AUTHOR=Frostadottir Anna Dora , Dorjee Dusana 

TITLE=Effects of Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) and Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) on Symptom Change, Mindfulness, Self-Compassion, and Rumination in Clients With Depression, Anxiety, and Stress

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=10

YEAR=2019

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01099

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01099

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Objectives:</bold> Over the past decade there has been an increasing interest in exploring self-compassion as a related and complementary construct to mindfulness. Increases in self-compassion may predict clinical outcomes after MBCT and cultivation of compassion toward self and others is central to CFT. This pilot study compared the impact of MBCT applying implicit self-compassion instructions and CFT employing explicit self-compassion instructions on symptom change, mindfulness, self-compassion, and rumination.</p><p><bold>Method:</bold> This non-randomized wait-list controlled study (<italic>N</italic> = 58) with two intervention arms (MBCT <italic>N</italic> = 20, CFT <italic>N</italic> = 18, Control <italic>N</italic> = 20) assessed the outcomes of clients with depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms from before to after the interventions and at one month follow up (MBCT <italic>N</italic> = 17, CFT <italic>N</italic> = 13, Control <italic>N</italic> = 13).</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> Both treatments resulted in significant increases in mindfulness and self-compassion and decreases in rumination, depression, anxiety, and stress. Furthermore, MBCT enhanced mindfulness for people who were initially high in rumination, whereas CFT enhanced mindfulness across the board.</p><p><bold>Conclusion:</bold> The findings suggest that both MBCT and CFT, and hence implicit or explicit self-compassion instructions, produce similar clinical outcomes with CFT enhancing mindfulness regardless of client's rumination level.</p>