Positive Approach - Therapy: Mindfulness Flashcards
(18 cards)
what are the 3 main components of mindfulness
- Gaining control of mindfulness
- meditation and mindful breathing
- Informal practises of mindfulness
outline what the first component (gaining control of mindfulness) is + an example
- gaining control involves shifting focus from dwelling on the past or worrying about the future to becoming fully aware of the present.
- By noticing and accepting incoming thoughts and feelings, individuals can recognize how negative thinking patterns affect them.
- This awareness helps reduce stress, depression, and anxiety by avoiding automatic negative thoughts and empowering individuals to change their reactions.
- MBCT is an example of this
outline what the second component (meditation and mindful breathing) is + an example
- meditation and mindful breathing helps focus attention on the present moment.
- Through proper posture and techniques like the body scan, individuals tune out distractions and become aware of bodily sensations, thoughts, and emotions.
- This practice prevents negative thoughts from taking over and encourages acceptance of thoughts as temporary.
- Over time, it helps individuals reprocess experiences and avoid automatic emotional reactions.
- an example is MBSR
outline what the third component (informal practices of mindfulness) is + an example
- can be applied in everyday life
- in everything we do (except multi-tasking)
- it is making the conscious decision to focus on one single task
- e.g. taking a shower (focusing on smell, sound, feeling, what you see, etc…)
what is MBSR
- mindfulness-based stress reduction
- developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn (1970)
- individual is trained by a certified instructor (8x2.5 hour classes over 8 weeks)
- participants are given educational material + practise mindful activities (meditation or yoga or etc)
- also given home practise assignments
- also encouraged to incorporate it into every day things
- increasing mindfulness = reduces emotional reactivity + deeper sense of calm –> reducing stress/anxiety/pain
what is MBCT
- Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy
- uses all the techniques from MBSR + principles of cognitive therapy which help you to recognise and reassess negative patterns of thinking, replacing them with positive ones
- the combination of mindfulness and cognitive therapy is what makes MBCT so effective
- mindfulness = helps identify your feelings
- cognitive = teaches you to interrupt automatic thought processes and work through feelings in a healthy way
- it’s successful in reducing depression reoccurrence and severity of symptoms
how does the first assumption link to mindfulness
mindfulness encourages people to be more aware of their own thoughts and feelings and be accepting of them so they have control. You need to be able to self-regulate and control your attention to focus on the present
How does the second assumption link to mindfulness
mindfulness helps people to learn to focus on the present moment instead of worrying about the past or future. Whilst carrying out meditation = fully engaged and absorbed
how does the third assumption link to mindfulness
mindfulness aims to develop signature strengths through ‘acceptance-based’ methods which encourage virtues like gratitude, flexibility and optimism
why is mindfulness effective
- supporting research:
1) Teasdale et al (2000)
2) Reibal et al (2001) - appropriate for all + highly accessible
why might mindfulness not be effective
P: doesn’t remove cause = not effective
E: MBSR only makes individuals observe and accept their negative thoughts rather than engaging or challenging them. The emotional distress associated never gets resolved and experiences like traumatic childhood continue to affect their mental health.
T: Therefore, whilst it reduces symptoms in short-term, it won’t provide long-term therapeutic relief which may result in clients continuing to experience unresolved emotional pain.
COUNTER: MBCT can help tackle this as it also uses cognitive principles to replace the negative thinking patterns (the cause) that the mindfulness therapy identifies.
explain why the first supporting research proves mindfulness to be effective
- Teasdale et al (2000)
- tested effectiveness of MBCT among 145 recurrently depressed patients
- they were randomly allocated two conditions
1) treatment as usual (TAU)
2) TAU + 8 classes of MBCT - MBCT showed greatest help to those who suffered the most number of previous episodes
- however not he most effective on those with only 2 or 3 episodes
explain why the second supporting research proves mindfulness to be effective
P: Supporting research in reducing symptoms = is effective
E: Reibel et al (2001) tested effectiveness of MBSR on patients with chronic, painful and terminal illness. Found after 8 week-course, patients had significantly reduced anxiety and depression
T: Show mindfulness is effective using empirical and valid evidence that symptoms were measurably reduced.
COUNTER: low generalisability as it focuses on individuals with specific health conditions = may not apply to everyone
explain why being appropriate/accessible for all proves mindfulness to be effective
P: Is highly accessible and appropriate for everyone in a multitude of settings = is effective
E: Mindfulness in Schools Project (2007) introduced a 9 week mindfulness course in schools across 12 different countries. Found to improve student’s wellbeing, concentration and learning. Children who learnt mindfulness could then continue to practise it outside, Kuyken et al found children who practised mindfulness experienced reduced stress and increased wellbeing
T: Its adaptability for settings like schools and easy accessibility makes it a very effective therapy.
COUNTER: no accessible to all mental health disorders like schizophrenia (may make hallucinations/delusions worse when focusing on insight)
explain why not removing the cause proves mindfulness to be not effective
P: Mindfulness isn’t effective because it doesn’t address or remove the root causes of psychological distress.
E: Individuals suffering due to traumatic childhood experiences or ongoing life stressors, simply accepting thoughts without challenging or changing them may prevent deeper emotional processing and long-term resolution. This means that by focusing on acceptance rather than analysis, mindfulness might help manage symptoms but not truly resolve the underlying issues.
T: Therefore, while mindfulness can offer short-term relief, its limitations in addressing the cause of mental health problems suggest it may not be suitable as a standalone therapy.
COUNTER: Additionally, it is not appropriate for all mental health conditions; for example, it is generally not recommended for individuals with schizophrenia, as the focus on internal awareness could potentially worsen symptoms like delusions or hallucinations.
Why is mindfulness ethical
P: Avoids emotional harm = is ethical
E: doesn’t require clients to dwell on painful past experiences, only to accept them as temporary and instead focus on being in the present moment by focusing on bodily sensations.
T: By avoiding emotional harm from traumatic experiences, it makes it easier for clients to adhere to treatment programmes and they may feel encouraged to continue practising mindfulness once treatment has finished, helping to prevent future relapses and making them more likely to seek help if they feel like they are.
Why is mindfulness unethical
P: no official governing body to regulate practise and protect patients = unethical
E: up to 50% of mindfulness practitioners aren’t formally trained in delivering mindfulness-based therapies. The absence of regulation means practitioners can operate without accountability and without professional oversight, which increases the likelihood for ineffective or harmful practices where patients don’t receive the care they need.
T: therefore undermining the ethical responsibility to ensure vulnerable individuals receive appropriate treatment.
P: potential side-effects can arise in individuals combining mindfulness with medication = unethical
E: It can lead to the “Dark Night phenomenon” which involves surfacing traumatic memories in deep meditation that leads to distressing symptoms like cognitive and perceptual abnormalities, loss of sense of self and difficulty maintaining social relationships.
T: the potential to trigger such distressing symptoms brings into question how safe this therapy is and whether it can be confidently prescribed to others in good conscience.
When mindfulness is compared to Aversion therapy, Drug therapy, CBT, which is more effective
- M or AT = M: because there’s no risk of physical harm
- M or DT = M: no side effects (aside from ‘the dark night phenomenon’)
- M or CBT = M: encourages no judgement, but CBT can lower self-esteem
