Medcan Mindfulness-based Interventions
Managing Stress, Depressive and Anxious States and the Preventing of Depressive Relapse.
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), first introduced into health care by Jon Kabat Zinn in the late 1970s for managing stress and chronic pain, has almost become a household word. Since that time there has been an incredible amount of research done in the area of mindfulness and many other Mindfulness-Based Interventions have emerged, including Mindfulness-Based Eating (for disordered eating), Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention (dealing with addiction), and Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (for preventing depressive relapse). Medcan is excited, as part of its Wellness Program, to offer its own Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Strategies program for those dealing with depressive and anxious states as well as those who wish to prevent depressive relapse or who are coping with significant stressors.
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Strategies is derived from the work of Zindel Segal and others (The Mindful Way Through Depression), and combines meditative practice with the tools of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy resulting in a powerful method for dealing with life challenges and negative states.
Mindfulness, defined as “paying attention to the present moment, on purpose, without judgment” (Jon Kabat Zinn), allows us to develop the capacity to attend to and observe experience without becoming so caught up in the negative thinking and judgments that are so common when we are stressed or experiencing anxiety or low moods. This habitual or automatic mental proliferation is often the first step down a well worn path that can make life seem unmanageable, disrupt sleep, increase worry, and lead to depression.
Mindfulness involves engaging in meditative practices that bring us more into the moment, making our experience more vivid and direct. These meditations involve attention to the breath, awareness of the body, mindful movement and eating practices to name a few.
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy involves paying attention to the content and meaning that we ascribe to our thinking, teaching us that thoughts are just thoughts and not necessarily the facts we believe them to be. Commonly held beliefs that affect our moods, level of contentment and behaviour are examined and challenged, providing us with alternative and more balanced perspectives in order that we can deal with life challenges more skillfully.
Both Mindfulness and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy work together to create a powerful modality that help us to relate to our experiences differently, opening us up to possibilities for change and teaching more useful methods of dealing with difficult interactions, moods and life events. We develop the possibility of living less automatically and with more awareness. This may have the effect of creating more pleasure, allowing us to notice what is happening from moment to moment. In addition, we enhance our capacity to turn toward difficult experiences, reducing avoidance, learning that everything arises and passes and that we actually have the resources to cope when we often imagine we don’t. Lastly, these interventions help us to increase our compassion for ourselves and others enabling us to look after ourselves in healthier, kinder ways.
There is much evidence to support the use of this work. It significantly reduces depressive relapse and is helpful for dealing with acute anxiety or worry and its effects (such as related insomnia), depression, and mood problems associated with cancer. These interventions have also been shown to reduce absenteeism, increase productivity, and it is known that meditation increases contentment.
This 8 week clinical program takes place once per week for two hours in a group format. Participants learn from each other as we acquire both meditative and cognitive skills. Home practice reinforces the program in which participants engage in mindfulness and other exercises throughout the week. Participants must have a family physician and be free of substance use. We are currently running our first program under the direction of Dr. Patricia Rockman, MD, CCFP, FCFP, a family physician with a focused practice in mental health and a special interest in mindfulness-based interventions. Her co-facilitator, Dr. David Denis, ND, is a naturopath with a special interest in mindfulness and its relationship to cancer care. It is our intention to also offer Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for those with more generalized stress in 2012. Dr. Rockman is also one of the founding leaders of the Centre for Mindfulness Studies, a not-for-profiit social enterprise dedicated to bringing mindfulness education and treatment to professionals, the general public and low income populations.
To learn more, visit Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Strategies.