Abstract
Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is a promising approach aimed at the prevention of relapse in people suffering from recurrent depression. However, little is known about what factors support gains in the longer term. This study examines participants’ experiences of the perceived benefits and barriers to MBCT reunion attendance. Thirteen people, who had participated in MBCT classes for recurrent depression within a primary care setting, were interviewed about their experiences of the reunion meetings or their reasons for not attending. Seven of these had completed their program within the previous 12 to 18 months at the time of interview, and six had completed their program between 20 and 48 months prior to the time of the interview. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used to analyze participants’ accounts. Four themes highlighted the participants’ experiences: in terms of benefits, reunion attendees experienced the reunions as a booster reminding them of their mindfulness practices and as a sanctuary where these practices were further nurtured within an accepting and compassionate environment. Barriers to reunion attendance were difficulties around the group experience and wanting to put the experience behind them. This related to the memory of depression as well as to the program and group experience for some individuals. Theoretical, clinical and research implications are discussed.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ahrens, A. H., & Alloy, L. B. (1997). Social comparison processes in depression. In B. P. Buunk & F. X. Gibbons (Eds.), Health, coping, and well-being: Perspectives from social comparison theory (pp. 389–410). Mahwah: Erlbaum.
Aldao, A., Nolen-Hoeksema, S., & Schweizer, S. (2010). Emotion regulation strategies across psychopathology: a meta analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 30, 217–237.
Allen, M., Bromley, A., Kuyken, W., & Sonnenberg, S. J. (2009). Participants’ experiences of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy: “it changed me in just about every way possible.”. Behavioral and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 37(4), 413–430.
Astin, J. (1997). Stress reduction through mindfulness meditation: effects on psychological symptomatology, sense of control, and spiritual experiences. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 66, 97–106.
Baer, R. (2003). Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: a conceptual and empirical review. Clinical Psychology: Sciences and Practice, 10, 125–143.
Bazner, E., Bromer, P., Hammelstein, P., & Meyer, T. D. (2006). Current and former depression and their relationship to the effects of social comparison processes. Results of an internet based study. Journal of Affective Disorders, 93, 97–103.
Bowlby, J. (1980). Attachment and loss: Vol. 3. Loss. New York: Basic Books.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3, 77–101.
Carmody, J., & Baer, R. A. (2008). Relationships between mindfulness practice and levels of mindfulness, medical and psychological symptoms and well-being in a mindfulness-based stress reduction program. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 31, 23–33.
Carson, J. W., Carson, K. M., & Baucoum, D. H. (2004). Mindfulness-based relationship enhancement. Behavior Therapy, 35, 471–494.
Crane, R. (2009). Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Routledge.
Daly, K. D., & Mallinokrodt, B. (2009). Experienced therapists’ approach to psychotherapy for adults with attachment avoidance or attachment anxiety. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 56(4).
Davidson, R. J., Kabat-Zinn, J., Schumacher, J., Rosenkranz, M., Muller, D., Santorelli, S. F., et al. (2003). Alterations in brain and immune function produced by mindfulness meditation. Psychosomatic Medicine, 65, 564–570.
Eatough, V., & Smith, J. A. (2008). Interpretative phenomenological analysis. In C. Willig & W. Stainton Rogers (Eds.), The sage handbook of qualitative research in psychology (pp. 179–194). London: Sage.
Faber, B. A., Lippert, R. A., & Nevas, D. B. (1995). The therapist as an attachment figure. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 32(2), 204–212.
Feldman, C. (2005). Compassion: Listening to the cries of the world. Berkeley: Rodmell Press.
Feldman, C., & Kuyken, W. (2011). Compassion in the landscape of suffering. Contemporary Buddhism, 12, 143–155.
Finucane, A., & Mercer, S. W. (2006). An exploratory mixed methods study of the acceptability and effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for patients with active depression and anxiety in primary care. BMC Psychiatry, 6, 1–14.
Fredrickson, B. L., Cohn, M. A., Coffey, K. A., Pek, J., & Finkel, S. M. (2008). Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95, 1045–1062.
Gilbert, P., & Proctor, S. (2006). Compassionate mind training for people with high shame and criticism: Overview and pilot study of a group therapy approach. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 13, 353–379.
Higgins, E. T. (1996). The “self digest”: self-knowledge serving self-regulatory functions. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 71, 1062–1083.
Hoffman, S. G., Sawyer, A. T., Witt, A. A., & Oh, D. (2010). The effect of mindfulness-based therapy on anxiety and depression: a meta-analytic review. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 78, 169–183.
Hutcherson, C. A., Seppala, E. M., & Gross, J. J. (2008). Loving kindness meditation increases social connectedness. Emotion, 8, 720–724.
Kabat-Zinn, J. (1990). Full catastrophe living: Using the wisdom of your body and mind to face stress, pain, and illness. New York: Dell.
Kabat-Zinn, J. (1996). Mindfulness meditation: What it is, what it isn’t, and it’s role in health care and medicine. In Y. Haruli, Y. Ishii, & M. Suzuki (Eds.), Comparative and psychological study on meditation (pp. 161–169). Netherlands: Eburon.
Kabat-Zinn, J. (1999). Unpublished paper. Consortium on Integrative Medicine, The Umass Experience, Centre for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care and Society.
Kabat-Zinn, J. (2003). Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR). Constructivism in the Human Sciences, 8(2), 73–107.
