Current evidence supports the efficacy of mindfulness-based interventions for improving mental health symptoms and psychological stress that can interfere with efforts to lose weight. Patients with obesity and other CVD risk factors may benefit from mindfulness interventions to address psychosocial stress, depression, and anxiety (Boudreau et al., 2013). Traditional behavioral interventions for weight loss typically focus on diet and exercise habits and often give little attention to the role of stress and emotions in the origin of unhealthy behaviors. Mindfulness-based interventions were developed to promote self-efficacy in coping with negative emotions resulting in lasting changes in long-standing cognitive and emotional habits (Fulwiler,
However, (Kidd, Graor, & Murrock, 2013) proposed a theoretical basis of the self-regulation theory (Schwartz, 1975), which suggests that the regulation of internal physiologic processes such as heart rate, blood pressure, etc., relies upon on the capability to observe internal responses (Schwartz, 1975). The authors noted that emotional eaters might be unable to differentiate between hunger (an internal physiologic process) and automatic, emotion-driven eating, which then leads to overeating and thus contributes to obesity. However, treating the dysfunction of self-regulation may restore balance between emotional and internal physiologic cues, leading to weight regulation (Kidd et al., 2013). Research shows that mindfulness-based interventions have successfully treated disorders of self-regulation, as the psychological and emotional benefits of mindfulness, such as the containment and down-regulation of negative emotional responses (J. J. arch, & Landy, L.N., 2015; J. J. Arch et al., 2016; J. J. Arch & Craske, 2006), may create the space for more positive responses, as evidenced by findings by (J. J. Arch et al., 2016). This study found that their brief mindfulness intervention led to consumption of less calories from unhealthy foods, which was mediated by greater eating enjoyment (Arch et al., 2016). One would think that if the enjoyment of eating were increased through a mindful intervention, one
It is hypothesized that when the subject implements the mindfulness intervention she will experience less rumination. In other words, by improving the participant’s self-care routine we will also improve her SWB.
Williams et al (2014) compared MBCT with both cognitive psychological education, and treatment as usual, he compared the success rate of the therapy in preventing the relapse of MDD in people currently in remission phase following at least 3 previous episodes. It was consequently found that MBCT provided significant protection against the relapse, for participants with increased vulnerability due to adverse psychological history, but showed no significant advantage in comparison to an active control treatment and usual care over the whole group of patients with persistently recurring depression.
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This article was based on a pilot study that provided mindfulness training to obese individuals. The training was an established curriculum called Mindfulness Eating and Living (MEAL) and was used as an intervention. It was hypothesized that MEAL would be associated with a decrease in weight and inflammation and improvement in metabolic markers. Outcome markers were established at baseline, after completion of the program and in follow up at 12 weeks.
This study will contribute valuable data to the existing research, help in understating the effects of MBT (mindfulness based therapy) on the immune system and will provide insights into the phenomenon of MBT as an alternative to medicine, thus potentially leading to a paradigm shift in the understanding of illnesses and possible treatments.
Mindfulness practice has received immense attention in recent years. Specifically, mindfulness practice has been explored by professional athletes, from organizations attempting to improve productivity, and even politicians for stress reduction. Nevertheless, educators have begun to explore mindfulness practice effectiveness for enhancing educational, emotional, and behavioral outcomes for students. Fundamentally, mindfulness practice is established on spirituality principles that teach attention focusing. Moreover, the technique facilitates open communication regarding emotions and feelings. Thus, mindfulness practice aims to silence distractions of the mind while enhancing awareness. As a relatively new practice, it is
This essay is about the effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) in the treatment of depression. The purpose of this essay is to address the question, how mindfulness works to improve mental health when used as part of psychological treatment? Firstly, a brief overview is given about what depression is and what the symptoms are, based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition (DSM-5). Secondly, It will discuss mindfulness, as it is defined in mental health treatments. The main body of this essay will cover a description of what MBTC is, where it comes from, how it works, and how this treatment is activated in mindfulness based therapies. The final section will review three studies that have used MBCT in the treatment of depression.
