How does cognitive therapy prevent depressive relapse and why should attentional control (mindfulness) training help?

In the citing paper

“CBT is hypothesized to work by providing patients with repeated experiences of refocusing attention away from automatic negative schemas toward alternative views or ideas”

In the citing paper

“This finding is consistent with the theoretical rationale for mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, a mindfulness-based intervention, which posits that mindfulness decreases risk for depression because it assists individuals in viewing their thoughts and feelings as impermanent mental events.”

In the citing paper

“Some treatment outcome researchers have suggested that mindfulness improves emotion regulation by helping one recognize that distressing thoughts are not always accurate representations of reality (Linehan, 1993;Teasdale, 1999;Teasdale, Segal, & Williams, 1995).”

In the citing paper

“One possibility is that an ability to decenter actively protects individuals against, and promotes recovery from, anxiety and depression symptoms7,52–54.”

In the citing paper

“In this context, it has already been shown that higher levels of present moment awareness can reduce negative thinking, a characteristic of depression and anxiety (30).”

In the citing paper

“This interpretation however is at odds with theoretical and empirical support for mindfulness training [2-4,11,18].”

In the citing paper

“Ruminative thinking often involves extended pondering over personal shortcomings and problematic situations and perpetuates rather than alleviates the depressed state [11].”

In the citing paper

“MBCT was designed to target the cognitive processes that render depressed individuals vulnerable to repeated relapse and recurrence, such as rumination and high cognitive reactivity to mood shifts (Teasdale, Segal, & Williams, 1995).”

In the citing paper

“mindfulness-based approaches have been shown to be effective in managing conditions such as stress, anxiety, depression, and chronic pain.”

In the citing paper

“the extensively researched MBSR program, has demonstrated significant benefits in these areas [16–23], and are recommended in several guidelines [22, 24, 25].”

In the citing paper

“Theoretical foundations for integration of mindfulness with traditional cognitive-behavioral relapse prevention (34) suggest that mindfulness may help develop a detached and de-centered relationship to thoughts and feelings, preventing escalation of thought patterns that may lead to relapse (35,36).”