It’s fair to say that therapists of many stripes have integrated mindfulness meditation, either through the use of well-developed protocols, such as MBCT, or the integration of specific practices, such as the 3-Minute Breathing Space, into their clinical practices. But do we know, as is the case for pharmaceutical treatments, whether there are problematic side effects associated with its use?
Users of MBCT and MMBPro may be surprised to see that we encourage them to take time away from our course and to split up sessions by a few weeks. We used this approach because using the practice first in therapists’ own lives is such an important part of learning it.
Mindfulness has become a pretty huge buzzword in the last few years. Search the term and you’ll end up with so many different articles, opinions, ideas, and ways to implement the practice that it can become overwhelming.
The increasing number of veterans returning from tours of duty leads to an increased awareness of PTSD and its symptoms. Mindfulness is becoming increasingly well known also, if only at the most basic level of its definition. But how do the two relate to each other?
Our patterns of negative thinking are often based on old, well-practiced, automatic cognitive routines (often repetitive). They are motivated (usually ineffectively) by the goal of escaping/avoiding distressing feelings or problematic life situations. These unhelpful routines persist because we remain in a cognitive mode characterized by a number of features.
Participants in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy who are also taking antidepressants often wonder whether they will be able to come off their meds once the program is over or, for some, before or as they begin the MBCT program.
It’s fair to say that therapists of many stripes have integrated mindfulness meditation, either through the use of well-developed protocols, such as MBCT, or the integration of specific practices, such as the 3-Minute Breathing Space, into their clinical practices. But do we know, as is the case for pharmaceutical treatments, whether there are problematic side effects associated with its use?