A qualitative study of mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy for depression

Abstract

Psychotherapeutic interventions containing training in mindfulness meditation have been shown to help participants with a variety of somatic and psychological conditions. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is a meditation-based psychotherapeutic intervention designed to help reduce the risk of relapse of recurrent depression. There is encouraging early evidence from multi-centre randomized controlled trials. However, little is known of the process by which MBCT may bring therapeutic benefits. This study set out to explore participants' accounts of MBCT in the mental-health context. Seven participants were interviewed in two phases. Interview data from four participants were obtained in the weeks following MBCT. Grounded theory techniques were used to identify several categories that combine to describe the ways in which mental-health difficulties arose as well as their experiences of MBCT. Three further participants who have continued to practise MBCT were interviewed so as to further validate, elucidate and extend these categories. The theory suggested that the preconceptions and expectations of therapy are important influences on later experiences of MBCT. Important areas of therapeutic change ('coming to terms') were identified, including the development of mindfulness skills, an attitude of acceptance and 'living in the moment'. The development of mindfulness skills was seen to hold a key role in the development of change. Generalization of these skills to everyday life was seen as important, and several ways in which this happened, including the use of breathing spaces, were discussed. The study emphasized the role of continued skills practice for participants' therapeutic gains. In addition, several of the concepts and categories offered support to cognitive accounts of mood disorder and the role of MBCT in reducing relapse.

“I Felt Like a New Person.” The Effects of Mindfulness Meditation on Older Adults With Chronic Pain: Qualitative Narrative Analysis of Diary Entries

“…The mean number of participants who handed in a diary every week (one page per week) was 18 (range [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26]. The first three weeks 26, 22, and 23 participants, respectively, handed in a diary.…”

“…12 It has been found to reduce the intensity of pain, as well as increase mood and function. 1,10 There are few first-person accounts that exist in the literature that describe what an individual experiences while learning mindfulness meditation 13,17,5,8,16 and none focus on an older population of chronic pain patients and how they use it to alleviate pain. Why is this important?…”

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy: Primary Care Patients’ Experiences of Outcomes in Everyday Life and Relapse Prevention

“…Prior qualitative studies on participants' experiences of MBCT have focused mainly on therapeutic change and the development of mindfulness skills (Allen, Bromley, Kuyken, & Sonnenberg, 2009;Bihari & Mullan, 2012;Cebolla i Martí & Barrachina, 2009;Mason & Hargreaves, 2001). In 2011 Malpass and colleagues carried out a meta-ethnography of qualitative papers on MBCT and mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) published since 2001 (Malpass et al, 2011).…”

Mindfulness - det oppmerksomme nærvær

“…Dette kommer ikke så tydelig til uttrykk i de kvantitative effektstudiene, selv om flere har positive målin-ger på empati og selvomsorg (6,7,11,13,18). Kvalitative studier på mindfulness-basert kognitiv terapi (MBCT), beskriver økt oppmerksomhet på egne mønstre av tanker, følelser og persepsjon (31)(32)(33)(34). Holdningen av vennlig aksept, her hovedsakelig rettet mot egen situasjon, er et vesentlig tema i et par av disse studiene (31,32 Artikkelforfatter har både gjennomført treningen, intervjuet og analysert materialet, noe som gjør at resultatet er sårbart med henhold til forskerens påvirkning på alle ledd i prosessen.…”

“…Kvalitative studier på mindfulness-basert kognitiv terapi (MBCT), beskriver økt oppmerksomhet på egne mønstre av tanker, følelser og persepsjon (31)(32)(33)(34). Holdningen av vennlig aksept, her hovedsakelig rettet mot egen situasjon, er et vesentlig tema i et par av disse studiene (31,32 Artikkelforfatter har både gjennomført treningen, intervjuet og analysert materialet, noe som gjør at resultatet er sårbart med henhold til forskerens påvirkning på alle ledd i prosessen. For å redusere egen påvirkning, er metodiske valg og tolkning diskutert med mentor på flere punkter underveis.…”