How does Mind–Body Bridging support professional identity development?

Abstract

This narrative case study is an exploration of Mind–Body Bridging (MBB), an emerging mindfulness-based approach, and its impact on university students’ professional identities. MBB was used as content and an intervention tool in a psychology course. The study provides an in-depth analysis of two students’ narratives to illustrate and discuss the usefulness of MBB in the university setting. The findings demonstrate that MBB helped students develop their professional identity with regard to self-confidence, self-awareness, social relationships, and professional future. Moreover, the link between the development of students’ professional identities and their abilities to cope with work-related stress is found.