If you are depressed you are living in the past. If you are anxious you are living in the future. If you are at peace you are living in the present.
– Lao Tzu
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) specifically helps those who are stuck in cycles of unhelpful thinking or patterns of unhelpful behavior. It seeks to teach, encourage, and cultivate mindfulness-based practices that help the individual to understand and transform old or unhelpful mindsets into new and helpful positive realities.
Who can benefit from MBCT
Practicing mindfulness helps you to:
- Discover your triggers as well as the situations and environments that cause your thoughts or mood to spiral out of control
- Identify the unhealthy standards you hold yourself to, as well as the unreasonable demands that you put on your life
- See the ways in which you might be losing touch with what brings you joy in life
Neuropsychological research has found evidence that mindfulness and meditation actually changes the brain to help people see with new and better clarity. Imagine what would happen if you could learn to approach each moment skilfully, taking more pleasure in the good things that often go unnoticed or unappreciated, or dealing more effectively with the difficulties you encounter.
Everyone can benefit from mindfulness. Practicing mindfulness helps us to develop greater awareness which in turn facilitates the ability to respond positively to otherwise negative situations and experiences. In short, it helps us let go of the past and future so we may live fully, happily in the present.