In the United States, major depressive disorder (MDD) is listed as one of the most common mental health disorders (NIMH). Medication, such as antidepressants are effective in treating depressive symptoms in the short run but not in the long run (El-Mallakh, Gao & Roberts, 2011). The acknowledged importance for mindfulness intervention in treating depression has gained attention in the recent years. Mindfulness refers to the conscious state in which an individual focuses on experiencing the present moment (Brown & Ryan, 2003). In the practice of mindfulness, exercises such as meditation techniques, breathing techniques, postures and more are used to facilitate the moment-to-moment experience (Kabat-Zinn, 2005). Some preliminary evidence supports mindfulness therapy for treating depressed mood (Manicavasgar, Parker & Perich, 2011; Kuyken et al., 2008; Mathew, Whitford, Kenny, et al., 2010). In particular, mindfulness therapy has shown an equivalent level of depression relapse prevention as maintenance antidepressant drug (Piet & Hougaard, 2011).
This essay will include comparing and contrasting two counselling therapies, mindfulness and cognitive behavioural therapy. It will also include the history of these two therapies, where they are today, what is included in them and how they can help you manage your fear and sadness. Both of these therapies have differences and similarities in how they are developed but both have the same goal in helping people who suffer from fear and sadness in their own way. My own personal preference and interest is towards the mindfulness approach as this was the first type of therapy I done when I was diagnosed with anxiety.
Since Introduction to Counseling class, I am biased for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for its efficacy in treating psychological disorders as well as for its effectiveness in helping individuals to change thinking patterns and modifying people’s behavior by a wide variety of techniques and strategies. However, after researching Mindfulness, I come to realized that Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is also beneficial in alleviating both psychological and physical conditions such as chronic pain, anxiety, depressive and eating disorders, including fibromyalgia and psoriasis as medical problems ( Keune & Forintos, 2010), which is relevant to the field of psychology. According to the literature, mindfulness has been incorporated in the
Mindfulness, in particular, is associated with perspective taking and empathetic responding, relatedness and interpersonal closeness, and emotional communication, and anger management. Therefore, mindfulness may help a teacher be more responsive to individual students. Teaching is an extremely emotionally-demanding profession. Fortunately, studies show that mindfulness-based interventions may promote resilience and reduce the emotional exhaustion that precedes burnout. This can help teachers promote their own sense of well being and self care, in turn maintaining their care and compassion for their students.
Professionals working in law enforcement and mental health-related fields often develop compassion fatigue, which is a type of psychological distress caused by helping clients who have had trauma experiences in the past (Conrad & Guenther, 2006; Figley, 1995). Charles Figley (1995) labeled this phenomenon as the “cost of sharing” (p.3), which refers to the damages incurred to the professional helper’s own mental health as a result of their exposure to the traumas of their clients. Over the past
In contrast, this extremely comprehensive study is broad ranging in its outcomes. In a controlled investigation, the authors, Mrazek et al, (2013), used a mixed factorial pretest-posttest design. Forty-eight randomised university students met for forty-five minutes, four times per week for four weeks, to do either mindfulness training or nutrition training in a control group. Mrazek et al, (2013) found that mindfulness
Mindfulness has enjoyed a massive growth in popularity in the past decade, both in the popular press and in the psychotherapy literature. Recently there has been several studies conducted on Mindfulness. Langer’s (1992) early conceptualization included mindfulness as a ‚state of conscious awareness...openness to novelty in which the individual actively constructs categories and distinctions. From this view mindfulness is a nearly effortful way of attending to the present moment, in contrast to the automatic, shallow processing of mindlessness. In a later conceptualization, Langer and Moldoveanu (2000) revised the definition of mindfulness to emphasize that it is a ‚process of drawing new distinctions, such that a perceiver experiences: greater sensitivity to one’s environment, more openness to new information, the creation of new categories for structuring perception, and enhanced awareness of multiple perspectives in problem solving (Langer & Moldoveanu,