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Third-wave Cognitive Behavioral Therapies have adapted mindfulness techniques for therapeutic use. These traditionally "Asian" mindfulness practices have been secularized and changed to better suit Western settings and cultures. With movements advocating for proper acknowledgement of mindfulness' roots, questions of how to adapt a technique originally rooted in Buddhist traditions for Christian populations has arisen. However, another even more nuanced question has emerged: How do psychotherapists and counselors adapt mindfulness to use with Asian/Asian American Christian (AAAC) clients? In this conceptual paper, we hope to address this question in broad strokes. We discuss the possible overlaps between mindfulness and Christian practices that may help ease the tension between differing religious/spiritual belief systems. We delve into special considerations that need to be taken when working with Asian/Asian American clients, as well as some useful manners in which mindfulness might be adapted for Asian/Asian American Christian clients. We share a short vignette to help illustrate a hypothetical situation and note our limitations and conclusions.
Globalization of the world has normalized the sharing of cultural beliefs and practices. While appropriating cultural norms at the expense of marginalized communities is controversial and frowned upon, adapting cultural practices has been passively accepted (e.g., Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction; Kabat-Zinn, 1982). Specifically, with the advent of third-wave Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, the use of mindfulness has proliferated the world (Kabat-Zinn, 2011), including the mental health profession. Borrowed and adapted from traditionally Asian Buddhist teachings (e.g., Theravada, Hinayana, and Zen) and practices, mindfulness has become widely used as a tool for mental, spiritual, and physical health (Guillaume et al., 2020).
This paper seeks to explore some of the expected challenges in applying those practices and how to utilize them effectively with Asian/ Asian American Christian clients (i.e., Asian nationals in the United States [U.S.] and Asian Americans). While the adaptation of mindfulness for Christians (e.g., Knabb et al., 2018) and the use of mindfulness with Asian/Asian Americans have been studied (e.g., Hall et al., 2011), there has been little to no discussion about Asian/Asian American Christians' (AAAC) perception on mindfulness. Thus, there is a clear need within the literature to start addressing this interaction of AAACs and mindfulness in psychotherapy. Specifically, we discuss how mindfulness can be introduced and used with AAACs in culturally...