Embodied reflection in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression.
Abstract
The prime objective of this study was to explore an initial operationalization of embodied reflection in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT). The concept of embodied reflection, derived from a phenomenological frame of reference, is presented. The implications of an embodied reflection perspective for understanding how body awareness in MBCT fosters therapeutic change are discussed. This article presents the results of a small-scale exploratory qualitative study illustrating processes of embodied reflection for different subgroups of MBCT participants. The analysis suggests that different subgroups are able to harness body awareness in different ways depending on their precourse strategy for avoiding emotional experience. It is proposed that further exploration and refinement of the processes of embodied reflection will enhance clinical practice and treatment outcomes.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Unique coping mechanisms significantly shape patients' comprehension and utilization of the MBCT framework for enhancing bodily awareness.
“Although all participants had recurrent depression, results suggest that their unique coping mechanisms significantly shape their comprehension and utilization of the MBCT framework for enhancing bodily awareness.”
From Mapping mindfulness in psychotherapy: a scoping review on conceptualization, applications, and research directions (2026) · cites this paper as Worsfold, 2013
In a qualitative study of MBCT, various subgroups exhibited diverse capacities for utilizing body awareness, influenced by their pre-course methods for avoiding emotional experiences.
“The author found that various subgroups exhibited diverse capacities for utilizing body awareness, influenced by their pre-course methods for avoiding emotional experiences.”
From Mapping mindfulness in psychotherapy: a scoping review on conceptualization, applications, and research directions (2026) · cites this paper as Worsfold, 2013
Cites
Measuring experiential avoidance: A preliminary test of a working model
Hayes, S. C., Strosahl, K., Wilson, K. G., Bissett, R. T., Pistorello, J., Toarmino, D., Polusny, M. A., Dykstra, T. A., Batten, S. V., Bergan, J., et al. (2004) · The Psychological Record · doi:10.1007/bf03395492 · Cited by 2,140 · see citing works
Ma, S. H., & Teasdale, J. D. (2004) · Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-006x.72.1.31 · Cited by 1,390 · see citing works
Teasdale, J. D., Segal, Z., & Williams, J. M. G. (1995) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/0005-7967(94)e0011-7 · Cited by 1,349 · see citing works
Bech, P., Rasmussen, N.-A., Olsen, L. R., Noerholm, V., & Abildgaard, W. (2001) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/s0165-0327(00)00309-8 · Cited by 975 · see citing works
Emotional processing, three modes of mind and the prevention of relapse in depression
Teasdale, J. D. (1999) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/s0005-7967(99)00050-9 · Cited by 481 · see citing works
PIET, J., HOUGAARD, E., HECKSHER, M. S., & ROSENBERG, N. K. (2010) · Scandinavian Journal of Psychology · doi:10.1111/j.1467-9450.2009.00801.x · Cited by 161 · see citing works
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for generalized anxiety disorder: a preliminary evaluation
Craigie, M. A., Rees, C. S., Marsh, A., & Nathan, P. (2008) · Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy · doi:10.1017/s135246580800458x · Cited by 125 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Prospects for a clinical science of mindfulness-based intervention
Dimidjian, S., & Segal, Z. V. (2015) · American Psychologist · doi:10.1037/a0039589 · Cited by 291 · see citing works
Williams, K., Hartley, S., Langer, S., Manandhar‐Richardson, M., Sinha, M., & Taylor, P. (2022) · Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy · doi:10.1002/cpp.2773 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
R., M., A., C., Q., Y., M., J., C., N., & K., M. (2026) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-025-08767-y
- Authors
- Worsfold, K. E.
- Affiliations
- University of Copenhagen (DK)
- Corresponding author
- Worsfold, Kay E.
- Venue
- The Humanistic Psychologist
- Published
- 2013-01
- Volume
- 41
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 54-69
- ISSN
- 0887-3267 (ISSN-L)
- 1547-3333
- OpenAlex
- W2014642864
- Cited by
- 5
- References
- 7
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2022: 1 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 1
- FWCI
- 0.74
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- The Humanistic Psychologist (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Gladsaxe Community Preventative Health Centre
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Phenomenology and Existential Philosophy
- Keywords
- embodied reflection, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, depression, body awareness, phenomenology, emotional avoidance, therapeutic change
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
