What is Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy?
MBCT is based on the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn. Research shows that MBSR is enormously empowering for patients with chronic pain, hypertension, heart disease, cancer, and gastrointestinal disorders, as well as for psychological problems such as anxiety and panic. Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy grew from this work. Zindel Segal, Mark Williams and John Teasdale adapted the MBSR program specifically for people who had suffered repeated bouts of depression. Research has shown that people with a history of depression who go through the program reduce their chances that depression will return. The evidence from two randomized clinical trials of MBCT indicates that it reduces rates of relapse into depression by 50% among patients who suffer from recurrent depression.
