the prefrontal cortex became denser. The prefrontal cortex is in charge of complex brain behaviors and functions such as concentration, decision-making, and personality development. These changes in brain structure helped participants take more mindful actions rather than mindless reactions in varied life situations.
Be Mindful of Credentials
Whether for individual coaching or business, be sure to ask about your mindfulness consultant’s credentials. An IMTA certification indicates that a practitioner’s strategies are rooted in education, training, life practice, and skills, not merely a superficial understanding of mindfulness.
If you would like to learn more about Mindfulness Strategies or would like to learn more about the services we provide, click here to contact us today. Moreover, if you enjoyed the blog, please leave a comment below, hit the like button, and share our page.