Daily Post, 26th December 2011 - Positive Psychology provides scientific evidence that positive emotions can be cultivated. 

Having a more optimistic outlook makes you feel happier and live longer. Psychologists are now looking at why this is the case. A 10 week course at Cardiff University called ‘Positive psychology and the meaning of life’ is exploring the mind-body link in detail, asking such questions as, can happiness really be taught? Do we as humans have the capacity to make ourselves happy? The answer is yes, most people have the ability to make themselves considerably more happy.

Geraldine, Mindflow states: “It is wonderful that Positive Psychology is now beginning to reveal what the Eastern contemplative traditions have known for centuries that positive emotions can be cultivated and developed. Through training the mind in mindfulness and compassion based practices.”

Daily Telegraph, 9th Jan 2012 - Nurses 'are losing their sense of compassion.'

Nurses in the NHS too often lack ability, compassion or even the simple desire to work in the profession, a report warns.

Patient care comes under scrutiny, highlighting a lack of care and compassion towards patients. Mr Cameron has stated “that something has gone wrong with nursing.” In a recent report Professor Field said: “Sometimes students are being assessed purely on an academic basis rather than also on their social skills and how they relate to people. There’s no doubt that to be a nurse in the modern world you need to be at a certain intellectual level, but that should not be at the cost of being able to treat patients with dignity. After all, the core part of nursing is caring for people when they are at their most vulnerable.”

Julie Bailey, the founder of the Cure the NHS campaign, set up in the wake of the Mid Staffordshire nursing scandal, said: “Nurses’ training is already too academic, with little thought for the basic needs of patients. Compassion and attitude just don’t come into it any more. When nurses come and work in the wards, they don’t seem to want to care for people any more. It’s all about their self-worth and self-esteem.”

Ms Bailey’s mother, Bella, died at Stafford Hospital, one of at least 400 mainly elderly patients thought to have died due to poor nursing at the trust between 2005 and 2008. She said a “clear message” from the recent public inquiry into the scandal was that the selection of nursing students was too lax. “Nursing schools take on almost anybody because that’s how they are funded,” she said.

Geraldine, Mindflow states: “this report is alarming, but from my experience working with people from across both public and private sectors, a lack of compassion is widespread. I feel that there is a complete misunderstanding of the word compassion. I have often heard of compassion just being equated to as ‘being kind to yourself.’ However, this is not the true meaning of the word. Compassion is about relieving the suffering of self and others, it is a dual processes, never in self isolation.

Daily Post, January 5th 2012 - Study' fresh look at fighting depression.

Researchers at Bangor University are examining the results of a major study into a fresh approach to tackling depression.  Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy teaches practical skills that can help with psychological health problems.  The University first published the first trial on the effectiveness of this therapy in 2000 and since then five rigorous randomised trials have confirmed the early results, that learning the skills of mindfulness meditation reduces the reoccurrence of depression.  Mindfulness approaches are showing to be beneficial for parents, young people, for people with cancer and their carers.

BBC NEWS, 3rd January 2012

There has been recent interesting coverage about Mindfulness Meditation by the BBC and if you would like to watch this, then please click here to access a video on BBC iplayer.