The positive approach therapy

Question 1

Mindfulness

Answer 1

• a psychological tool to manage anxiety, stress and chronic pain

Question 2

Aims of mindfulness

Answer 2

• aim of mindfulness therapy is to allow people to be in control of their own mind by paying attention to their present thoughts and emotions
• enhances a persons positive characteristics

Question 3

The main components of mindfulness

Answer 3

• Gaining control of thoughts
  
  • avoid thinking about the past and think about the now which may create feelings of worry, guilt and remorse
• Meditation and mindful breathing
  
  • learnt through guided instruction and personal practice
• informal practices of mindfulness
  
  • can be practiced day to day whilst driving, walking etc
• making the mind focus on one simple task and absorbing your surroundings - focuses mind away from negative thinking

Question 4

How the positive approach applies to mindfulness

Answer 4

• assumption : acknowledgment of free will
  
  • mindfulness enables the individual to choose to exercise control of their feelings
• if this choice is made then a more positive attitude will be developed to feelings and increase our sense of wellbeing

assumption : the authencity of goodness and excellence
- demonstrates that positive human traits are as authentic as negative ones
- engaging in mindfulness indicates that individuals are striving to achieve fulfilment by developing their core strengths

Question 5

Effectiveness of mindfulness

Answer 5

• mindfulness did not prove to be superior to anti depressants
• the relapse rate for both groups over two years was identical as they continued to show symptoms of depression

-alot of the studies are carried out are very small and on those who are not very ill so they would have been at the mild end of spectrum so it doesn’t show its real effectiveness - not as rigorous as it should have been

• some say it has limited usefulness when used as therapy and it might be more useful for mentally healthy people rather than therapy

mindfulness may not get to the root of thoughts but could help an individual cope with them which is helping their suffering however some people may want to get to how the thoughts came about in the first place as thy could keep reoccurring - would not help for PTSD

Question 6

Effectiveness of mindfulness

Answer 6

psychologists found that MBCT reduced the rate of more depressive episode happening over 12 months by 40 to 50%
- was as effective as anti depressants
- due to research supporting this effectiveness of mindfulness the government has recommended MBCT in their guidelines for the management of depression

Question 7

Ethical issues of mindfulness

Answer 7

• seen to be highly ethical as it takes a highly positive attitude towards and individuals wellbeing
• it promotes free will and it empowers people to make changes in their own rules
• allows client to uphold more moral standards and be more rational
• teachers acceptance compared to CBT which can make you feel guilty
• does not require the client to relive the past or place stress onto the client and has no serious side effects
  -cost around £25 an hour but there are also online courses if the client is not comfortable

However - there is the issue of mindfulness being delivered by untrained practitioners -