Abstract
The aim of the study was for the first time to investigate patients’ own experiences of developing healthy behavior in connection with their participation in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT). Healthy behaviors were defined as those which aimed to improve the individual’s well-being and physical function. Two women, diagnosed with bipolar illness or depressive episodes, were recruited from a group of clients in psychiatric care who both had been treated according to MBCT. The two clients shared their views of what changes they experienced during the treatment in semi structured interviews. Data analysis was performed according to the Empirical Phenomenological Psychological (EPP) method. The analysis generated five main themes which were shown to create a causal chain where paths to healthy behavior contributed to a process of change which was mirrored in comprehensive distancing, which in turn facilitated a reduced tendency of illness-identity and the acquiring of new proficiencies which could be generalized to different situations in daily life which led to insights about healthier behavior.
Highlights
Interest in mindfulness has increased dramatically in the past decade and is a standard part of the treatmentHow to cite this paper: Ingvarsson, T., Nordén, T. and Norlander, T. (2014) Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy: A Case Study on Experiences of Healthy Behaviors by Clients in Psychiatric Care
The five were shown to create a causal chain where healthy behavior contributes to a process of change which is mirrored in comprehensive distancing, which in turn facilitates a reduced tendency to illness-identity and the acquiring of new proficiencies which can be generalized to different situations in daily life which lead to insights about healthier behavior
The themes illustrated the experiences of two individuals following participation in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)
Summary
Interest in mindfulness has increased dramatically in the past decade and is a standard part of the treatmentHow to cite this paper: Ingvarsson, T., Nordén, T. and Norlander, T. (2014) Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy: A Case Study on Experiences of Healthy Behaviors by Clients in Psychiatric Care. (2014) Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy: A Case Study on Experiences of Healthy Behaviors by Clients in Psychiatric Care. The third wave of cognitive behavioral therapy comprises several forms of treatment which include attention-training as part of a broader treatment approach, for example Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction [2] or Meta Cognitive Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy [3]. One form of treatment, where attention and awareness of one’s experience of the present play a central role, is Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) [4]. Healthy behaviors are defined in the study as those which aim to improve the individual’s wellbeing and physical function [5]. The definition of unhealthy behaviors, is those behaviors that do not promote improvements in well-being and physical function
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