“Facing What’s There”: A Qualitative Study of Therapists’ Experiences with Integrating Mindfulness in Individual Therapy

Abstract Objectives Although mindfulness has been widely studied in group-based interventions, less is known about how therapists integrate mindfulness into individual psychotherapy. This is a critical gap, given the differences in therapeutic dynamics and the increased flexibility required in one-to-one formats. The aim of this study was to investigate how therapists think about and apply mindfulness in individual therapy, using a qualitative approach to provide a rich and detailed picture of this process of integration.

Method: We conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 13 Norwegian therapists who were recruited based on self-identified integration of mindfulness into their individual therapy practice. The data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis.

Results: Five main themes were identified, illustrating how therapists drew on mindfulness in flexible and varied ways: (1) Presence as a resource in life and in therapy, (2) Mindfulness as a way of promoting beneficial psychological processes, (3) Many paths to the goal, (4) Experience-based tailoring, and (5) Awareness of risks.

Conclusions: This study showed that mindfulness was integrated into individual therapy in nuanced and context-sensitive ways, guided by clinical judgment and patient readiness, and enacted both implicitly through therapeutic presence and selectively through formal practices. These findings underscore the value of mindfulness as a relational and responsive element in psychotherapy, while pointing to the need for further guidance on safe and effective integration, including training therapists to tailor practices to client needs and monitor potential risks such as emotional distress or worsening symptoms. Preregistration This study is not preregistered.