Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, or MBCT, is an evidence-based approach that combines mindfulness practices with principles from cognitive therapy. It teaches you to become more aware of your thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations so you can recognize patterns earlier and respond more intentionally rather than automatically.

Traditional Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) often focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful thoughts. MBCT adds another possibility: learning to change your relationship with your thoughts.

Instead of automatically believing, fighting, or trying to eliminate a difficult thought, you learn to notice it as a mental event that comes and goes. This can be particularly helpful with worry, rumination, and self-critical thinking.

MBCT was originally developed to help prevent recurrent depression, but mindfulness-based approaches are now used with a variety of concerns. MBCT skills may be helpful for people experiencing anxiety, depression, chronic stress, rumination, overthinking, burnout, chronic pain, and difficulty managing uncomfortable thoughts and emotions.

No. Meditation is one tool used in MBCT, but the approach involves much more than meditation. We may use mindfulness exercises, body awareness, cognitive strategies, psychoeducation, and practices designed to help you recognize how you respond to difficult experiences in everyday life.

No—and trying to clear your mind can actually become another source of frustration. Mindfulness involves noticing what your mind is doing, rather than trying to make thoughts disappear. The goal is to become less automatically caught up in your thoughts and more able to choose where you place your attention.

Autopilot happens when we move through our experiences without fully noticing what is happening. A thought, emotion, or stressful event may quickly trigger a familiar reaction before we realize it.

MBCT helps you become more aware of these patterns as they unfold. That awareness creates an opportunity to pause and choose how you'd like to respond.

Yes. MBCT can be especially useful for rumination and repetitive thinking. Rather than trying to solve every thought or determine whether it is true, you learn to recognize when your mind has become caught in a thinking loop and gently redirect your attention.

MBCT can help you notice anxious thoughts and physical sensations without immediately responding to them as signs that something is wrong. With practice, you can develop greater tolerance for uncertainty and uncomfortable emotions while becoming less reactive to anxious thoughts.

Yes. In fact, MBCT was originally developed specifically to help people with recurrent depression recognize the thought and mood patterns that can contribute to relapse. It can help you notice early changes in mood and respond differently before becoming caught in familiar cycles of negative thinking.

It can. Mindfulness doesn't mean ignoring physical symptoms or convincing yourself they aren't real. Instead, it can help you distinguish between the physical experience itself and the fear, tension, attention, or worry that can become layered on top of it. This can be particularly useful as part of a broader approach to chronic pain and stress-related symptoms.

That's okay. There are many different ways to practice mindfulness, and sitting quietly with your eyes closed isn't right for everyone. Practices can involve movement, sensory awareness, walking, brief moments of attention, or noticing what's happening in your body. We'll find approaches that work for you rather than trying to make you fit a particular type of meditation.

Not at all. MBCT is designed to teach mindfulness skills, so no previous meditation experience is necessary. Practices can be introduced gradually and adapted to your needs and comfort level.

While traditional MBCT is often taught as a structured eight-week group program, mindfulness-based principles and practices can also be integrated into individual psychotherapy. We may use particular MBCT exercises and concepts alongside other therapeutic approaches based on your needs and treatment goals.

Allison is a Qualified Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy Teacher and completed MBCT training with Zindel Segal, PhD, one of the developers of MBCT. Mindfulness is integrated with her broader training in somatic, cognitive, and experiential approaches rather than used as a one-size-fits-all intervention.

Check the Group Therapy page for more details about our virtual MBCT groups.