Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is a type of psychotherapy that involves a combination of cognitive therapy, meditation, and the cultivation of a present-oriented, non-judgmental attitude called “mindfulness.”

Therapists Zindel Segal, Mark Williams, and John Teasdale created MBCT in an effort to advance cognitive therapy. They believed that therapy could be more successful if cognitive therapy was combined with the mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) technique created by Jon Kabat-Zinn in 1979.

Benefits of MBCT

MBCT was created to help patients who frequently experience episodes of profound sadness or depression avoid relapsing. Patients with major depressive disorder who have gone through at least three depressive episodes have found it to be useful. Other mental illnesses including addictions and general anxiety disorder may benefit from mindfulness-based relapse prevention.

What makes MBCT so powerful is the union of mindfulness and cognitive therapy. While cognitive therapy teaches you to halt habitual thought processes and deal with emotions in a healthy way, mindfulness assists you in observing and identifying your feelings.

How does MBCT work?

The MBCT program is an eight-week, or eight-session, group intervention. After fifth week, there is one day-long lesson in addition to the weekly course that meets for two hours. However, much of the practice is done outside class, with the participant using guided meditations and attempts to cultivate mindfulness in their daily lives.

According to research, when people with a history of depression are in a bad mood, they may also have unpleasant memories and thoughts about the past. This may cause them to worry about the future and feel physically tired.

The MBCT teaches individuals how to perceive their sense of self and to distinguish themselves from their thoughts and emotions. People may be able to break out from mental habits that repeatedly replay unfavorable messages. People undergoing treatment may discover that while the self and the emotions can exist simultaneously, they do not necessarily have to exist in the same dimension after becoming aware of the distinction between thoughts, emotions, and the self. By teaching people how to inject upbeat thoughts into downbeat feelings in order to neutralize those negative feelings, this knowledge can aid in the healing process.

Generally speaking, MBCT aims to arm participants with the skills needed to handle depression symptoms as they manifest. When presented with potentially overwhelming circumstances or in times of crisis, people who master these skills may be able to fall back on them.

Techniques

By utilizing methods like mindfulness meditation to train people to deliberately pay attention to their thoughts and feelings without passing judgment on them, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy expands on the concepts of cognitive therapy. As a component of MBCT, a variety of mindfulness methods and exercises are used. Some of these include:

Meditation: People may practice guided or self-directed meditation that helps them gain a greater awareness of their body, thoughts, and breathing. 

Body scan exercise: This entails lying down while paying close attention to various bodily parts. Typically, a person starts at the bottom of their body and moves up through it until they reach the top of their head.

Mindfulness practices: Mindfulness involves become more aware of the present moment. It’s something that can be practiced during meditation, but people can also incorporate these activities into the things they do every day.

Mindfulness stretching: Stretching carefully throughout this exercise might help to increase body and mental awareness.

Yoga: MBCT may also encourage people to practice different yoga poses that can help facilitate mindful stretching of the body.

People might be taught what’s known as the “three minute breathing space technique,” which focuses on three steps, each one minute in duration:

1. Observing your experience (How are you doing right now?)
2. Focusing on your breath
3. Attending to your body and physical sensations

Other MBCT techniques include walking and sitting meditations, sitting with thoughts, and sitting with sounds.

References

GoodTherapy. (2018, August 3). Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT). Mindfulness–Based Cognitive Therapy. Retrieved October 30, 2022, from https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/types/mindfulness-based-cognitive-therapy

Schimelpfening, N. (2021, July 14). What is mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT)? Verywell Mind. Retrieved October 30, 2022, from https://www.verywellmind.com/mindfulness-based-cognitive-therapy-1067396

Sussex Publishers. (2022, October 20). Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy.

Psychology Today. Retrieved October 30, 2022, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapy-types/mindfulness-based-cognitive-therapy