A new 8-week follow-on mindfulness course focused on awareness of feeling tone (vedanā) was tested in an open trial with 83 participants, 78 of whom had previously completed a mindfulness-based program. After the course, participants showed reduced depression, stress, and anxiety and increased well-being and mindfulness, with 38% meeting criteria for reliable change in anxiety and depression. About three-quarters reported unpleasant experiences related to mindfulness practice, but none reported harm. Five participants showed reliable deterioration in depression or anxiety, though most of them described benefits in anonymous feedback. The findings suggest added value from a follow-on course exploring feeling tone for people with prior mindfulness experience.
A pilot study of 9 teachers and 31 participants in mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) courses found that participants taught by teachers who completed an additional year of mindfulness-based teacher training and assessment showed significantly larger gains in well-being and reductions in perceived stress. No correlation was found between participant outcomes and teachers' mindfulness-based teaching and meditation experience. The results suggest that higher levels of formal teacher training, rather than accumulated experience, may be linked to better participant outcomes, highlighting the need for further research with larger samples.
In a multi-centre trial of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) for recurrent depression, teacher competence—assessed using the Mindfulness-Based Interventions: Teaching Assessment Criteria (MBI:TAC)—showed no significant association with patient adherence, potential mechanisms of change (rumination, cognitive reactivity, mindfulness, self-compassion), or key outcomes (depressive symptoms post-treatment and depressive relapse/recurrence over 15 months). The authors suggest several possible explanations, including the standardized delivery of MBCT, the emphasis on self-reliance in the learning process, participant-related factors, challenges in assessing teacher competence, and the limited sample of videotaped sessions. Further research is needed to explore these explanations.
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is a cost-effective psychosocial program that helps people with recurrent depression stay well long-term, yet its availability across the UK is limited and inequitable. This two-phase qualitative study will interview stakeholders involved in commissioning, managing, and implementing MBCT services in all four UK countries, including areas where implementation succeeds and where it fails. In-depth case studies will identify barriers and facilitators to implementation. Findings will inform an implementation plan to promote better, more equitable access to MBCT within the UK National Health Service.