Mindfulness in psychotherapy: from practice to theory

I was delighted to talk with so many members of the SIG at the meeting on November 14th. I am afraid far more material was presented in that talk than I currently have time to write down. However, it is possible to get a good impression of its underlying messages from summary material that is already published. I will indicate where this can be found below, after outlining the bare essentials of the talk. The talk had two main themes. One was to map the different ways mindfulness is used in clinical practice. I am proposing this can be thought about in terms of three kinds of interventions. Some, such as versions of psychoanalysis, introduce mindfulness through the psychotherapist’s personal attitude. I have labelled this therapist mindfulness or TM for short. Others, including the most commonly cited examples of mindful therapies (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy), provide training in mindfulness skills as a core component of an educational package. These offer mindfulnes