A Lived Experience of Mindfulness-Based Mentalizing Training Program for Parents (MBMP). A Phenomenological Study

Abstract

<p>Mentalizing, or the ability to understand the mental states underlying oneself and others’ overt behaviors, is crucial in parenting due to its association with favorable child development outcomes. This study introduces a new tool, the Mindfulness-Based Mentalizing Training Program for Parents (MBMP), and investigates its potential to enhance parental mentalizing through qualitative analysis. Six parents of young children were interviewed to explore their lived experiences with MBMP using descriptive phenomenological analysis. The individual experiences were categorized into four main content areas: (1) The Experience of Mind Check: Observing internal states; (2) Power of Positivity: Recalling positive interactions; (3) Living Through Difficulties: Reflecting on challenging interactions; (4) Telling and Retelling: Describing the child from the parent’s perspective. The study discusses the key experiences stimulated by MBMP and its potential for enhancing parental mentalizing.<br></p>