Connectedness and shared understanding | Meeting and connecting | ‘It was so nice to meet other people who have been diagnosed, that was the best part for sure’. (MIND 7) |
‘Like the mindfulness came second and the connection came first’. (MIND 1) |
‘I didn’t have many friends because I had to drop out of school, so I didn’t really make many friends in high school or in primary school, so this is good’. (MIND 16). |
Validation, practical and emotional support and understanding | ‘Even over in the infusion centre and stuff, it’s all obviously older people, so it was good to meet people our own age, because we have same experiences, we sort of related to each other.’ (MIND 18) |
‘As soon as anyone says anything, we’re all like, “Oh my God, yes, validation, you feel the same and thank God you agree with that.” Because sometimes you sit with a doctor and they’re like, “Yeah, okay, yep. How are we going to manage that?” It’s kind of like, “Do you trust me, do you believe me? Am I just making it up, am I whinging too much?” And so when you’re with other people, it’s that validation that’s really important’. (MIND 1) |
‘Yeah, like it’s an immediate support whereas the mindfulness is like tools that we have to learn and teach, and we need to do work to make them work really whereas making friends isn’t work, if you know what I mean. It’s just support, it’s pure support’. (MIND 7) |
They’d be able to say, ‘Oh, yeah, I understand what that’s like, have you tried this or diets or those sorts of things, like helpful tips’. (MIND 25) |
Emerging hope | ‘Drawing out links between activity and mood seemed to provide the group with a sense of hope’. (MIND-M1) |
Growing in wisdom | Healing and compassion | ‘I think this course has opened a door to a path of healing for myself. Thank you!’ (MIND 7) |
Acceptance and mastery | ‘But having the knowledge, even though I don’t necessarily have to reach for those strategies all the time, knowing that I have them there, I think, it gives me a sense of steadiness that I can actually deal with problems that would come up, as opposed to just hoping for the best’. (MIND 8) |
‘I think the group actually helped me to accept it a lot more as well. What’s going on with me and how that affects my life and other people as well’. (MIND 18) |
Therapeutic alliance | Purpose and meaning | ‘Being part of the group probably has given me some sort of purpose or meaning to my life, there’s something to be discovered’. (MIND 25) |
Embodiment of mindfulness | ‘Just her voice kind of sets everyone at ease as well because there’s no expectation or judgement behind anything she says’(MIND 62). |
Therapist’s relational qualities | ‘She was very understanding, listened to each of us fully, yeah, and really like no one judging either, because she genuinely wanted to hear about what was going on with us. Yeah, interested. She’d always try and fill in gaps waiting for someone to fill it and the questions. She was so cute. She was okay with us swearing, as well. It wasn’t like a classroom. It was very relaxed. It felt good and free to be ourselves’. (MIND 47) |
Barriers to mindfulness practice | Barriers to mindfulness practice, external, internal and practice-related | ‘A couple of us have physical problems and physical pain and things like that. I found myself using the pillows quite a lot, so if the chairs had been overall, more cushiony and that sort of thing, that could’ve been better.’ (MIND 8) |
Isolation and shame of an invisible disease | ‘Parking is $30 for the 2 hours. We are young, we are poor. And we have pride’. (MIND 39) |
‘I feel there’s a real lacking, especially because it’s an invisible disease, it’s not like we’re walking around with crutches or something like that, so to meet someone that you would have no idea, you’d walk past someone in the street and you’d have no idea.’(MIND 1) |
‘I was so embarrassed, so scared, wouldn’t tell anyone.’ (MIND 7) |
‘If I never done the group, I feel I probably would have got sick. Probably isolate myself, not talk about it, just keep to myself and just ignore everyone, the world and just live in my own little bubble and I’d probably get sick and have flare ups because of all that overthinking’. (MIND 40) |