Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy-'Taking it Further' (MBCT-TiF) improved mental well-being more than ongoing mindfulness practice alone in 164 graduates of mindfulness-based programs. This improvement occurred through increases in mindfulness, self-compassion, and decentering—each independently mediated the effect. For depression, all three mediators also played a role, but only mindfulness and decentering mediated effects on psychological quality of life and anxiety. The findings suggest that MBCT-TiF works by enhancing these three psychological skills, though future research should test them together and alongside other potential mediators like equanimity.
Decentering—the ability to observe thoughts and feelings as temporary mental events rather than as reflections of reality—may be a key mechanism through which mindfulness-based interventions reduce anxiety and depression. In a cross-sectional study of 998 adults with high emotional distress, decentering significantly mediated the link between mindfulness and lower symptoms. In a longitudinal randomized trial, 688 participants were assigned to a Mindfulness Intervention for Emotional Distress (MIED) or a waitlist control. The MIED group showed greater improvements in decentering, anxiety, and depression over time. Reciprocal influences between decentering and distress were observed, and decentering during the intervention significantly mediated the program's effect on reducing emotional distress.
In a study of 13 doctoral student therapists conducting psychodynamic psychotherapy with 63 clients in a community clinic, therapists who dreamed about clients reported higher dream recall than those who did not. Therapists' dreams provided insights about themselves, their clients, and the therapy, which they then applied in their work. Among clients, only two—both with high attachment anxiety and fear of abandonment—reported dreams manifestly about their therapists. Therapists-in-training dreamed about clients more often than clients dreamed about them. Dreams about clients can help therapists understand themselves, their clients, and the therapy relationship.