Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) consists of eight weekly sessions with home practise in between. The sessions are normally two hours, and a full day of practise may be offered.
The MBCT originally aims at preventing relapse of depression, particularly where depression has been a recurrent pattern in someone's life. The underlying theory is that preventing relapse is primarily mediated through improving awareness of one's own cognition, seeing one's own thoughts and the impact they have on one's choices. In MBCT, the core skill to be developed is the ability to step away from our own thinking proceses and to see them more clearly. Through this, we can become more mindfully present in the moment and also to let go of a constant striving to escape from unhappiness and aspects of our life which are not as we would wish them to be.
It is based on a number of key principles. Firstly, becoming more aware of the present moment and what's happening right now as opposed to functioning on automtic pilot without much awareness of what's happening. Secondly, it's based on living the whole of life more mindfully, not just on formal practise, as part of the day, but also of being more present throughtout the day. Thirdly, letting go of our tendency to constantly judge what's happening and how we're doing right now. Rather, simply seeing things as they are without judging them against some external standard. The fourth principle is around observing in a spirit of openness and acceptance. The fifth principle is around allowing our experience to come and go in the spirit of openness, and that includes thing which are pleasant, neutral, or unpleaant and distressing, and it includes our moods and emotions, our thoughts, and bodily sensations. Finally, there's a principle of turning towards the difficult. In our lives, we tend to turn away from things which we do not find pleasant. In MBCT, there's a more explicit emphasis on working with thoughts rather than other aspects of experience. There's an idea of shifting modes of mind and developing our capacity to choose where we place out attention. MBCT is often based on a formulation specific to a particular challenge and offered to groups of people living with that specific challenge.
Week 1: We look at awareness and how much of our lives we spend on automatic pilot.
Week 2: We focus more on thoughts and the idea of how much of our lives we spend living in our heads, rather than in our bodies or in the world around us.
Week 3: We focus on tension and on gathering the scattered mind. Particularly in contemporary society, often we're trying to focus on many things at the same time, and there can be immense power in focusing our attention.
Week 4: we look at recogising aversion and our tendency not to look at the things we don't like.
Week 5: The focus is on allowing and letting things be just as they are
Week 6: We return to thoughts in particular, and the concept that our thoughts are not facts, but simply artefacts produced by the mind.
Week 7: We turn towards the end of the course and begin to plan for how can I best take care of myself.
Week 8: The focus on maintaining and extending what has been learned is continued.
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