🕑 2 min di lettura
This very brief article aims to highlight, albeit in general terms, the similarities and differences between the following three mindfulness-based programs:
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)
Mindfulness Now (MN)
The Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program was originally developed for a group of patients with a range of physical and psychological conditions such as stress, chronic pain, and anxiety. It was later expanded to include illnesses such as cancer, addictions, eating disorders, and rheumatism. MBSR was developed in 1990 by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn and colleagues at the University of Massachusetts and has been taught to groups of people, emphasizing the body and movement.
However, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) was developed by Dr. Mark Williams and colleagues in 2002 at the University of Oxford. Although it was built on the foundation of MBSR, its purpose is to help people with a history of depressive disorders and those vulnerable to relapsing into depression. This program has also been taught to groups of people, with an emphasis on cognition. The Mindfulness Now (MN) program was developed by Nick Cooke in 2014 in England, following his experience practicing mindfulness to help himself manage pain, support healing, and rehabilitation after two serious illnesses.
The MN program provides a fusion of key elements from both MBSR and MBCT. It is highly flexible and has been structured to meet the needs of the individual and/or group. In fact, it is taught to both groups and individuals. The MN program helps to address pain, stress, negative thoughts, and gives equal emphasis to the body and cognition, and it can be easily integrated with other therapeutic approaches.
There are some similarities between all three programs, such as the duration, which is eight weeks, although the MN program can be condensed and may include informal opportunities. All three programs include “homework assignments” and also involve listening to audio recordings of all formal meditations; in the MN program, these are highly personalized according to the clients’ needs. These three programs rely on various formal practices: visualizations for MBSR, poems and stories for MBCT, and visualizations, poems, and stories for MN.
Finally, four other distinctive features of the MN program are: a detailed individual assessment, weekly group meditation sessions, an indefinite teaching and support program, and a “gift” at the end of the program, which consists of a one-day mindfulness retreat.
