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J. Mark G. Williams

University of Oxford, Warneford Hospital

20 papers in the library · 6,979 citations · publishing 2005-2026

Papers

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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...

What defines mindfulness-based programs? The warp and the weft

Psychological Medicine December 29, 2016 Rebecca S. Crane, Judson A. Brewer, Christina Feldman et al. 861 citations

There has been an explosion of interest in mindfulness-based programs (MBPs) such as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy. This is demonstrated in increased research, implementation of MBPs in healthcare, educational, criminal justice and workplace settings, and in mainstream interest. For the sustainable development of the field there is a need to...

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) for Health Anxiety (Hypochondriasis): Rationale, Implementation and Case Illustration

Mindfulness January 21, 2014 Christina Surawy, Freda McManus, Kate Muse et al.

Recent research has shown that mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) could be a useful alternative approach to the treatment of health anxiety and deserves further investigation. In this paper, we outline the rationale for using MBCT in the treatment of this condition, namely its hypothesised impact on the underlying mechanisms which maintain health anxiety, such as rumination and...

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for preventing relapse in recurrent depression: A randomized dismantling trial.

Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology December 3, 2013 J. Mark G. Williams, Catherine Crane, Thorsten Barnhofer et al. 418 citations

OBJECTIVE: We compared mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) with both cognitive psychological education (CPE) and treatment as usual (TAU) in preventing relapse to major depressive disorder (MDD) in people currently in remission following at least 3 previous episodes. METHOD: A randomized controlled trial in which 274 participants were allocated in the ratio 2:2:1 to MBCT plus TAU, CPE...

Can Inner Peace be Improved by Mindfulness Training: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Stress and Health November 22, 2013 Xinghua Liu, Wei Xu, Yuzheng Wang et al. 72 citations

This article reports a randomized controlled trial to investigate whether mindfulness training can successfully improve inner peace in participants with no known mental disorder. Fifty-seven participants were randomized to either mindfulness training (n = 29) or wait-list control (n = 28). The experience sampling method was used to measure the fleeting momentary experience of inner peace in...

A randomized clinical trial of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy versus unrestricted services for health anxiety (hypochondriasis).

Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology June 18, 2012 Freda McManus, Christina Surawy, Kate Muse et al. 177 citations

OBJECTIVE: The efficacy and acceptability of existing psychological interventions for health anxiety (hypochondriasis) are limited. In the current study, the authors aimed to assess the impact of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) on health anxiety by comparing the impact of MBCT in addition to usual services (unrestricted services) with unrestricted services (US) alone. METHOD: The 74...

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy: a promising new approach to preventing depressive relapse

The British Journal of Psychiatry May 1, 2012 J. Mark G. Williams, Willem Kuyken 124 citations

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) was developed as a psychological approach for people at risk for depressive relapse who wish to learn how to stay well in the long-term. In this article we set out the rationale for MBCT, outline the treatment approach, overview the efficacy research to date and look to future challenges.

Mindfulness online: a preliminary evaluation of the feasibility of a web-based mindfulness course and the impact on stress

BMJ Open 2012 Adele Krusche, Eva Cyhlarova, Scott King et al. 120 citations

OBJECTIVES: Stress has been shown to have a number of negative effects on health over time. Mindfulness interventions have been shown to decrease perceived stress but access to interventions is limited. Therefore, the effectiveness of an online mindfulness course for perceived stress was investigated. DESIGN: A preliminary evaluation of an online mindfulness course. PARTICIPANTS: This sample...

Competence in Teaching Mindfulness-Based Courses: Concepts, Development and Assessment

Mindfulness September 21, 2011 Rebecca S. Crane, Willem Kuyken, J. Mark G. Williams et al. 232 citations

There has been a groundswell of interest in the UK in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and its derivatives, particularly Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT). Many health, education and social work practitioners have sought ways to develop their competencies as mindfulness-based teachers, and increasing numbers of organisations are developing mindfulness-based training...

Mindfulness: diverse perspectives on its meaning, origins, and multiple applications at the intersection of science and dharma

Contemporary Buddhism May 1, 2011 J. Mark G. Williams, Jon Kabat‐zinn 390 citations

The guest editors introduce this special issue on Mindfulness, explaining its rationale, aims, and intentions. Integrating mindfulness-based approaches into medicine, psychology, neuroscience, heal...

Mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy for severe health anxiety (hypochondriasis): An interpretative phenomenological analysis of patients’ experiences

British Journal of Clinical Psychology January 21, 2011 Matthew J Williams, Freda McManus, Kate Muse et al. 96 citations

OBJECTIVE. Severe health anxiety (hypochondriasis) is a common and disabling condition for which existing psychological treatments have limited effects (Thomson & Page, 2007). Hence, it is a priority to examine both the efficacy and acceptability of new psychological treatments for health anxiety. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of participants with severe health anxiety...

Training Teachers to Deliver Mindfulness-Based Interventions: Learning from the UK Experience

Mindfulness April 26, 2010 Rebecca S. Crane, Willem Kuyken, Richard P. Hastings et al. 205 citations

Several randomised controlled trials suggest that mindfulness-based approaches are helpful in preventing depressive relapse and recurrence, and the UK Government's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has recommended these interventions for use in the National Health Service. There are good grounds to suggest that mindfulness-based approaches are also helpful with anxiety...

Mindfulness and psychological process.

Emotion February 1, 2010 J. Mark G. Williams 264 citations

The author reviews the articles in the Special Section on Mindfulness, starting from the assumption that emotions evolved as signaling systems that need to be sensitive to environmental contingencies. Failure to switch off emotion is due to the activation of mental representations of present, past, and future that are created independently of external contingencies. Mindfulness training can be...

Effects of mindfulness on meta-awareness and specificity of describing prodromal symptoms in suicidal depression.

Emotion February 1, 2010 Emily Hargus, Catherine Crane, Thorsten Barnhofer et al. 213 citations

The authors examined the effects of mindfulness training on 2 aspects of mode of processing in depressed participants: degree of meta-awareness and specificity of memory. Each of these has been suggested as a maladaptive aspect of a mode of processing linked to persistence and recurrence of symptoms. Twenty-seven depressed participants, all of whom had experienced suicidal crises, described...

Treatment-resistant Depressed Patients Show a Good Response to Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy

FOCUS The Journal of Lifelong Learning in Psychiatry 2010 Maura Kenny, J. Mark G. Williams 1 citation

Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is a class-based programme designed for use in the prevention of relapse of major depression. Its aim is to teach participants to disengage from those cognitive processes that may render them vulnerable to future episodes. These same cognitive processes are also known to maintain depression once established, hence a clinical audit was conducted to...

Mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy may reduce thought suppression in previously suicidal participants: Findings from a preliminary study

British Journal of Clinical Psychology March 2, 2009 Silvia R. Hepburn, Catherine Crane, Thorsten Barnhofer et al. 74 citations

OBJECTIVES: Thought suppression is a strategy aimed at mental control that may paradoxically increase the frequency of unwanted thoughts. This preliminary study examined effects of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) on thought suppression and depression in individuals with past depression and suicidality. METHODS: In a randomized controlled trial design, 68 participants were allocated...

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy as a treatment for chronic depression: A preliminary study

Behaviour Research and Therapy February 13, 2009 Thorsten Barnhofer, Catherine Crane, Emily Hargus et al. 398 citations

This pilot study investigated the effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), a treatment combining mindfulness meditation and interventions taken from cognitive therapy, in patients suffering from chronic-recurrent depression. Currently symptomatic patients with at least three previous episodes of depression and a history of suicidal ideation were randomly allocated to receive...

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy: Further issues in current evidence and future research.

Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology June 1, 2008 J. Mark G. Williams, Ian Russell, Daphne Russell 165 citations

The authors respond to the article by H. F. Coelho, P. H. Canter, and E. Ernst (2007), which reviewed the current status of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT). First, they clarify the randomization procedures in the 2 main MBCT trials. Second, they report posttreatment and follow-up data to show that trial participants allocated to "treatment as usual" did not become worse. Third, they...

Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples

Assessment February 29, 2008 Ruth A. Baer, Gregory T. Smith, Emily L. B. Lykins et al. 2,933 citations

Previous research on assessment of mindfulness by self-report suggests that it may include five component skills: observing, describing, acting with awareness, nonjudging of inner experience, and nonreactivity to inner experience. These elements of mindfulness can be measured with the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ). The authors investigated several aspects of the construct validity...

Mindfulness‐Based cognitive therapy for prevention of recurrence of suicidal behavior

Journal of Clinical Psychology December 9, 2005 J. Mark G. Williams, Danielle S. Duggan, Catherine Crane et al. 235 citations

Once suicidal thoughts have emerged as a feature of depression they are likely to be reactivated as part of a suicidal mode of mind whenever sad mood reappears. This article reviews the methods and the usefulness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) as a treatment for the prevention of the reactivation of the suicidal mode. MBCT integrates mindfulness meditation practices and cognitive...