Mind Body Dynamics
Counselling Psychologist in Brighton & Hove
Cognitive-Behavioural Therapies
These therapeutic approaches seek to blend traditional CBT principles with concepts new to behavioural psychotherapies such as mindfulness, acceptance, compassion, metacognition, spirituality and the therapeutic relationship in order to help the client. Third-wave CBTs have a number of core components that distinguish these approaches from first-wave behavioural therapy and second-wave CBT, specifically an emphasis on openness, awareness, compassion and action. Third wave therapies are interested in helping you be more present and at ease with yourself, others and the world.
Types of third-wave cognitive-behavioural therapies include dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT), schema therapy (ST), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), mindfulness-based cognitive behavioural treatment (MBCT) or compassion-focused therapy (CFT). These treatments have been associated with adaptive self-regulation and sustained motivation across a number of health domains, for example, in depression and addiction.
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)
Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is a treatment programme specifically developed to help people who suffer recurrent depression and to help prevent the depression from coming back or relapsing. It is based on Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) programme. Research shows that MBSR is beneficial for patients with chronic pain, hypertension, heart disease, cancer, and gastrointestinal disorders, as well as anxiety and panic.
MBCT involves practising mindfulness techniques and helps you better understand the patterns of your mind. Meditation is not about clearing the mind, but rather becoming fully aware of the habitual patterns it has a tendency to follow. Practising mindfulness skills within the context of MBCT allow people to see how certain patterns of thinking lead to escalation of emotions and see clearly what sorts of actions lead to more wholesome and positive outcomes in everyday life. It gives patients courage to face distressing moods, thoughts and sensations without fighting with them. It can help transform how we relate to unpleasant thoughts and feelings and view them from a different perspective and improve their quality of life.
Relational and Neurobiological Approaches to Psychotherapy
Relational and neurobiological approaches to psychotherapy draws on current research and understanding in the treatment of trauma and trauma-related issues. This includes an integration of Sensorimotor Psychotherapy (Ogden et al., 2006), Internal Family Systems (Schwartz, 2001), mindfulness-based approaches (Pollack, Pedulla & Siegel, 2014) and clinical hypnosis. It helps clients develop meta-awareness or perspective, the language to communicate painful feeling states and understand how their body responds to trauma. This type of approach helps clients accurately identify triggered, implicitly remembered feelings, beliefs and responses.
Rather than focusing on desensitising the event memories, the approach prioritises transformation or repair of trauma-related states through cultivation of new experiences. This includes learning mindfulness skills thus, new habits of observation and discovery, and increases client's capacity to regulate their nervous system and distressing feelings.
©2022 Clarissa Bartlett
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