What Is Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy?
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is a type of psychotherapy which involves a combination of cognitive therapy, meditation and the cultivation of a present-oriented, non-judgmental attitude called "mindfulness."
History of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy
MBCT was founded by therapists Zindel Segal, Mark Williams and John Teasdale, who sought to build upon a form of therapy called cognitive therapy, developed by Aaron T. Beck in the 1960s, by integrating it with a program developed in 1979 by Jon Kabat-Zinn called mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR). MBSR in turn was based upon the mindfulness teachings of Buddhism, an Eastern religion founded by Siddhartha Gautama, who lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE.
What Is Cognitive Therapy?
A primary assumption of cognitive therapy is that thoughts precede moods and that false self-beliefs lead to negative emotions such as depression. The goal of cognitive therapy is to help the patient recognize and re-assess his patterns of negative thoughts and replace them with positive thoughts that more closely reflect reality.
How Does Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy Build Upon Cognitive Therapy?
Mindfulness based cognitive therapy builds upon the principles of cognitive therapy by using techniques such as mindfulness meditation to teach the patient to consciously pay attention to his thoughts and feelings without placing any judgments on them or getting caught up in what could have been or might occur in the future. It provides clarity of thought and gives the patient the tools needed to more easily let go of negative thoughts instead letting them feed his depression.
So, What Is Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy Used For?
The goal of MBCT is to help patients with chronic depression learn how to avoid relapses by not engaging in those automatic thought patterns that perpetuate and worsen depression.
Sources:
Crane, Rebecca. Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy. New York: Routledge, 2009.
Hayes, Steven C., Victoria M. Follette and Marsha M. Linehan, eds. Mindfulness and Acceptance: Expanding the Cognitive-Behavioral Tradition. New York: The Guilford Press, 2004.
