Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy

What is Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy?

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy or MBCT is a type of psychotherapy that involves a combination of cognitive therapy, meditation, and the cultivation of a “mindfulness” attitude. 

Mindfulness means maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment, through a gentle, nurturing, and supportive lens.

Cognitive therapies focus on the belief that thoughts happen before moods. False self-beliefs, negative self-talk can lead to negative emotions and experiences such as Depression. MCBT works to help you recognize and reassess patterns of negative thinking and replace them with positive thoughts that more closely reflect reality. 

MBCT helps you look at your thoughts without letting them consume you.

In MCBT we focus on developing clarity of thought and giving you the tools to more easily let negative thoughts move through you instead of feeding into your anxiety or depressive thoughts. We work on reframing the thoughts to better serve you. 

You define the purpose and action of these thoughts, not the other way around.

MBCT uses techniques such as mindfulness and meditation to teach you how to consciously stay present to your thoughts, and feelings without placing any judgment upon them.

Some techniques we use in MCBT include:

• Meditation: Through guided or self-directed mediation you can gain a greater sense of awareness of your body, thoughts, and feelings

• Body Scanning: This involves bringing awareness and tuning in into different areas of the body and attention to emotions that are held within the body.

• Mindfulness Practices: This involves becoming aware of the present moment. Not only is this incorporated into meditation, but in daily activities as well. 

• Mindful Stretching & Yoga Asanas: Stretching helps bring awareness both to the body and mind. Focusing on the breath, the body, and its physical sensations. 

How can Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy Help Me?

MBCT can help you navigate through obsessive thinking, anxiety, and depression by learning to not engage with automatic negative thought patterns that aren't helpful and usually worsen symptoms. For this reason MBCT has been found to be effective with anxiety and depressive disorders as it helps manage and reframe the distressing thoughts, and beliefs that are associated with them.

Cultivating mindfulness involves not only knowing your own mind but working to reshape it through awareness. We work to "free the mind" from patterns and behaviors that are non-beneficial to us, such as anger, judgment, or resistance. Letting unwanted emotions pass through us while remaining relaxed opens us up more to deeper self-understanding. 

When we establish better "knowing" about our thoughts, feelings, and motivations, we explore ways to be kinder, forgiving, and spacious with ourselves. We can be more relaxed in the world and move forward with generosity, courage, and the capacity to release that which no longer serves us. 

What is a Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy Session Like?

In using MCBT techniques during a session, you will learn to tune in and observe your thoughts and feelings as they arise in the moment through incoporating mindfulness exercises and techniques. We will also work on tuning into where those emotions live in the body, and use meditation to “move through” these feelings with breathwork and processing what arises.

I incoporate mindfulness exercises hand in hand to accompany and support other forms of therapy to encourage reframing thought patterns and behaviors, as well as providing practical skills for managing symtpoms in daily life.

You can find more helpful information about starting therapy at:

What Do I Do if I have Anxiety About Getting Help for My Anxiety?

New to Therapy? and What to Ask Yourself Before Starting Therapy