Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy History and Mechanisms
Madeline Komar, Jordan Pepper, Irene Zhao, Angela Ziwei Lin, Rabia Tahir, Joy Du
McMaster University Medical Journal March 25, 2025 DOI: 10.15173/mumj.v21i1.3702 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Commentary Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key points | The commentary aims to describe the history and mechanisms of change underlying Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy as developed by Segal and colleagues in 1996, arguing that healthcare professionals should understand how mindfulness-based therapy is proposed to confer benefit given the abundance of research in this area. |
Abstract
Mindfulness has become a popular term in the 21st-century zeitgeist. Researchers have attempted to establish that anyone can reap benefits from practicing mindfulness, ranging from healthcare professionals (HCPs) and business executives to patients experiencing florid psychosis. Given the abundance of research on mindfulness-based intervention, it would be prudent for HCPs to understand the proposed mechanism of action through which mindfulness-based therapy confers benefit. Therefore, this commentary article seeks to describe the history and mechanisms of change underlying Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) as developed by Segal et al. in 1996.