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Johannes Michalak

20 papers in the library · 31 citations · publishing 2010-2026

Papers

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Exploring Sequencing Effects of Cognitive Techniques: An Experimental Investigation of Cognitive Restructuring and Detached Mindfulness

Cognitive Therapy and Research September 8, 2026 Ida T. Roepstorff, Emma Elkjær, Joanna J Arch et al.

Abstract Background The sequence in which psychological interventions are delivered may influence their efficacy. Therefore, the current study investigated the sequencing effect of cognitive restructuring (CR) and detached mindfulness (DM), hypothesizing that only the sequence of CR-DM would lead to additional improvement. Methods Across two experiments, 188 participants from a community sample...

Efficacy and Moderators of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Difficult-to-Treat Depression: A Systematic Review and Individual Participant Data Meta-Analysis

Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics June 12, 2026 Thorsten Barnhofer, Maria Niemi, Johannes Michalak et al. 1 citation

INTRODUCTION: Around a third of patients with major depressive disorder experience persistent symptoms despite usual treatments. Identifying scalable, psychological treatment options is critical to reduce the burden associated with difficult-to-treat depression (DTD). We examined the efficacy of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) compared with treatment as usual (TAU) and other active...

Negative effects of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy and cognitive behavioural analysis system of psychotherapy for patients with ‘difficult to treat’ depression: protocol for a systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis

BMJ Open April 1, 2026 Maria Niemi, Johannes Michalak, Maria Velana et al.

Introduction Mindfulness-based interventions are widely used, yet concerns about potential negative effects—particularly those related to mindfulness meditation practice—have gained increasing attention. Individuals with difficult-to-treat depression (DTD) represent a population of particular relevance due to heightened vulnerability, but comparative evidence on clinically relevant negative...

Efficacy and moderators of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) in 'Difficult to Treat' depression: protocol for a systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

BMJ Open December 8, 2025 Thorsten Barnhofer, Maria Niemi, Johannes Michalak et al.

Introduction: About 30% of depressed patients suffer from a protracted course in which the disorder continues to cause significant burden despite treatment efforts. While originally developed for relapse prevention, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) has increasingly been investigated in depressed patients with such 'difficult-to-treat' courses. This is a protocol for an individual...

Efficacy and Moderators of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) in ‘Difficult to Treat’ Depression: Protocol for a Systematic Review and Individual Patient Data Meta-Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials

medRxiv June 9, 2025 Thorsten Barnhofer, Maria Niemi, Johannes Michalak et al. preprint

ABSTRACT: Introduction: About 30% of depressed patients suffer from a protracted course in which the disorder continues to cause significant burden despite treatment efforts. While originally developed for relapse prevention, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) has increasingly been investigated in depressed patients with such ‘difficult-to-treat’ courses. This is a protocol for an...

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depressive Disorders: Enhancing Access and Tailoring Interventions in Diverse Settings.

Advances in experimental medicine and biology 2024 Marie Drüge, Lisa Guthardt, Elisa Haller et al. 8 citations

Depressive disorders are an enormous societal burden given their high prevalence and impact on all facets of being human (e.g., relationships, emotions, motivation). There is a variety of evidence-based psychological treatments, with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) being the gold standard for major depression. Research has shown that mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) such as...

DOI: 10.1007/978-981-97-4402-2_11 (opens in new tab) Full text (opens in new tab) Blended care Cognitive behavioral therapy Depressive disorders Digital mental health +4

When depressed—be mindful of and kind to yourself: Self-compassion as mediator of change in a mindful depression treatment

Psychotherapy Research February 21, 2023 Alice E. Buxton, Christine Hofheinz, Carina Remmers et al. 5 citations

Objective Self-compassion as an outcome and potential mediator in mindfulness-based interventions has gained increased attention in the last years. However, most mediation studies had several methodological shortcomings which precluded robust conclusions regarding its mediating role. This randomized controlled study aimed to address these issues by assessing self-compassion, as proposed...

Reduced Jumping to Conclusion Bias after Experimentally Induced Enhancement of Subjective Body Boundaries in Psychosis.

Psychopathology 2021 Naomi Lyons, Detlef E Dietrich, Johannes Graser et al. 3 citations

A disturbed sense of self is frequently discussed as an etiological factor for delusion symptoms in psychosis. Phenomenological approaches to psychopathology posit that lacking the sense that the self is localized within one's bodily boundaries (disembodiment) is one of the core features of the disturbed self in psychosis. The present study examines this idea by experimentally manipulating the...

DOI: 10.1159/000513271 (opens in new tab) Full text (opens in new tab) Disembodiment Minimal self Schizophrenia-spectrum disorder

Treating Depression Mindfully in a Day Hospital: a Randomised Controlled Pilot Study

Mindfulness February 1, 2020 Alice E. Buxton, Carina Remmers, Hans-Peter Unger et al.

Abstract Objectives Recent preliminary evidence suggests that mindfulness-based programmes may be beneficial in the treatment of patients suffering from current depression. Due to the heterogeneity of patients with this diagnosis, a specialisation in treatment concepts for subgroups of patients may be beneficial. Methods This randomised controlled pilot study investigated the effectiveness of...

Principles for a Responsible Integration of Mindfulness in Individual Therapy

Mindfulness April 29, 2019 Johannes Michalak, Catherine Crane, C. Germer et al.

ObjectivesMindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) like mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) teach mindfulness in a group-based format. Empirical research has shown that many therapists working in individual therapy integrate mindfulness practices (e.g., body scan, sitting meditation) into their treatments. However, research on this topic is in...

