Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy: what is it and what is it for?

The Mindfulness is considerate a third generation psychological therapy, and one of the best known programs is the MBSR (Mindfulness-based stress reduction program) or Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction Program, considered one of the most effective treatments to treat stress.

But in recent years, another Mindfulness-based program is gaining popularity in treating various disorders, such as depression wave anxiety. It is the MBCT (Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy) or Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy.

Mindfulness is not a matter of doing, but of being

In reality, the practice of Mindfulness, rather than a set of techniques to be in the present moment, it is an attitude towards life. It could be said that Mindfulness allows us to acquire a series of healthy habits, it is a coping style that promotes the personal strengths of each one and helps in the adaptation to the modern world, as it favors the well-being of individuals in a society that tends to detract from people's genuine identity, and helps to connect with oneself same.

To acquire the Mindfulness mentality it is necessary to carry out training. Mindfulness training consists of a series of exercises that allow paying attention to the present in a non-judgmental way. Even so, it is not a question of doing, but of being. In other words, it is being with the five senses without evaluating internal or external experience.

Mindfulness is a state of self-regulation of one's own attention, so the will of each one becomes essential for its practice. Curiosity, openness, and acceptance are part of being mindful.

The applications of Mindfulness

Mindfulness has been shown to be useful for treating different phenomena, including:

• Emotional problems
• Stress
• Anxiety disorders
• Eating disorders
• Mood disorders: depression, Bipolar disorder
• Borderline Personality Disorder
• Somatic problems: psoriasis, fibromyalgia and chronic pain

On the other hand, Mindfulness exercises are simple to perform, so it is relatively easy to adapt the procedures to be followed for any type of person.

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy: what is it?

There are different Mindfulness programs. One of them is the MBCT of Zindel Segal, Mark Williams and John Teasdale, who was originally developed as a treatment program for emotional stress and anxiety, and as a relapse prevention program in patients with depression.

The program combines Mindfulness meditation with the acquisition of practical skills that characterize the cognitive therapy, such as the disruption of thought patterns that lead to depressive or anxious states.

The program lasts eight weeks

There are several studies that have been carried out to test the effectiveness of this treatment. The results show that the vast majority of people who use this program improve their quality of life and experience less depression, anxiety and emotional stress.

To benefit from the benefits of this treatment, daily meditation practice is recommended for at least eight weeks. Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy includes the body scan, Mindfulness stretches, some yoga exercises, Mindfulness breathing, and other practical Mindfulness exercises.

How Does Mindfulness Affect Depression?

The different exercises proposed by the Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy program change the patient's way of thinking and interpreting events. The benefits are:

• Helps focus on the here and now
• Improve concentration
• Less rumination of thoughts by the patient
• Distancing yourself from harmful thoughts
• Greater self-compassion and affection towards oneself
• Greater self-knowledge

Mindfulness: Reconnecting with yourself

Self-compassion is one of the basic pillars of Mindfulness, and involves being warm and compassionate towards yourself. It refers to the acceptance of the way of being and of the thoughts and emotions that arise from ourselves without judging or criticizing them.

Mindfulness is useful in today's context because it re-educates you. We live immersed in a culture and a society in which capitalist and consumer values ​​triumph: money or images have more value than human beings themselves. In this environment, everything has a price, be it dignity, self-esteem, pride or honor, everything becomes merchandise, even interpersonal relationships. Mindfulness helps to find oneself again, away from the influence and pressure of this society that seriously harms the emotional balance.

Mindfulness applied to therapy: double effect

This type of therapy takes advantage of the beneficial effect of Minfulness and applies it to situations in which stress and anxiety play a very relevant role. It must be taken into account that high levels of stress have a chain effect on both the nervous system and regulation hormonal, so putting a stop to this constant alertness alleviates many of the symptoms for which patients are going to consultation.

On the other hand, Mindfulness also has a beneficial effect on emotional regulation, something that has a positive impact on many aspects of quality of life. It allows us to adopt a somewhat more detached and neutral perspective, so that we are more predisposed to approach our problems from a constructive mindset and without being carried away by anguish and obsessive preoccupation with what we could have done and not we did.

In addition, improving the emotional aspect allows you to get more out of therapy, something that unfortunately not all patients get, a phenomenon that partly explains why there are people who abandon the treatments to which they are being submitted.

In this way, from Minfulness a double effect is achieved: the quality of life is directly improved, and it is easier to follow the treatment.

Bibliographic references:

• Felder, J.N.; Dimidjian, S.; Segal, Z. (2012). Collaboration in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy. Journal of Clinical Psychology 68 (2): pp. 179 - 186.
• Parsons, C.E.; Crane, C.; Parsons, L.J.; Fjorback, L.O.; Kuyken, W. (2017). Home practice in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction: A systematic review and meta-analysis of participants' mindfulness practice and its association with outcomes. Behavior Research and Therapy, 95: pp. 29 - 41.
• Piet, J.; Hougaard, E. (2011). The Effect of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Prevention of Relapse in Recurrent Major Depressive Disorder: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Clinical Psychology Review. 31 (6): pp. 1032 - 1040.
• Kuyken, W.; Watkins, E.; Holden, E.; White, K.; Taylor, R.S.; Byford, S.; Evans, A.; Radford, S.; Teasdale, J.D. (2010). How does mindfulness-based cognitive therapy work?. Behavior Research and Therapy, 48 (11): pp. 1105 - 1112.