When you are mindful, you are aware of your thoughts, feelings, and emotions. At the same time, you are also able to assess your environment, surroundings, and situations without automatic responses, such as passing judgment or increasing your stress levels.
In Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, also known as MBCT, a MBCT therapist incorporates mindfulness techniques into your counseling sessions.
Some mindfulness practices include:
Present Moment Awareness:
When you pay close attention to the sensations and perceptions you are feeling in your body, and clear the mind of any worries and judgements.
Meditation:
When you focus your mind on a particular object, thought, or occurrence to hone in attention and awareness so you can achieve a mentally and emotionally clear state. To learn more about meditation, check out our past blog “How Meditation Can Lead To Stress Reduction.”
Breathing Exercises:
Simple breathing exercises can help you reduce stress and make you less anxious. A common breathing exercise is the 4-7-8 method, also referred to as the relaxing breath since it helps tame your nervous system. To perform this breathing exercise, you close your mouth and inhale through your nose to a mental count of four. Then, you hold your breath for a count of seven. Finally, you exhale through your mouth for a count of eight.
MBCT teaches you how to be in the present moment. It also teaches you how to remove yourself from negative thought patterns that can cause a decline in your mood.
Anchor Therapy is a counseling center in Hoboken, NJ with mental health therapists specialized in helping children, teens, adults, and couples with anxiety, depression, relationship issues, trauma, life transitions, and more. Anchor Therapy is accepting new clients and is now providing in-person sessions and teletherapy sessions to residents of New Jersey, New York, Florida, North Carolina, and Utah.
An example of mindfulness
Imagine you are a first-time meditator trying to get away from your intrusive thoughts. You sit down and are trying your hardest to meditate but, no matter what you try to do, you cannot concentrate and keep getting distracted by external factors. Maybe you are focusing on the honking car horns that are occurring outside your window or you are simply too focused on your inability to do the breathing exercise ‘correctly.’
After a few minutes into your new practice, you start questioning yourself. You may be asking yourself “Why can I not even breathe correctly?” or “What is wrong with me?”. When you practice mindfulness, you are acknowledging that inner voice, even if it is criticizing you. You do not have to accept the voice and believe what is said as a fact but, instead, you can recognize it and analyze where it may be originating from. If you struggle with negative self-talk, read our blog “Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Negative Self-Talk” for help.
For example, as a child in school, you may have had a hard time academically. Something as simple as not being able to meditate can throw you back into a state of unworthiness and embarrassment that you experienced as a child. You may be thinking something is ‘wrong’ with you simply because you are not an expert the first time you try meditation.
The listening and understanding of your inner voice is at the core of MBCT.
So, what exactly is MBCT?
Mindfulness, from a therapeutic standpoint, is when you have a conscious awareness of the present moment. This involves approaching situations with an air of non-judgement and openness. Often, MBCT is paired with other therapeutic techniques, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).
Contrary to popular belief MBCT is not particularly concerned with relaxation. While relaxation may be the result of certain mindfulness practices, MBCT’s goal is to have you focus on your thoughts, feelings, and actions. When you are able to do that, you can engage with different aspects of your personality, fix harmful patterns, and choose how you respond to situations.
MBCT sounds similar to CBT. What is the difference between these two therapeutic modalities?
First, to distinguish the difference between the two therapeutic types, you must have a little bit of background knowledge on CBT.
CBT is a mental health approach that treats a variety of conditions, commonly including anxiety and depression. CBT is an evidence-based therapeutic method where client behaviors are recognized as a result of specific thought patterns. In traditional CBT work, clients are inspired to assess their negative thoughts against reality so they can acknowledge false, negative thought patterns that they have. For more information on CBT, read our blog “What is CBT?”.
MBCT is actually a newer form of CBT. In addition to the general structure of CBT, MBCT adds in breathing exercises, meditation, and other mindfulness techniques. Just as with CBT, MBCT has the same impact on helping you regain control of your thoughts and emotions so you can have a better physical and mental response to external life factors.
The biggest difference between MBCT and CBT is the mindfulness elements incorporated into MBCT. These mindfulness elements help to control the body’s automatic responses to stress that is associated with negative thoughts and feelings. Overall, MBCT and CBT are more similar than they are distinct.
Now that we know the differences between MBCT and CBT, let us dive into when a therapist may use MBCT in counseling sessions…
Originally, MBCT was used to prevent people from relapsing into recurring episodes of depression. MBCT has been proven to be successful in people with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), a mental health disorder that consists of a continuously depressed mood or a loss of interest in activities that significantly impacts your daily life. If you think that you may have MDD, take our Depression Quiz and do not hesitate to reach out to a depression counselor right away.
MBCT has been shown to also help symptoms of depression in people who have physical health conditions, such as chronic pain or a traumatic brain injury.
MBCT is also helpful in treating the following conditions:
Generalized anxiety disorders
Bipolar disorder
Low mood
Unhappiness
Treatment-resistant depression
General emotional distress
What should I expect in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Counseling?
MBCT can be used in individual or group settings. MBCT sessions are led by licensed therapists who will teach you about meditation techniques and the basic principles of cognition. The basis of cognition is the connection between what you think and how you feel.
