Mindfulness

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Mindfulness has become very popular in recent years and we are seeing a large quantity of research published on mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, mindfulness-based group therapy and mindfulness-based stress reduction.

Mindfulness exercises are popular with the general public because they are easy to learn and quick to do, compared with a long wait for other forms of psychotherapy (e.g. CBT).

The published research covers a huge range of health problems and we have featured blogs on topics including anxiety, depression, substance misuse, psychosis, stress, binging and weight loss and the mental health of breast cancer patients.

Overall it seems that the uptake of mindfulness as an intervention and the popularity of this approach amongst service users and health professionals is some way ahead of the evidence. As is often the case, people are not waiting for high quality reliable studies before they start to practice an intervention which is accessible and (seemingly) safe.

Our Mindfulness Blogs

Meditation programmes may improve anxiety, depression and pain but better quality research is needed, says systematic review

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There’s little doubt about it – meditation is in vogue. In fairness, it probably always has been. However, clinical and research interest in the effects of meditation programmes on psychological wellbeing has grown considerably in recent years. The development of mindfulness-based interventions has no doubt driven much of this interest. For example, running a PubMed keyword [read the full story…]

#MindfulnessMonday Mindfulness-based stress reduction can alleviate stress and improve quality of life and mental health

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Meg Fluharty
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This month in the woodland (and the Twittersphere) we’ve given you #MindfulnessMonday. It’s been our attempt to highlight some of the potential benefits that mindfulness can have on our mental well-being in a variety of different health conditions including breast cancer, depression and anxiety, and psychosis. This last #MindfulnessMonday blog examines the effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Stress [read the full story…]

#MindfulnessMonday – Mindfulness moderately effective for reducing symptoms of psychosis, though controlled studies less convincing

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Last week, Elly O’Brien blogged about mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) for various physical and psychological disorders. Today, another paper from the same authors, looking at the more broadly defined ‘mindfulness interventions’ for psychosis. Elly talked about the use of mindfulness to escape the “emotional quicksand” of negative thoughts, and the authors here again focus on [read the full story…]

#MindfulnessMonday – Mindfulness proves effective in depression and anxiety, but is not superior to traditional CBT

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Elly O'Brien
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Last week, Kirsten Lawson blogged about mindfulness-based stress reduction as a treatment for breast cancer.  We have featured a number of blogs on mindfulness in the last couple of years, including a piece about the use of Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT). MBCT is recommended by NICE to prevent relapse in people who have already experienced three [read the full story…]

#MindfulnessMonday – Mindfulness-based stress reduction works for patients with breast cancer

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Patients with breast cancer commonly have lots on their mind (psychological distress)

Within the woodland October is a month of themes. Many of you will be familiar with #Stoptober, which always helps any elves who sneak round the the back of the woodshed, to give up smoking. You may be less aware of our #MindfulnessMonday activities that will be sprinkled across the month; showcasing the potential benefits that [read the full story…]

Mindfulness can impact on quality of life for people with learning disabilities, but more research needed

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Mindfulness is an approach to life based on an ancient Buddhist practice which means paying attention to the present moment in a non-judgemental manner, which aims to increase awareness, clarity and acceptance. As a number of studies have looked at mindfulness-based interventions the authors of this narrative review set out to look at the clinical [read the full story…]

Mindfulness shows promise as treatment for health anxiety

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Fabio Zucchelli
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Most of us care about our health (something we elves encourage) but for up to 5% of people, worrying about health has become a significant problem in itself. Severe health anxiety, or hypochondriasis, is said to exist when someone holds a strong fear of having a serious disease, despite all medical assurances to the contrary. [read the full story…]

Physical activity a promising treatment for depression in children and young people, but more research is needed

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Elly O'Brien
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Depression is one of the most common mental health problems, with around 1 in 5 people in the UK suffering from depression during their lifetime (Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2012) including an estimated 4% of children (NHS Choices, 2012).  Treatments for depression are different in children and young people, for example some antidepressant medications used [read the full story…]