Mindfulness Training and Problem Formulation

Abstract

Evidence suggests mindfulness-based clinical interven-tions are effective. Accepting this, we caution against as-suming that mindfulness can be applied as a generic tech-nique across a range of disorders without formulating how the approach addresses the factors maintaining the disorder in question. Six specific issues are raised: mind-fulness has been found to be unhelpful in some contexts; where mindfulness has been found to be effective, in-structors have derived and shared with clients a clear problem formulation; there may be many dimensions of effectiveness underlying the apparent simplicity of mind-fulness; mindfulness was developed within a particular “view ” of emotional suffering that implies wider changes that go beyond meditation practice alone; professionals need to match the different components of mindfulness with the psychopathology being targeted; nonetheless, mindfulness may affect processes common to different pathologies. Key words: mindfulness, meditation, cognitive-behavioral therapy, mindfulness training, problem for-mulation. [Clin Psychol Sci Prac 10: 157–160, 2003] Baer (2003; this issue) provides a very helpful and thoughtful overview of the current status of mindfulness training as a clinical intervention. The literature Baer re-views suggests that the apparently simple procedure of teaching people to pay attention “in a particular way ” has benefits across a wide range of disorders. Further, it seems that, in some situations, these benefits can be obtained when patients are seen in large groups, with mixed diag-noses, and in situations in which it may appear that the training is not tailored to specific formulations of partic-ular conditions but, rather, is offered in much the same