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      Mindful Eating: Connecting With the Wise Self, the Spiritual Self

      research-article
      * ,
      Frontiers in Psychology
      Frontiers Media S.A.
      mindfulness, mindful eating, spirituality, wisdom, binge eating, obesity

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          Abstract

          In the Mindfulness-Based Eating Awareness Training program (MB-EAT) ( Kristeller and Wolever, 2014; Kristeller and Wolever, in press), mindfulness practice is taught, mindful eating is cultivated, and self-acceptance and spiritual well-being are enhanced. An integrative concept is the value of cultivating ‘wisdom’ in regard to creating a new and sustainable relationship to eating and food. ‘Wisdom’ refers to drawing on personal experience and understanding in a flexible, insightful manner, rather than strictly following external rules and guidelines. Several clinical trials involving variations of MB-EAT have documented substantive improvement in how people relate to their eating, including individuals with both binge eating disorder (BED) and subclinical eating issues. Based on the traditional value of contemplative practices for cultivating spiritual engagement, and on evidence from related research showing that spiritual well-being increases in the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program and is related to other effects, we hypothesized that the MB-EAT program would also engage this aspect of experience, as assessed by the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy – Spiritual Well-Being subscale (FACIT-Sp), and that increases in spiritual well-being would relate to other measures of adjustment such as emotional balance and improvement in disordered eating. Participants ( N = 117) with moderate to morbid obesity, including 25.6% with BED, were randomly assigned to MB-EAT or a wait-list control, and assessed on the FACIT-Sp and other measures at baseline, immediate post (IP), and 2-month followup (F/Up). Both FACIT-Sp factors [Meaning/Peace (M/P) and Faith] increased significantly in the MB-EAT group and were stable/decreased in the control group. Increases in these factors related to improvement in emotional adjustment and eating regulation at IP and at F/Up, and to increases in aspects of mindfulness measured by the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ). Increases in M/P during treatment mediated effects of the FFMQ Observe factor on eating regulation and depression at IP. Results are discussed in terms of the role that mindfulness practice plays in cultivating ‘wise mind’ and the related value of spirituality. It is argued that the core elements of the MB-EAT program lead to meaningful spiritual engagement, which plays a role in people’s ability to improve and maintain overall self-regulation.

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          Most cited references48

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          A balance theory of wisdom.

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            An Exploratory Study of a Meditation-based Intervention for Binge Eating Disorder.

            The efficacy of a 6-week meditation-based group intervention for Binge Eating Disorder (BED) was evaluated in 18 obese women, using standard and eating-specific mindfulness meditation exercises. A single-group extended baseline design assessed all variables at 3 weeks pre-and post-, and at 1, 3, and 6 weeks; briefer assessment occurred weekly.Binges decreased in frequency, from 4.02/week to 1.57/week (p < .001), and in severity. Scores on the Binge Eating Scale (BES) and on the Beck Depression and Anxiety Inventories decreased significantly; sense of control increased. Time using eatingrelated meditations predicted decreases on the BES (r 5 .66, p < .01). Results suggest that meditation training may be an effective component in treating BED.
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              The assessment of binge eating severity among obese persons.

              The purpose of this study was to conduct an assessment of binge eating severity among obese persons. Two questionnaires were developed. A 16-item Binge Eating Scale was constructed describing both behavioral manifestations (e.g., eating large amounts of food) and feeling/cognitions surrounding a binge episode (e.g., guilt, fear of being unable to stop eating). An 11-item Cognitive Factors Scale was developed measure two cognitive phenomena thought to be related to binge eating: the tendency to set unrealistic standards for a diet (e.g., eliminating "favorite foods") and low efficacy expectations for sustaining a diet. The results showed that the Binge Eating Scale successfully discriminated among persons judged by trained interviewers to have either no, moderate or severe binge eating problems. Significant correlation between the scales were obtained such that severe bingers tended to set up diets which were unrealistically strict while reporting low efficacy expectations to sustain a diet. The discussion highlighted the differences among obese persons on binge eating severity and emphasized the role of cognitions in the relapse of self control of eating.
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                Author and article information

                Contributors
                Journal
                Front Psychol
                Front Psychol
                Front. Psychol.
                Frontiers in Psychology
                Frontiers Media S.A.
                1664-1078
                14 August 2018
                2018
                : 9
                : 1271
                Affiliations
                Department of Psychology, Indiana State University , Terre Haute, IN, United States
                Author notes

                Edited by: Michail Mantzios, Birmingham City University, United Kingdom

                Reviewed by: Rachel Miller Radin, University of California, San Francisco, United States; Claudio Imperatori, Università Europea di Roma, Italy

                *Correspondence: Jean L. Kristeller, JKristeller@ 123456indstate.edu

                This article was submitted to Eating Behavior, a section of the journal Frontiers in Psychology

                Article
                10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01271
                6102380
                30154740
                1dce1a65-5fa8-4301-8583-f93b64c0b5db
                Copyright © 2018 Kristeller and Jordan.

                This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

                History
                : 26 March 2018
                : 03 July 2018
                Page count
                Figures: 4, Tables: 4, Equations: 0, References: 70, Pages: 11, Words: 0
                Funding
                Funded by: National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine 10.13039/100000064
                Award ID: UO1 AT002550-02-Mind/Body
                Categories
                Psychology
                Original Research

                Clinical Psychology & Psychiatry
                mindfulness,mindful eating,spirituality,wisdom,binge eating,obesity
                Clinical Psychology & Psychiatry
                mindfulness, mindful eating, spirituality, wisdom, binge eating, obesity

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