• Mindfulness, stress reduction that was originally in a buddhist framework but adapted for a more scientific and cognitive perspective

• Key Concepts

  • Acceptance: willingness to experience psychological events without having to avoid them or let them influence behavior with no limits or control 

    • when acceptance is experienced, the need avoid and reactivity are reduced 

    • Applies to distressing and pleasurable experiences

  • The Being Mode: 

    • Because human brains are hardwired to react to threats, once neural pathways are developed they are more likely to be activated. MBCT helps to break this cycle

    • The doing mode is the brain creating thoughts while the being mode is in touch with the moment, recognizing body sensations, without judgment

  • Tenets of Mindfulness

    • Observing inner experiences: observing internal sensations, cognitions, emotions

    • Acting with awareness: paying attention to the present moment

    • Nonjudgment of inner experience:

    • Describing or labeling inner experience: using words to express sensations, emotions, cognitions 

    • Nonreactivity: noticing without reacting
      
      

    • Following components of mindfulness help create self-regulation

      • Attention regulation

      • Body awareness

      • Emotion regulating

      • Change in perspective of self 

• The Therapeutic Process

  • Intended to prevent depression relapse by helping clients move away from obsessing on thoughts and feelings of their concern and teaching them to be present 

  • Manualized and highly structured. Typically in 8 group sessions of 2 to 2.5 hours and one all day session. Groups are 10-12

    • Weeks 1-4: develop skills, mindfulness meditation training, present-moment awareness, recognition of thoughts, emotions, bodily sensations, behaviors 

    • Weeks 5-8: shifting toward recognition of more challenging thoughts and feelings, working on acceptance

  • Breath work, yoga, body scan are most common used techniques

• Therapeutic Techniques and Procedures

  • Conscious Thought Processing: clients are instructed to acknowledge that their thoughts and feelings exist, but to allow them to pass without intervening or passing judgment. Helps clients move away from allowing automatic thoughts to rule their behaviors and become more conscious and aware of their thought processing

  • Mindfulness: not something that is achieved, but a tool to enhance inner awareness and cultivate well-being. People who practice this are encouraged to set aside time for it daily

  • Decentering: reducing black and white thinking. Maintaining a degree of separation from inner experiences. Mirror mindfulness tenant of observing inner experiences 

• Applications

  • Depression relapse prevention, acute depression, residual depression, bipolar disorder, GAD, panic, adjustment disorders 

  • Can help those with OCD regain a sense of control and regulate emotions

  • Addiction, ADHD, couples, suicide prevention

Schema Therapy