MBCT Therapy in London and Online

What is MBCT Therapy?

MBCT is a third-wave therapy that utilises both the practice and principles of mindfulness as well as elements of cognitive therapy which helps people become aware of their thoughts, feelings and sensations in the present moment. Such awareness serves a catalyst fostering reflection and critical thinking, which allows for choice of action, eventually leading to different and more helpful outcomes. Integrating the two approaches facilitates:

• Recognising those stimuli that might trigger negative moods, stress and anxiety,
• Improving how we react and respond to such situations. Through the use of mindfulness techniques, therapeutic work focuses here on deepening the connection with the self in a non-judgmental manner, resulting in effective reduction of stress and negative mood cycles.

CBT vs MBCT

Who needs MBCT Therapy

Research shows that MBCT is effective in helping people who struggle with:

• Depression, particularly those with repeated bouts of depression
• Chronic unhappiness
• Anxiety [1]
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
• Bipolar Disorder
• ADHD [2]
• Drug Addictions
• Eating Disorders
• Low mood related to illness such as cancer, diabetes or epilepsy [3]
• Chronic stress

What Can MBCT Therapy Help With

MBCT brings an understanding of what depression is and how negative mood spirals work. It allows you to identify your triggering, unhelpful thinking patterns and point you towards the actions you can take to prevent or reduce their impact on your wellbeing. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy is a great tool to reduce stress levels and take charge of your emotional states.

Additionally, MBCT helps people:

• Positively change their responses and reactions to the outside world
• Find or reconnect with the things that make their lives worth living
• Cultivate self-acceptance in the face of adversity, suffering or discomfort
• Build up their psychological resilience
• Build up their confidence

Techniques and Exercises in MBCT

The therapeutic work in MBCT includes both cognitive and mindfulness-based techniques. In general, though, an emphasis is put on utilising your own body in interventions such as breathing exercises, body scans, meditations and mindful stretching.

3-minute breathing space

This quick exercise can be practised daily.

• In the first minute, concentrate your thoughts on checking in with yourself. Breathe in and out and focus on observing your thoughts, bodily sensations or arising emotions. Try finding words that can describe or name this experience. Ask yourself: “How am I feeling at this moment?”
• During the second minute, direct your attention to your breath. Notice how the sensation of inhaling differs from exhaling. Feel your chest rise and fall. Don’t try to change the way you breathe – observe it just as it is.
• Dedicate the last minute of this practice to broadening your attention from your breath to the bodily sensations and your whole body. See how the two are intertwined, how your breath affects your body and vice versa.

Body scan

This exercise fosters a deep state of mindful relaxation by scanning your entire body, one area after another, from toes to head. The process is usually done lying on your back, guided by a professional who directs your attention to:

• Your breath (its rhythm, warmth, length, flaring nostrils etc.)
• Your body (e.g. its temperature, the texture of your clothes against your skin)
• Your specific body part (feelings of comfort or pain, tension or relaxation, hypersensitivity or numbness)

Daily mindfulness

Clients are also encouraged to bring a mindful posture into their daily routines. While you might think you’re too busy to find time for meditating, many pockets of time are waiting for you to harness their potential. Seemingly mundane activities such as folding laundry, washing the dishes or being stuck in a traffic jam are a perfect opportunity to connect with the present moment. Next time you’re eating, showering or standing in line, rather than multitasking, choose to direct your complete focus to the experience itself, temperature, texture, flavour or scent of it. The secret to integrating mindfulness into daily life lies in simplicity.

These are just some of the most common techniques utilised in MBCT. There’s an abundance of other interesting exercises usually incorporated throughout the course of therapy. Another fundamental aspect of therapy will be the therapeutic relationship.

What will happen during your sessions, including techniques and exercises used will heavily depend on the specific nature of your issues and your unique needs and circumstances. Your MBCT therapist will take all this into account and, harnessing the therapeutic relationship, will tailor the approach to you and your specific goals.

How long does MBCT Therapy last

Though traditionally taking place in a group setting, with a 8-week programme, MBCT therapy is also practised with individual clients in a one to one setting.

The same principles and many of the contents of the 8-week group program are also  applied in the individual setting. At Therapy Central, we offer individual MBCT therapy that is provided by trained practitioners with significant experience.

When working with MBCT on a one to one basis, there’s a particular focus on the individual’s specific needs and circumstances. Although 8 sessions may be enough to see good improvements, when the frequency or intensity of a client’s symptoms is quite high, the duration of therapy is likely to be longer.

How does MBCT Therapy work?

MBCT provides clients with tools to find inner balance and stability in the present moment, especially when they might feel prone to having a depressive episode or when they’re struggling with anxiety. Through the use of cognitive techniques, therapists help clients understand what depression is precisely and how it works. Clients learn to:

• Notice their negative thoughts and beliefs such as self-imposed pressure, unrealistic expectations or self-judgement.
• Become aware of what triggers make them prone to experiencing low moods, downward spirals, and staying in such states for a long time

Mindfulness-based techniques used in the treatment allow clients to redirect their focus to witnessing the here and now rather than worry about their future or ruminate on their past mistakes. Therapeutic work emphasises:

• How to develop the skill of being aware of their thoughts, feelings and sensations in the present moment without getting attached to them or trying to change them
• How cultivating a posture of curiosity and self-acceptance is key to exploring ways that lead to a healthy, balanced style of coping with difficult emotions.

What to expect in MBCT Therapy?

MBCT doesn’t try to force a change in the content of your negative thoughts. Instead, it focuses on helping you see how your thoughts are not equivalent to facts. It then helps by altering the way you might address external situations and how you decide to react to the thoughts, emotions, or sensations arising in the present moment. You can expect to:

• Face your discomfort, painful beliefs or negative moods,
• Learn how to let them go by recognising how hurtful holding onto negativity is,
• Replace self-judgement with self-acceptance,
• Learn how to direct your focus from reacting to responding,
• Make better-informed choices that will improve your behaviour,
• Spend a lot of time practising mindfulness (in and out of sessions).

What is an MBCT session like?

MBCT Therapy is practical and hands-on. Aside from talking with a therapist, it mainly focuses on the experiential component of the healing process. Each MBCT session consists of doing mindfulness-based exercises such as guided meditation, body scanning or mindful stretching that connect you to your body or show where you might hold tension. These techniques help you train your attention to stay grounded in the present moment, with no attachment to the thoughts or feelings that might pop up in your mind or body. Additionally, clients are assigned homework to complete outside of sessions daily, which usually consists of mindfulness-based practice time, such as meditating, experimenting with new behaviours, journaling etc.

What are the benefits of MBCT

While MBCT is effective in treating depressive symptoms, it also brings a myriad of other benefits to  our wellbeing, such as:

• Stress and anxiety reduction [4]
• Improving emotional regulation [5]
• Noticing and disengaging from unhelpful thoughts or behaviours
• Paying closer attention to one’s purpose and meaning in life
• Increasing and maintaining positive emotional states [6]
• Seeing beauty and positivity in simple things
• Being free from negativity or self-judgement
• Greater assertiveness
• Higher quality of life

If you’d like to embark on the journey toward a meaningful, balanced life and are considering starting MBCT Therapy, we invite you to get in touch with one of our licensed therapists.

Click here to request a free 15-minute consultation.