Understanding the impact of meditative homework on depression in the context of mindfulness based cognitive therapy (MBCT): An interpretative phenomenological analysis
European Psychiatry March 1, 2011 H. Murphy, M. Lahtinen
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is a group treatment that combines meditation with cognitive therapy to reduce the risk of recurrent depression. Little is known about how patients experience the meditative homework assignments in a UK public health setting. Six in-depth interviews were analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. The results focus on factors that helped or hindered participants in completing meditative homework, and how the practice transformed participants' sense of self and social relatedness. The findings are discussed in relation to existing psychological literature and the practice of MBCT, with implications for clinical practice in preventing recurrent depression.