1. mindfulness v’s depressive relapse
145 subjects, all had suffered at least 2 episodes of depression
clear of depression (normal range) for at least 3 months
off all antidepressants for at least 3 months
randomized to treatment as usual (TAU) or to mindfulness-based cognitive therapy
8 x 2 hour weekly classes + 4 “reunions”
up to 12 subjects per class
all subjects followed up for 60 weeks
Teasdale, J. D., Segal, Z.V., Williams, J.M. et al. Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. J Consult Clin Psych 2000; 68(4):

2. mindfulness v’s depressive relapse
it’s already known that the greater the number of depressive episodes, the less important external triggers seem to be
for subjects with a history of only 2 depressive episodes MBCT appeared no better than treatment as usual (TAU)
for subjects with a history of 3 or more previous depressions (77% of total sample), MBCT helped considerably; the %’s of these patients who relapsed over the 60 week study were:
TAU: 66% relapsed
MBCT: 37% relapsed
: 42% reduction

3. mindfulness v’s depressive relapse

4. how to learn about mindfulness
a very small sample of the many resources available:
book: M. Williams, J. Teasdale, Z. Segal & J Kabat-Zinn “The mindful way through depression: freeing yourself from chronic unhappiness” New York: Guilford Press, 2007
meditation & retreats: for mindfulness retreats, see & some Christian retreat centres may also teach related methods, see & links;
autogenic training: James Hawkins’ adaptation of autogenic training contains both concentration and mindfulness components, see goodknowledge/autogenic-relaxation-training

5. developing a trigger phrase/focus
breathe in breathe out
either: focus on neck &
shoulders saying silently
“neck, shoulders”
or: focus on any general
areas of tension without
saying anything at this stage
say “heavy”, deliberately
releasing any tightness in
in the neck & shoulders
say “peace”, deliberately
releasing any general
tightness in the body

6. the practice for this week
1st week’s exercise:
in the second half
of the week, add in:
The arms & legs are heavy
The right arm is warm
The left arm is warm
Both arms are warm
Neck & shoulders are heavy
I am at peace
The right leg is warm
The left leg is warm
Both legs are warm
regular practice is crucial: two daily practices should be at least 10 to 15 min
long; experiment too with a couple of short practices for just 2 or 3 minutes each
seeing whether it is more helpful to use ”neck,shoulders heavy” or ”peace” as a
trigger to link with the breath in developing skills in briefer relaxation exercises.

7. developing skills in application
formal practice
developing a trigger phrase/focus
first “differential” practice
Ost L-G Applied relaxation: description of a coping technique & review of controlled studies
Behav Res Ther ;25:
second “differential” practice
the reminder dot exercise
stressful real life situations