Mindfulness Essay

There are 3 essential components of mindfulness: intention, attention, and attitude which are not separate, but intertwined (Shapiro, 2006, as cited in Marchand 2012). Zen meditation focuses on awareness of breathing pattern. MBSR incorporates mindfulness, education about stress, body scans, yoga, and becoming an impartial witness to one’s own experience. (Kabat-Zinn, 2005, as cited in Marchand 2012). MBCT consists of meditation and recognition of deteriorating mood with the aim of disengaging from self-perpetuating patterns of ruminative, negative thoughts that contribute to relapse (Segal, Williams, and Teasdale, 2002, as cited by Marchand, 2012). Yoga and breathing exercises shift the sympathetic nervous system to the parasympathetic

People who suffer from depression might experience relapse throughout their lives. MBCT is a potential non-psychopharmatherapeutic intervention to help prevent relapse in depressed patients. A pilot study looked at 28 people with chronic-recurrent depression and a history of suicidal ideation. 14 patients received treatment as usual (TAU) and 14 received TAU in addition to MBCT. Self-reported symptoms of depression were decreased from severe to mild in the MBCT group while there was no significant change in the TAU group (Barhhofer, Crane, Hargus, Amarasinghe, Winder, and Williams, 2009). In a later study by Godfrin, K. & van Heeringen, C. (2010), 106 recovered depressed patients continued with their (TAU) or received MBCT in addition to TAU over 56 weeks. At the end of the study, relapse was significantly reduced and the time until the first relapse increased in the MBCT plus TAU group in comparison to the TAU alone. The MBCT plus TAU group also showed a significant reduction in both short and longer-term depressive mood and better mood states and quality of life. These studies suggest that MBCT added to TAU may play an important role in reduction of symptoms and relapse prevention in depressed individuals