Sarah E. B. Francis1 Frances Shawyer1 Bruno A. Cayoun2 Andrea Grabovac3 Graham Meadows1,4,5,6,7
1Southern Synergy, Department of Psychiatry, School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2Mindfulness-integrated Cognitive Behavior Therapy Institute, Hobart, TAS, Australia
3Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
4Mental Health Program, Monash Health, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
5Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
6School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
7School of Primary and Allied Health Care, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
It is important to be able to differentiate mindfulness-based programs in terms of their model, therapeutic elements, and supporting evidence. This article compares mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), developed for relapse prevention in depression, and mindfulness-integrated cognitive behavior therapy (MiCBT), developed for transdiagnostic applications, on: (1) origins, context and theoretical rationale (why), (2) program structure, practice and, professional training (how), and (3) evidence (what).
While both approaches incorporate behavior change methods, MBCT encourages behavioral activation, whereas MiCBT includes various exposure procedures to reduce avoidance, including a protocol to practice equanimity during problematic interpersonal interactions, and a compassion training to prevent relapse. MBCT has a substantial research base, including multiple systematic reviews and meta-analyses. It is an endorsed preventative treatment for depressive relapse in several clinical guidelines, but its single disorder approach might be regarded as a limitation in many health service settings. MiCBT has a promising evidence base and potential to make a valuable contribution to psychological treatment through its transdiagnostic applicability but has not yet been considered in clinical guidelines. While greater attention to later stage dissemination and implementation research is recommended for MBCT, more high quality RCTs and systematic reviews are needed to develop the evidence base for MiCBT.
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Front. Psychol., 06 February 2024
Sec. Mindfulness
Volume 15 – 2024 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1342592