You may have homework assignments in MBCT, similar to CBT. Some homework assignments may include doing a breathing exercise or a mindfulness-based meditation. You will also be encouraged to take the concepts learned in MBCT therapy and apply it to your everyday routines. For instance, you can bring mindfulness to preparing your meals, doing the laundry, taking a shower, and so on.
What are some examples of techniques used in MBCT therapy?
Mindfulness-based cognitive counseling builds upon the principles learned in CBT by using mindfulness techniques. These mindfulness tools teach you how to consciously pay attention to your thoughts and feelings without passing any judgment on them or yourself. There are many different techniques used in MBCT.
Some examples of MBCT techniques and exercises are as follows…
Meditation - Meditation helps you gain a greater awareness of your breathing patterns, your body, and your thoughts. You can practice guided or self-directed meditations.
Body Scan Exercises - In this exercise, you will lay down flat and bring awareness and attention to specific areas of the body. You can start at your toes and move up until you reach the top of your head.
Mindfulness Practices - Mindfulness simply involves becoming more aware of the present moment. While it may sound simple, that does not mean that it is necessarily easy. It will take some practice, and that is perfectly okay! You can start by practicing mindfulness during meditations and, eventually, start applying mindfulness to daily life activities.
Mindfulness Stretching - In this activity, you will stretch mindfully so, as you are moving, you are bringing awareness to the body and mind at the same time.
Yoga - Some MBCT therapists may encourage their clients to practice certain yoga exercises so they can ease into mindful stretching of the body. Check out our blog “The Mental Health Benefits of Practicing Yoga.”
Additional MBCT activities can include walking and sitting with your thoughts.
An example of MBCT in action
For this example, let us say that you are a client who has recovered from a depressive state. For you, a normal feeling and level of sadness can be a trigger for a relapse of depression. Instead of trying to completely avoid or erase this feeling of sadness out of your life, you will learn how to change your relationship with your emotions in MBCT.
You will learn how to acknowledge this sadness through meditation and other mindfulness practices. When you practice these activities, you will learn how to rebalance neural networks which gives you the freedom to stop engaging in automatic negative responses. Instead, you will come to understand that there are other ways that you can respond to hard life transitions.
Essentially, you are learning that your thoughts are not facts. You are not your thought patterns. If you need help distinguishing between if you are sad or if you have depression, check out our blog “Sadness vs Depression: When to Get Help.”
MBCT is all about helping you learn effective strategies that can better your mental health. If you find that a particular mental health strategy, such as meditation, is what works best for you, then you can employ it when you start to experience negative thoughts. When sadness occurs, you now know how to handle it by replacing your negative thoughts with compassion and calmness thanks to MBCT.
What are the benefits of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Counseling?
In cognitive therapy, you will learn that your thoughts precede your moods. Often, it is your false self-beliefs that lead to negative emotions, like depression. In MBCT, cognitive therapy is used to help you pinpoint and reassess your negative thought patterns so you can replace them with positive thoughts that are connected to reality.
When using this approach, you will be able to review your thoughts without getting too worried about false beliefs and anticipated outcomes. MBCT encourages clarity by providing you with the tools to let go of your negative thoughts instead of giving them the power to fuel negative emotions, such as sadness.
Additional benefits of mindfulness include:
Improved attention
Decreased job burnout
Improved sleep
Reduced stress
Reduced chronic pain
MBCT is so effective since it combines mindfulness and cognitive mental health counseling. The mindfulness component of this therapy form helps you simply notice and pin down your feelings. On the other hand, cognitive therapy instructs you on how to stop automatic thought patterns in their tracks so you can work through and process your feelings in a healthy manner.
Things to remember before starting MBCT
After reading this blog, you may feel like MBCT therapy is the best choice for you which is great! It is still important to meet with a licensed therapist who can assess your situation and symptoms, and discuss the best therapeutic modality for you.
Another important component of MBCT is to remember that, while you will learn valuable lessons in your individual or group therapy sessions, homework is still an important part of this treatment plan. You may be asked to do a meditation outside of your therapy sessions or to practice a mindful movement, like yoga, for example.
These homework assignments can include bringing mindfulness to your daily life, from brushing your teeth to talking your dog on a walk around the neighborhood.
You can apply MBCT skills to your daily life by:
Viewing yourself and your life from a non-judgemental point of view
Paying close attention to your environment
Participating in life activities while removing self-consciousness
Focusing on the moment with your undivided attention
Doing what works for you instead of constantly second-guessing yourself
Mindfulness has become an increasingly popular area in the mental health community due to its ability to promote positivity and awareness. If you are interested in working with a Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapist, do not hesitate to reach out to Anchor Therapy today. We have counselors who are trained in MBCT, and can help you feel like your best self again!
Victoria Scala
is the Social Media Manager and Intake Coordinator at Anchor Therapy in Hoboken, New Jersey. She is a graduate of the Honors College of Rutgers University-Newark. In her roles, Victoria is committed to managing the office’s social media presence and prioritizing clients' needs.
IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR HELP FROM A PROFESSIONAL COUNSELOR TO ASSIST YOU IN MAKING POSITIVE CHANGES IN YOUR LIFE, CONTACT US
WORKING WITH US IS EASY
Fill out the contact form below.
Our intake coordinator will get back to you with more information on how we can help and to schedule an appointment. We will set you up with an experienced licensed therapist who specializes in what you're seeking help with and who understands your needs.
You’ll rest easy tonight knowing you made the first step to improve your life.
