Associate Prof. Yvonne Terjestam

For some 30 years I have been researching the psychological well-being among pupils in Sweden and for some years I was the Swedish Rescuing Services (Räddningsverket) EU delegate regarding children and safety. In the last 15-20 years, I have done research on the psychological, cognitive and social effects of mindfulness-based practices in the classroom among 10-16 year old pupils. In several projects I studied the methods developed and used by The Dream of the Good in Sweden. I also was a Global Partner in “a Call for Care” (Mind and Life). At the university, I taught a mindfulness course for our international master program and the program for Psychologists. My interest for children´s well-being is quite general and I have developed short meditations for children who have problems sleeping, for the Swedish National Radio. Since many years I am devoted to the practice of meditation and the preservation of the deep inner teachings in meditation as it is adjusted to western society. The promising results regarding my studies of the methods of the Dream of the Good combined with the international results of studies on pupils and mindfulness may show that we have the means to enhance well-being among pupils. The fact that different aspects of mindfulness practices such as openness, non-judgement, empathy and compassion are all keys to well-being and the relief of stress and anger. The question is perhaps “How do we teach mindfulness at the schools so these qualities are enhanced within the pupils lives”? I think the answer is embedded in the teachers own practices and the awareness of (inter and intra) communication (mindfulness and socio-emotional learning). The Dream of the Good is interesting regarding this due to their combination of four different methods.