@arteteco You’re right to feel skeptical about it. The same thing is happening to the meditative practice that happens to all things that enter the Western economic environment: they become commodified and in so doing, atomized for time and profit efficiency. The ramifications of trying to atomize a holistic practice spanning thousands of years might appear predictable to you and I, namely their resultant mis-messaging and consequent inefficacy. There has been significant writing about so-called “McMindfulness,” the commodified practice distilled down to what ‘experts’ believe to be the most potent parts of the practice forsaking all else. Meditation is a holistic practice and mindfulness is only one component. Some may argue it is the most accessible but it is not necessarily the first step on the path and certainly not the whole path.

In terms of its therapeutic potential, there is promising evidence in the literature but there is much work to be done. However, it may take neuroscience and psychology some time to come back to the unavoidable conclusion, after taking it apart to study before putting it back together, that the totality of the practice is necessary.