"I am now better able to recognize when I am about to enter the ‘train wreck’ thought zone and detach myself from it."

~ Participant comment after completing MBCT

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What is MBCT?

Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is a mindfulness approach to depression and anxiety and was developed in 2002 by Zindel Segal, Mark Williams, and John Teasdale - all psychology and cognitive behavioral therapy professors and researchers. The 8-week group-based program combines Jon Kabat-Zinn’s (1990) mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) with components of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). The intention of the MBCT program is to help individuals create a shift in their relationship to thoughts, feelings, and body sensations that contribute to recurrent anxiety and depression.

MBCT differs from conventional Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) in that it does not stress working directly with the content or changing the belief of recurrent thought patterns. The focus in MBCT is on cultivating and expanding awareness of self and the world around us. This newly expanded awareness as well as the fruits of a regular mindfulness practice allow the participant to shift their relationship to emotion regulation, thought patterns, body sensations and present moment experiences.  Seeing these patterns more clearly and with a bit of distance offers the possibility of gaining new and different perspectives and responding in ways that foster well-being and greater happiness. This capacity ultimately decreases the likelihood of depressive relapse or prolonging existing anxiety and overwhelm.

“Although progress has been made in the treatment of many psychiatric conditions, recurrent depression continues to cause significant disability and remains a high cost to society. Interventions that prevent depressive relapse among people at high risk of recurrent episodes have significant potential to reduce the disease’s burden. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), one such intervention, teaches psychological skills that target cognitive mechanisms implicated in depressive relapse to people with a history of depression by combining systematic mindfulness training with elements from cognitive therapy.” (Kuyken et al 2016 JAMA Psychiatry)

Relapse prevention in recurrent depression is a significant public health problem, and antidepressants are the current first-line treatment approach. Identifying an equally efficacious nonpharmacological intervention would be an important development. 

Question

What is the efficacy of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) compared with usual care and other treatments?

Findings

This individual patient data meta-analysis included 9 trials, comprising 1329 participants. Patients receiving mindfulness-based cognitive therapy had a significantly reduced risk of depressive relapse within a 60-week follow-up period compared with those who received usual care and had comparable outcomes to those who received other active treatments.

Meaning

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) appears efficacious as a treatment for relapse prevention for those who have recurrent depression and provides an alternative choice to other active treatments.

Who should attend this course?

This course is designed for adults aged 18 and older who are interested in exploring mindfulness practices. Research shows that it is particularly helpful to those who have experienced recurrent depressive episodes and anxiety. However, you don’t need to have experienced depression to benefit profoundly from engaging in the mindfulness practices in this course. You may simply be interested in learning more about your own mind and your emotional landscape.  Whatever your reason for taking MBCT, know that it offers a systematized and easily accessible curriculum suitable for beginners as well as experienced mindfulness practitioners.

Psychologists and other professionals have found this course to be particularly beneficial to working with clients in a clinical setting. The practices are highly versatile and adaptable to diverse populations. However, it is important to understand the necessity of the therapist integrating and embodying the practices personally before sharing them with others in a therapeutic setting. Studies suggest that mindfulness training significantly reinforces the therapeutic alliance, the cornerstone of successful therapy, in several critical ways:

  • Cultivating present-moment awareness

  • Improving self-awareness

  • Enhancing emotional regulation

  • Boosting empathy and compassion

  • Deepening active listening skills

What are the benefits of MBCT?

  • Greater ability to handle life’s difficulties and challenges, mood and mind states

  • Helps one make a radical shift in their relationship to thoughts, feelings and body sensations that contribute to depressive relapse and other challenging mood states

  • Reduction in the intensity, frequency and duration of recurrent depressive episodes. 

  • Cultivates greater attentional control, emotional responsiveness and regulation, and self-awareness

  • Decentering from experience, relating to thoughts, feelings, body sensations and impulses to act as events passing in the mind and body rather than identifying with them

Research on the efficacy of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for active or severe depression is still ongoing. 

MBCT Course Design:

The MBCT curriculum is a rigorous training of ancient time - tested practices in a group format. The program involves 2.5-hour group classes held each week for eight weeks and one all-day class held in silence. There are daily home practices assigned each week. The curriculum includes training in formal (observing silence in an intentional manner) and informal (awake and aware of moments and activities of daily life) mindfulness practices. It's important to talk to your doctor or therapist to determine if this approach is right for you.