Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy and Affect Regulation In Mood and Anxiety Disorders

Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy is constructed from seemingly disparate elements – training in mindfulness meditation offered alongside cognitive theory of affective disorder. It has amassed a strong evidence in both reducing symptom burden and fostering wellness. At present, the question of how exactly this multi-modal treatment achieves its benefits remains largely unanswered. It is still fair to ask, for example, about the relative contribution of cognitive therapy principles versus mindfulness practice to the gains patients report. Clarifying mechanisms of action is of more than academic interest, as it will likely inform models of training for the generation of MBCT practitioners along with building a transtheoretical model of how mindfulness based programs work.