Mortality and Mindfulness: How Intense Encounters with Death Can Generate Spontaneous Mindfulness

Intense encounters with mortality - such as a diagnosis of a terminal illness or a sudden brush with mortality due to an accident or injury - can have positive transformational effects, leading to what positive psychology refers to as ‘flourishing.’ In particular, intense encounters with mortality may generate a heightened sense of appreciation for life, more authentic relationships and lifestyles, and an increased ability to be “mindful”, in the sense of becoming more focused upon the present, and more vividly aware of one’s surroundings. (This is termed ‘externally-oriented mindfulness’.).This can be seen as a form of ‘spontaneous mindfulness’ caused by a re-orienting of attention, away from the future and the past, and into the present. Examples of this shift are given, and other reasons for its emergence are suggested. The positive effects of encountering mortality are contrasted with the findings of Terror Management Theory. The intensity and directness of the individual’s encounter with mortality may be a significant factor in whether it has negative or positive effects. It is suggested that increasing our awareness of mortality - such as by making a conscious effort to contemplate death - can help us to gain some of the positive transformational effects of an intense encounter with mortality (or IEM