FROM RUMINATION TO PRESENCE: MINDFULNESS-BASED COGNITIVE THERAPY (MBCT) IN THE TREATMENT OF GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER
ShodhKosh: Journal of Visual and Performing Arts February 29, 2024 DOI: 10.29121/shodhkosh.v5.i2.2024.9218 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Interventions | Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) three-minute breathing space body scan meditation mindful movement |
| Topics | Anxiety Meditation |
| Key findings | The authors argue that MBCT, by shifting patients from an analytic 'doing mode' to an experiential 'being mode,' may reduce anxious rumination, cognitive avoidance, and default mode network hyperactivity in generalized anxiety disorder. They contend that MBCT's structured elements, such as the three-minute breathing space, body scan, and mindful movement, foster tolerance for uncertainty and offer a sustainable metacognitive tool for self-regulation, rather than simply eliminating negative thoughts. |
Abstract
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is a disorder that involves ongoing, uncontrollable worry, autonomic hyperactivity, and general cognitive rigidity. In contrast to the more traditional approach to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which concentrates on the content of distorted thinking, Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) provides a paradigm shift by changing the relationship an individual has to their thinking. This paper aims to review the clinical effectiveness, neurobiological underpinnings, and psychological processes of MBCT in the treatment of GAD, from rumination and the sense of doing it again and again to the present moment. This study uses the meta analytic clinical results, neuroimaging (fMRI, EEG), and cognitive behavioral theories to examine the specific effects of MBCT's core elements in regard to the hyperactivity of the default mode network (DMN) associated with anxious worry. The paper examines the use of MBCT in the reduction of mode of mind traps, namely, shifting patient's focus from goal oriented, analytic doing mode to experiential, non-judgmental being mode. This research explores the potential for MBCT to increase tolerance for uncertainty through the analysis of structural programme elements such as the three-minute breathing space, body scan meditation and mindful movement to decrease cognitive avoidance and physiological reactivity. In addition, the paper outlines the integration of MBCT in various clinical contexts, exploring the comparative benefits of MBCT and other forms of CBT and medication. This study considers mindfulness to be more than just a relaxation technique, and instead takes a metacognitive approach to mindfulness that suggests MBCT offers patients a sustainable tool for self-regulation that can ultimately lead to psychological resilience. In the end, MBCT shows that to free the mind from anxious rumination does not mean to get rid of negative thoughts, rather the capacity to remain calm and in the moment despite the apparent threat of future uncertainties.