Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is a combination of
cognitive behavioral therapy and meditative practices of mindfulness. It helps people by assisting them in learning
to be more aware of and accepting of their thoughts and feelings. This awareness and acceptance
leads to feeling more peaceful, less emotionally reactive, and better able to make well thought out, healthy choices.
People often experience their thoughts and feelings as something
they have no control over. They may get overwhelmed by their feelings or feel they can't get their self-critical and
negative thoughts to shut up. But there are practices and habits that can help a person develop the ability to take
a step back from what's going on inside them so they can decide if what they are feeling and thinking makes sense to them
and what, if anything, they should do about it. Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy teaches these practices and habits.
This starts with helping people get in better touch with what is going on in their minds and bodies though meditation
exercises. Those of you who have tried meditation in the past and given up because it was too hard to sit still that long,
or too difficult to get the mind calm, or because it didn't see like a good fit can still benefit from MBCT. The meditation
exercises do not have to be difficult or lengthy to have a positive effect. In fact, you don't have to achieve a still mind
to get something out of the exercises. In addition, there are mindfulness practices that can be done during the course
of the day that don't involve meditation.
Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy has proven successful in the
treatment of depression and anxiety and has also helped people to cope with chronic pain and other health conditions. At
its best, it also helps to keep a person in the present moment. It also tends to lead to better overall emotion management,
so it can be useful for people with anger problems as well.
Combining MBCT with "The Power of Now"
Mindfulness practices are a natural fit for the ideas described
in Eckhart Tolle's book "The Power of Now." MBCT helps people realize how much of the time their minds and emotions
are tangled up in things from the past or concerns about the future, which can prevent living fully in the present moment.
Living in the "Now" makes for a more richly experienced and satisfying life. While there are certainly times when
it is appropriate to consider the past for the lessons it holds, or times to plan for the future, most of the time our minds
spend in the past or the future is not productive time. And because our brains don't distinguish all that well between
what is actually happening and what we are imagining, we react emotionally to all those thoughts about the past and the future.
For example, we feel all the discomfort of embarrassment when thinking about an embarrassing moment from the past, or
we might experience muscle tension when worrying about the future. What is happening in the present moment is seldom
as stressful as the negative thoughts about the past or future we are so often engaged in.
Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy is likely to be some part
of our work together if you choose me as your therapist. You might not have a daily meditation practice when we are
through, but hopefully, you will feel in better control of your thoughts and emotions and will be enjoying your life more
in each passing moment.
If you would like to learn more about MBCT, you might try the
following website:
