Mindsight, a term coined by Dr Siegel himself, refers to the understanding of the internal subjective experience – or simply “seeing the mind” – of oneself and others.

“What happens in the mind of the physician or nurse that allows them to be the most effective they can be when caring for a patient?”, asked Dr Daniel J. Siegel to the audience at Academia Auditorium on 15 June.   At his lecture on Mindfulness, Mindsight and Medicine, he discussed the importance of acquiring ‘Mindsight’ for healthcare professionals.

Mindsight, a term coined by Dr Siegel himself, refers to the understanding of the internal subjective experience – or simply “seeing the mind” – of oneself and others.

Dr Siegel shared the story behind Mindsight: When he was a medical student, he was often distressed and disappointed by the apathy of his professors and peers towards their patients.

“If someone was diagnosed with a serious illness such as terminal cancer, they would go into the patient’s room, tell him he only has a few months left to live and then say goodbye.

“They said they have already done whatever they can and there is nothing else they can do,” he said.

Many physicians detach themselves from their patients and build a wall of defensiveness. On the opposite end, some get overwhelmed by emotions and burn out quickly.

“They then start to hate their jobs.”

Mindsight enables physicians, when dealing with their patients, to develop an awareness of their emotions, manage them and prevent themselves from being overwhelmed by it.

“Empathetic comments and compassionate states of the physician should not be the icing on the cake during consultations, but an essential feature of what they do.”

Brain integration is another advantage of developing Mindsight.

“When integration occurs, different parts of the brain are more linked to each other and the brain will work in a more coordinated and balanced way.   This creates a healthy brain,” he explained.

Mindsight is teachable and can be acquired through mindfulness training.   Mindfulness, a universal practice that is present in many cultures, refers to the idea of paying attention to the present moment.   This is done with a sense of alertness and attention to detail that is paired with kindness and compassion(1).

Mindfulness would help physicians to observe their own emotions and respond to patients in an empathetic manner.   Through this, physicians would also be able to develop the capacity of presence and attunement, from which resonance and trust emerge.

“When patients enter a trusting state, they feel understood and hopeful.   This experience is rewarding for both patients and physicians,” said Dr Siegel.

Apart from a holistic doctor-patient exchange, a physician’s mindfulness can also positively impact a patient’s health.

 “A study discovered that when the physician made a brief empathetic comment like, ‘it must feel so difficult to have a cold while studying for an exam’, that person recovered a day sooner than other patients whose doctor did not empathise.

When they did a blood test, the patient’s immune function was also much higher,” said Dr Siegel.

“Empathetic comments and compassionate states of the physician should not be the icing on the cake during consultations, but an essential feature of what they do.”


Dr Daniel Siegel, an award-winning educator, is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and recipient of several honourary fellowships. A clinical professor of psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine and author of The Mindful Brain and Brainstorm, Dr Siegel is the Executive Director of the Mindsight Institute, an educational organisation that focuses on how the development of mindsight in individuals, families and communities can be enhanced by examining the interface of human relationships and basic biological processes. 

Reference:
(1) http://drdansiegel.com/blog/2014/08/01/mindfulness-as-integration/