Emotion Regulation as a Mechanism of Mindfulness in Individual Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Depression and Anxiety Disorders.
Depression and anxiety January 1, 2024 Luise Pruessner, Christina Timm, Julia Kalmar et al. 22 citations
Mindfulness helps reduce depression and anxiety symptoms by improving how people regulate their emotions. In 162 patients receiving cognitive-behavioral therapy, decreases in rumination and increases in reappraisal and acceptance explained mindfulness's link to fewer depressive symptoms, while reductions in avoidance explained its link to fewer anxiety symptoms. Adding a brief mindfulness exercise at the start of each therapy session did not change these effects. The findings suggest distinct emotional pathways through which mindfulness alleviates depression versus anxiety.