Hostname: page-component-6bb9c88b65-kfd97 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-07-26T14:34:20.368Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Turning Towards or Turning Away: A Comparison of Mindfulness Meditation and Guided Imagery Relaxation in Patients with Acute Depression

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 July 2015

Ana Costa  and
Thorsten Barnhofer
Ana Costa
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, UK
Thorsten Barnhofer*
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, UK and Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
*
Reprint requests to Thorsten Barnhofer; Freie Universität Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195 Berlin, Germany. E-mail: thorsten.barnhofer@fu-berlin.de
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Background: Disengaging from maladaptive thinking is an important imperative in the treatment of depression. Mindfulness training is aimed at helping patients acquire relevant skills for this purpose. It remains unclear, however, whether this practice is helpful when patients are acutely depressed. Aims: In order to investigate effects of mindfulness on symptoms and self-regulatory capacities in this group, the current study compared a brief training in mindfulness (n = 19) to guided imagery relaxation (n = 18). Method: Participants were introduced to the respective techniques in a single session, and practised daily over one week. Self-reported severity of symptoms, difficulties in emotion-regulation, attentional control, the ability to decentre, and mindfulness were assessed pre and postintervention, and at a one-week follow-up. Results: Symptoms of depression significantly decreased and self-regulatory functioning significantly increased in both groups, with changes being maintained during follow-up. When controlling for change in depressive symptoms, results showed significantly higher improvements in emotion regulation at follow-up in the mindfulness group. The ability to decentre predicted changes in symptoms from pre to postintervention, while mindfulness skills predicted changes in symptoms during the maintenance phase. Conclusions: The findings suggest that both practices can help to instigate reductions in symptoms and enhance self-regulatory functioning in depression. However, in order to improve emotion regulation above levels explained by reductions in symptoms more intentional mental training seems necessary. Furthermore, while the ability to disengage from negative patterns of thinking seems crucial for initial reduction of symptoms, maintenance of gains might require broader skills in mindfulness.

Keywords

Depressionmindfulnessrelaxationdecentringemotion-regulationimagery

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy , Volume 44 , Issue 4 , July 2016 , pp. 410 - 419
Copyright
Copyright © British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Baer, R. A., Smith, G. T., Hopkins, J., Krietemeyer, J. and Toney, L. (2006). Using self-report assessment methods to explore facets of mindfulness. Assessment, 13, 27–45. doi:10.1177/1073191105283504 Google Scholar
Barnhofer, T., Crane, C., Hargus, E., Amarasinghe, M., Winder, R. and Williams, J. M. G. (2009). Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy as a treatment for chronic depression: a preliminary study. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 47, 366–373 doi:10.1016/j.brat.2009.01.019 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Beck, A. T., Steer, R. A. and Brown, G. K. (1996). Manual for the Beck Depression Inventory-II. San Antonio, TX: Psychological Corporation.Google Scholar
Derryberry, D. and Reed, M. A. (2002). Anxiety-related attentional biases and their regulation by attentional control. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 111, 225–236. doi:10.1037//0021-843X.111.2.225 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
First, M. D., Spitzer, R. L., Gibbon, M. and Williams, J. B. W. (2002). Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV TR Axis I Disorders, Research Version. New York: New York State Biometric Institute.Google Scholar
Fresco, D. M., Moore, M. T., van Dulmen, M. H. M., Segal, Z. V, Ma, S. H., Teasdale, J. D. et al. (2007). Initial psychometric properties of the Experiences Questionnaire: validation of a self-report measure of decentering. Behavior Therapy, 38, 234–246. doi:10.1016/j.beth.2006.08.003 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Goldin, P. R. and Gross, J. J. (2010). Effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) on emotion regulation in social anxiety disorder. Emotion, 10, 83–91. doi:10.1037/a0018441 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gratz, K. L. and Roemer, L. (2004). Multidimensional assessment of emotion regulation and dysregulation: development, factor structure, and initial validation of the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 26, 41–54. doi:10.1023/B:JOBA.0000007455.08539.94 Google Scholar
Ilardi, S. and Craighead, W. (1999). Rapid early response, cognitive modification, and nonspecific factors in cognitive behavior therapy for depression: a reply to Tang and DeRubeis. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 6, 295–299.Google Scholar
Kingston, J., Chadwick, P., Meron, D. and Skinner, T. C. (2007). A pilot randomized control trial investigating the effect of mindfulness practice on pain tolerance, psychological well-being, and physiological activity. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 62, 297–300. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2006.10.007 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lyubomirsky, S., Caldwell, N. D. and Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (1998). Effects of ruminative and distracting responses to depressed mood on retrieval of autobiographical memories. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 75, 166–177.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lyubomirsky, S. and Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (1993). Self-perpetuating properties of dysphoric rumination. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65, 339–349.Google Scholar
Piet, J. and Hougaard, E. (2011). The effect of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for prevention of relapse in recurrent major depressive disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 31, 1032–1040.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Strauss, C., Hayward, M. and Chadwick, P. (2012). Group person-based cognitive therapy for chronic depression: a pilot randomized controlled trial. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 51, 345–350. doi:10.1111/j.2044-8260.2012.02036.x Google Scholar
Teasdale, J. D. (1999). Metacognition, mindfulness and the modification of mood disorders. Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, 6, 146–155.3.0.CO;2-E>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Teasdale, J. D., Segal, Z. V., Williams, J. M. G., Ridgway, V. A., Soulsby, J. M. and Lau, M. A. (2000). Prevention of relapse/recurrence of major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 68, 615–623.Google Scholar
Watkins, E. R. and Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (2014). A habit-goal framework of depressive rumination. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 123, 24–34. doi:10.1037/a0035540 Google Scholar
Williams, J. M. G., Teasdale, J. D., Segal, Z. and Kabat-Zinn, J. (2007). The Mindful Way Through Depression. New York: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Zeidan, F., Johnson, S. K., Diamond, B. J., David, Z. and Goolkasian, P. (2010). Mindfulness meditation improves cognition: evidence of brief mental training. Consciousness and Cognition, 19, 597–605.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Submit a response

Comments

No Comments have been published for this article.