Can mindfulness cure depression?

There is a wealth of sound and scientifically backed research into the quantifiable benefits of mindfulness.  Most scientifically backed studies into mindfulness last at least eight weeks, and quantify mindfulness as participating in an eight week course, such as MBCT or MBSR and conducting regular practice throughout this period.

Research has shown that mindfulness reduces the severity of symptoms of depression and reduces the likelihood of relapses in depression.

Mindfulness has been proven to be an effective tool at reducing the recurrence rate of depression over 12 months by 40–50% compared with usual care. (Crane C et al, “The effects of amount of home meditation practice in Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy on hazard of relapse to depression in the Staying Well after Depression Trial”, Behaviour Research and Therapy, 2014).

These findings were backed up in Mindful Nation UK, a report by the Mindfulness All-Party Parliamentary Group (MAPPG) October 2015.  The report found that a meta-analysis of six randomised controlled trials for people who were currently well and who had a history of three or more episodes of depression found that Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) reduced the risk of relapse by 43% compared to control groups.  Furthermore, MBCT was shown to reduce the severity of symptoms of depression in people currently experiencing an episode of depression.

Course options

The most recognised courses are the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) programme developed in the US by Jon Kabat-Zinn and the Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) programme developed in Oxford by Mark Williams.  The third option is the Mindfulness Now programme which is a combination and updated version of the MBCT and MBSR programmes developed in the Midlands by Nick Cooke.  This course is endorsed by the British Psychological Society and is the course I am qualified to teach.  It can be taught in a group or on a one to one basis, via Zoom.   

For information on the mindfulness and meditation courses please feel free to contact me.