Mindfulness is a practice that has been in existence for many, many years, and over the past several decades, it has been the central feature in stress management programs. Mindfulness is a particular way of experiencing the present moment in a manner that is intentional and nonjudgmental. With practice, people detect places in their bodies that are harboring stress more quickly than they otherwise might have, which allows them to take skillful action moving forward. Clients who receive MBCT engage in many practices designed to focus their attention on the present moment and accept whatever the present moment brings to them.
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) was developed as a supplement to traditional CBT as approach to prevent the recurrence of symptoms in people with chronic mental health problems (e.g., those who have experienced several episodes of depression). Although it was developed and has been evaluated in a group format, providers at the Center have adapted MBCT for delivery in individual psychotherapy sessions. Many clients benefit from MBCT after they have had success with the cognitive and behavioral change strategies described in previous sections.
You can read more about MBCT from the website of our esteemed colleagues who developed the approach: https://mbct.com/