Kristeller, J. L., & Hallett, C. B. (1999). An exploratory study of a meditation-based intervention for binge eating disorder. Journal of Health Psychology, 4, 357–363.
Kuyken, W., Byford, S., Taylor, R. S., Watkins, E., Holden, E., & White, K. (2008). Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy to prevent relapse in recurrent depression. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 76, 966–978.
Kuyken, W., Dalgleish, T., Watkins, E., Holden, E., White, K., Taylor, R., et al. (2010). How does mindfulness-based cognitive therapy work? Behavioral Research Therapy, 48, 1105–1112.
Lutz, A., Brefczynski-Lewis, J., Johnstone, T., & Davidson, R. J. (2008). Regulation of the neural circuitry of emotion by compassion meditation: effects of meditative expertise. PLoS One, 3, e1897.
Ma, S. H. (2002). Prevention of relapse/recurrence in recurrent major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. PhD University of Cambridge.
Ma, S. H., & Teasdale, J. D. (2004). Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression: replication and exploration of differential relapse prevention effects. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 72, 31–40.
Mason, O., & Hargreaves, I. (2001). A qualitative study of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression. The British Journal of Medical Psychology, 74, 197–212.
Neff, K. D. (2003). The development and validation of a scale to measure self-compassion. Self and Identity, 2, 223–250.
Piet, J., & Hougaard, E. (2011). The effect of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for prevention of relapse in recurrent major depressive disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review. doi:101016/jcpr2011.05.002.
Ramel, W., Goldin, P. R., Carmona, P. E., & McQuaid, J. R. (2004). The effects of mindfulness meditation on cognitive processes and affect in patients with past depression. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 28, 433–455.
Santorelli, S. (1999). Heal thy self: Lessons on mindfulness in medicine. New York: Random House.
Segal, Z. V., Williams, J. M. G., & Teasdale, J. D. (2002). Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression: A new approach to preventing relapse. New York: Guildford Press.
Shaver, P. R., Lavy, S., Saron, C. A., & Mikulincer, M. (2007). Social foundations of the capacity for mindfulness: an attachment perspective. Psychological Inquiry, 18, 264–271.
Singh, N. N., Lancioni, G. E., Winton, A. S. W., Curtis, W. J., Wahler, R. G., Sabaawi, M., et al. (2006). Mindful staff increase learning and reduce aggression in adults with developmental disabilities. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 27, 545–558.
Smith, J. A., & Osborn, M. (2003). Interpretative phenomenological analysis. In J. A. Smith (Ed.), Qualitative psychology: A practical guide to research methods (pp. 51–80). London: Sage.
Smith, J., Jarman, M., & Osborn, M. (1999). Doing interpretative phenomenological analysis. In M. Murray & K. Chamberlain (Eds.), Qualitative health psychology (pp. 218–240). London: Sage.
Smith, J. A., Flowers, P., & Larkin, M. (2009). Interpretative phenomenological analysis: Theory, method and research. London: Sage.
Speca, M., Carlson, L. E., Goodey, E., & Angen, M. (2000). A randomized, wait-list controlled clinical trial: the effect of a mindfulness-based stress reduction program on mood and symptoms of stress in cancer outpatients. Psychosomatic Medicine, 62, 613–622.
Stiles, W. B. (1993). Quality and control in qualitative research. Clinical Psychology Review, 13, 593–618.
Teasdale, J. D. (1999). Emotional processing, three modes of mind and the prevention of relapse in depression. Behavior Research and Therapy, 37, 53–77.
Teasdale, J. D., & Barnard, P. J. (1993). Affect, cognition and change: Remodeling depressive thought. Hillsdale: Lawrence Earlbaum.
Teasdale, J. D., & Chaskalson, M. (2011). How does mindfulness transform suffering? I: the nature and origins of dukkha. Contemporary Buddhism, 12(1), 89–102.
Teasdale, J. D., Segal, Z. V., & Williams, J. M. G. (1995). How does cognitive therapy prevent depressive relapse and why should attentional control (mindfulness) training help? Behavioral Research and Therapy, 33, 25–39.
Teasdale, J. D., Segal, Z. V., Williams, J. M. G., Ridgeway, V. A., Soulsby, J. M., & Lau, M. A. (2000). Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 68, 615–623.
Toneatto, T., & Nguyen, L. (2007). Does mindfulness meditation improve anxiety and mood symptoms? A review of the controlled research. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 52, 260–266.
Williams, J. M. G., & Moorey, S. (1989). The wider applications of cognitive therapy: the end of the beginning. In J. Scott, J. M. G. Williams, & A. T. Beck (Eds.), Cognitive therapy in clinical practice—An illustrated casebook (pp. 97–112). London: Routledge.
Williams, M. J., McManus, F., Muse, K., & Williams, M. G. (2011). Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for severe health anxiety (hypochondriasis): an interpretative phenomenological analysis of patients’ experiences. British Journal of Clinical Psychology. doi:10.1111/j.2044-8260.2010.020000.
Acknowledgments
The following individuals are thanked for their helpful comments on earlier drafts of this paper: Alison Evans, Dr. Elizabeth Guinan, Dr. Ruth Harper and Dr. Janet Smithson.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hopkins, V., Kuyken, W. Benefits and Barriers to Attending MBCT Reunion Meetings: An Insider Perspective. Mindfulness 3, 139–150 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-012-0088-3
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-012-0088-3