Emotionally aligned: Preliminary results on the effects of a mindfulness‐based intervention for depression on congruence between implicit and explicit mood

Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy July 18, 2018 Carina Remmers, Johannes Zimmermann, Alice E. Buxton et al. 10 citations

BACKGROUND: Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) are effective in treating major depression. Because mindfulness involves monitoring and accepting current experiences, it may lead people resolve incongruencies between emotional responses that would otherwise remain unnoticed. Mindfulness may thus foster congruence between implicit and explicit emotions. The current randomized controlled trial...

The Effects of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Analysis System of Psychotherapy added to Treatment as Usual on suicidal ideation in chronic depression: Results of a randomized-clinical trial.

Journal of Affective Disorders August 2016 Thomas Forkmann, Eva‐lotta Brakemeier, Tobias Teismann et al.

Suicidal ideation (SI) is common in chronic depression, but only limited evidence exists for the assumption that psychological treatments for depression are effective for reducing SI. In the present study, the effects of Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT; group version) plus treatment-as-usual (TAU: individual treatment by either a psychiatrist or a licensed psychotherapist, including...

DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2016.01.047 (opens in new tab) Full text (opens in new tab) Chronic depression Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy Persistent depression Rct +1

A randomized controlled trial on the efficacy of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy and a group version of cognitive behavioral analysis system of psychotherapy for chronically depressed patients.

Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology October 2015 Johannes Michalak, Martin Schultze, Thomas Heidenreich et al.

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) has recently been proposed as a treatment option for chronic depression. The cognitive behavioral analysis system of psychotherapy (CBASP) is the only approach specifically developed to date for the treatment of chronically depressed patients. The efficacy of MBCT plus treatment-as-usual (TAU), and CBASP (group version) plus TAU, was compared to TAU...

Achtsamkeitsbasierte Therapie

Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie up2date July 1, 2012 Johannes Michalak, Sabine Blaeser, Thomas Heidenreich

All articles of this category Kernaussagen Unter Achtsamkeit versteht man die absichtsvolle, bewusste und nicht wertende Lenkung der Aufmerksamkeit auf den gegenwärtigen Augenblick. Grundsätzlich besitzt jeder diese Fähigkeit und ist in der Lage sie weiter zu kultivieren. In den vergangenen Jahren wurden verschiedene verhaltenstherapeutische und -medizinische Verfahren entwickelt, die eine...

Chapter 25. Mindfulness, embodiment, and depression

Advances in Consciousness Research January 25, 2012 Johannes Michalak, Jan M. Burg, Thomas Heidenreich

During the past decade, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) aiming at relapse prevention in depression has been developed and empirically tested. All exercises taught during MBCT are based on the development of a heightened awareness of one’s body. The important role of the body is also stressed in a recently emerging interdisciplinary field of research termed ‘embodiment’. This research...

[Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR)].

PPmP - Psychotherapie · Psychosomatik · Medizinische Psychologie July 2011 Petra Meibert, Johannes Michalak, Thomas Heidenreich

In the context of an increasing interest in mindfulness-based approaches both in clinical application as well as in the field of research the present paper introduces MBSR (Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction), illustrates the theoretical background of mindfulness practice and reviews the procedures during the cultivation of mindfulness and possible impacting factors. The article also reviews...

Rumination as a predictor of relapse in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression.

Psychology and Psychotherapy Theory Research and Practice June 2011 Johannes Michalak, Anne Hölz, Tobias Teismann

In mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), it is proposed that training in mindfulness should reduce the tendency of formerly depressed patients to enter into ruminative thinking, thus reducing their risk of depressive relapse. However, data showing that rumination is associated with depressive relapse are lacking. In an uncontrolled study with 24 formerly depressed patients, rumination was...

Die Rolle der Übungshäufigkeit in der Achtsamkeitsbasierten Kognitiven Therapie

Zeitschrift für Klinische Psychologie und Psychotherapie October 1, 2010 Janina Hülsebusch, Johannes Michalak 4 citations

Zusammenfassung. Theoretischer Hintergrund: Der Übungshäufigkeit wird im Rahmen der Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) eine große Bedeutung zugeschrieben. Fragestellung: Üben MBCT-Patienten den Vorgaben entsprechend und weisen Patienten, die häufiger üben, ein geringeres Rückfallrisiko auf? Methoden: Die Übungshäufigkeit der 24 ehemals depressiven Patienten wurde direkt nach der MBCT...

The psychometric properties of the Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills in clinical populations.

Assessment June 2010 Corinna Baum, Willem Kuyken, Martin Bohus et al.

The Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills (KIMS) is a well-validated multidimensional questionnaire measuring dimensions of mindfulness on four scales: Observing, Describing, Act With Awareness, and Accept Without Judgment. Even though the KIMS has been used in several clinical studies no information is available about the psychometric properties in different clinical samples. The present...

An individual patient data (IPD) meta-analysis on negative effects of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) and Cognitive Behavior Analysis of Psychotherapy (CBASP) for patients with difficult-to-treat depression (DTD)

Johannes Michalak, Maria Niemi, Maria Velana et al. preprint

ABSTRACT Background Chronic and treatment-resistant depression remains a challenge. Although research has demonstrated positive effects of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) and Cognitive Behavioral Analysis System of Psychotherapy (CBASP), their potential negative effects—including deterioration, suicidality, and adverse events—are not well understood. Objectives This protocol outlines...