Cross-Cultural Mindfulness: Examining the Processes and Outcomes of a Multidisciplinary Study Abroad Experience

Mindfulness has become a popular topic of intellectual and experiential study in multiple disciplines, including healthcare, business, education, and various human service professions. We designed a study abroad experience where undergraduate and graduate students from various human service disciplines engaged in academic study, personal practices, and cross-cultural learning experiences related to mindfulness. A mixed-methods design was used in this study. Participants reported a significantly greater sense of mindful awareness after completing their study abroad. Experiences that allowed for internal processing of mindfulness (e.g., meditation, journaling, readings, and non-doing) and experiences that allowed for external engagement with mindfulness (e.g., learning about the brain and science, visiting schools that integrate mindfulness, participating in a Buddhist retreat) emerged as crucial to the embodiment of mindfulness in participants’ personal lives. Based on these findings, we note the potential relevance of mindfulness to intercultural learning, and we conclude by offering suggestions to support human service professionals in developing learning activities that cultivate mindfulness through experiential and immersive experiences.