Mindfulness for depression

Mindfulness for depression – 8 week course

Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) was designed specifically to help people who are prone to recurring depression. It combines mindfulness techniques like meditation, breathing exercises and stretching with elements from cognitive therapy to help break the negative thought patterns that are characteristic of recurrent depression.

Long-term courses of antidepressants are typically used to treat recurring depression. However, almost three-quarters of GPs think mindfulness meditation would be helpful for people with mental health problems, and a third already refer patients to MBCT on a regular basis. MBCT has been scientifically proven to help people with a range of mental health problems such as:

Depression
Bipolar disorders
Insomnia

MBCT teaches people to pay attention to the present moment, rather than worrying about the past or the future, and to let go of the negative thoughts that can tip them over into depression.  It also gives people a greater awareness of their own body, helping them to identify the signs of oncoming depression and ward off the episode before it starts.

what-is-mindfulness

Personal commitment

Mindfulness is something that everyone has within them: we all have the capacity to become more aware. However, to get the most out of the course it’s important to commit to attending each session and to some home practice. For the home practice we ask you to set aside 50 minutes each day to practice the skills you have learnt.

Your tutor

Your course will be led by an experienced facilitator who has trained with the Centre for Mindfulness Research & Practice at Bangor University to lead Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)

Initial Consultation

Once you’ve been accepted onto the course you’ll be contacted to arrange a 30 to 60 minute consultation with your tutor, either in person or over the ‘phone. This gives you the chance to find out more about the course, ask questions, talk about the stresses and problems you’re facing, what you’re expecting and any worries you may have.

Course Structure and resources

The course is divided into eight weekly sessions, with an extra day long session which is usually held on a Saturday. The course is very practical and you’ll spend most of the time learning and trying out the meditation, yoga and body movement exercises, although there’ll also be some discussion and we may watch a DVD. You’ll be given handouts and CDs for home practice.

Find out more

If you think an in-depth Mindfulness course could be helpful you can contact Parabl, and someone will ring you back to talk your issues through in more detail and help you decide if the course might be right for you. Parabl also offers other services including stress and depression management courses, guided self-help, bereavement counselling and one to one therapy. So, even if Mindfulness isn’t for you we may be able to help with another approach.

For more details:
Email: ask@parabl.org
Phone: 0300 777 2257