Switch to Dark theme

References

NHS England, NHS Improvement. NHS staff survey. 2020. http://www.nhsstaffsurveyresults.com (accessed May 2021)
Kabat-Zinn JNew York: Dell Publishing; 1990
Collin V, Toon M, O'Selmo E A survey of stress, burnout and well-being in UK dentists. Br Dent J. 2019; 226:40-49 https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.2019.6
NHS Health Education England. NHS staff and learners' mental wellbeing commission. 2018. https://www.hee.nhs.uk (accessed May 2021)
Tang YY, Hölzel BK, Posner MI The neuroscience of mindfulness meditation. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2015; 16:213-225 https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn3916
Janssen M, Heerkens Y, Kuijer W Effects of Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction on employees' mental health: a systematic review. PLoS One. 2018; 13 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0191332
Shapiro SL., Astin JA, Bishop SR, Cordova M Mindfulness-based stress reduction for health care professionals: results from a randomized trial. Int J Stress Manag. 2005; 12:164-176
Clevenger S Is self-compassion important for health care practitioners?. OBM Integr Compliment Med. 2018; 4:1-1 https://doi.org/10.21926/obm.icm.1901007
Gotink RA, Meijboom R, Vernooij MW 8-week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction induces brain changes similar to traditional long-term meditation practice – a systematic review. Brain Cogn. 2016; 108:32-41 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bandc.2016.07.001
Barbey AK, Colom R, Grafman J Distributed neural system for emotional intelligence revealed by lesion mapping. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci. 2014; 9:265-272 https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nss124
Hölzel BK, Hoge EA, Greve DN Neural mechanisms of symptom improvements in generalized anxiety disorder following mindfulness training. Neuroimage Clin. 2013; 2:448-458 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nicl.2013.03.011
Lazar SW, Kerr CE, Wasserman RH Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness. Neuroreport. 2005; 16:1893-1897 https://doi.org/10.1097/01.wnr.0000186598.66243.19
Palmer S, Dryden WLondon: Sage; 2005
Yaribeygi H, Panahi Y, Sahraei H The impact of stress on body function: a review. EXCLI J. 2017; 16:1057-1072 https://doi.org/10.17179/excli2017-480
Vaish A, Grossmann T, Woodward A Not all emotions are created equal: the negativity bias in social-emotional development. Psychol Bull. 2008; 134:383-403 https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.134.3.383
Chapman HR, Chipchase SY, Bretherton R Understanding emotionally relevant situations in primary care dental practice: 1. Clinical situations and emotional responses. Br Dent J. 2015; 219:401-409 https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.2015.817
Hanson R, Mendius ROakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications; 2009
New York, NY: The Guilford Press; 2009

The inevitability of change: the place for mindfulness and compassion in dentistry

From Volume 48, Issue 6, June 2021 | Pages 435-440

Authors

Leonie Seager

BDS, MFDS, MSc MOrth, RCS Ed

Specialist Orthodontist, Shrewsbury Orthodontic Centre and Royal Stoke University Hospital

Articles by Leonie Seager

Email Leonie Seager

Karen Atkinson

Senior partner and co-founder of Mindfulness UK, author and Convenor or the British Association of Mindfulness-based Approaches (BAMBA).

Articles by Karen Atkinson

Article

There is a saying that goes: the only things that are certain in life are death and taxes. I would go one further and also say that there is one more thing that we can add to that – the inevitability of change.

Sudden and uncertain change is certainly something that has been brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, and this change has had far-reaching effects on how we practise our profession. As with most dramatic shifts that occur in our lives, change is often accompanied by stress and anxiety. However, although the change itself is often inevitable and out of our control, a lot of the pain and suffering we experience that comes with it can be reduced by understanding our mind-set and using tools that can help us manage our thoughts and emotions.

Although it should not be considered as a panacea, mindfulness and compassion practices can give us the tools to help ourselves stay grounded during these remarkably overwhelming times of turbulence, enabling us to face these challenges with emotional balance, resilience and compassion.

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting Dental Update and reading some of our resources. To read more, please register today. You’ll enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included

  • Up to 2 free articles per month
  • New content available

Already have an account? Sign in here