Applying mindfulness therapy in a group of psychotic individuals: a controlled study.

People with psychosis who completed eight 1-hour sessions of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) became significantly better at responding mindfully to stressful internal events compared with those on a waiting list. Eighteen patients were randomly assigned to either the MBCT group or a control group. The study replicates earlier work and shows that a mindfulness-based program can be both feasible and effective for this population.

Study at a glance

Abstract

There are already several existing studies that show the effectiveness of mindfulness-based approaches in varying types of disorders. Only a few studies, however, have analyzed the effectiveness of this intervention in psychosis, and without finding, up to now, significant differences from the control group. The aim of this study is two-fold: to replicate previous studies, and to focus on analyzing the feasibility and effectiveness of applying mindfulness in a group of people with psychosis. Eighteen patients with psychosis were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group received eight 1-hour sessions of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), while the control group was relegated to a waiting list to receive MBCT therapy. The experimental group scored significantly higher than the control group in their ability to respond mindfully to stressful internal events. Both the usefulness and effectiveness of implementing a mindfulness-based program have been replicated in a controlled manner in patients with psychosis.