A Lived Experience of Mindfulness-Based Mentalizing Training Program for Parents (MBMP). A Phenomenological Study.
Timo Teräsahjo, Sanna Herkama, Christina Salmivalli, Oskari Lahtinen
Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry February 23, 2026 DOI: 10.1177/13591045261422590 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 6 |
| Population | Parents of young children |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-Based Mentalizing Training Program for Parents (MBMP) |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Humans Parent-child relations Parenting Parents Qualitative research Adult Child, preschool Female Mentalization Intervention Phenomenological study Parental mentalizing |
| Key findings | Parents described four kinds of experience during the Mindfulness-Based Mentalizing Training Program: observing their internal states, recalling positive interactions, reflecting on difficult interactions, and describing their child from their own perspective. The authors propose that these experiences may enhance parental mentalizing, though the study reports no quantitative outcomes. |
Abstract
Mentalizing, or the ability to understand the mental states underlying oneself and others' overt behaviors, is crucial in parenting due to its association with favorable child development outcomes. This study introduces a new tool, the Mindfulness-Based Mentalizing Training Program for Parents (MBMP), and investigates its potential to enhance parental mentalizing through qualitative analysis. Six parents of young children were interviewed to explore their lived experiences with MBMP using descriptive phenomenological analysis. The individual experiences were categorized into four main content areas: (1) The Experience of Mind Check: Observing internal states; (2) Power of Positivity: Recalling positive interactions; (3) Living Through Difficulties: Reflecting on challenging interactions; (4) Telling and Retelling: Describing the child from the parent's perspective. The study discusses the key experiences stimulated by MBMP and its potential for enhancing parental mentalizing.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on meditation, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cites 11
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2004
- The impact of mindfulness therapy combined with mentalization-based family therapy on suicidal ideation in adolescents with depressive disorder: randomized intervention study. Annals of General Psychiatry May 8, 2024
- The Relationship Among Mentalization, Mindfulness, Working Memory, and Schizotypal Personality Traits in the General Population Frontiers in Psychology May 2, 2022
- 4-week Mentalizing Imagery Therapy for family dementia caregivers: A randomized controlled trial with neural circuit changes Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics March 14, 2022
and 6 more in the library