Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Chronic Pain

This unique new guide integrates recent advances in the biopsychosocial understanding of chronic pain with state-of-the-art cognitive therapy and mindfulness techniques to offer a fresh, highly-effective MBCT approach to helping individuals manage chronic pain.

• There is intense interest from clinicians, researchers and patients alike in mindfulness-based therapeutic techniques, and the integration of mindfulness theory and practice with CBT
• Provides everything a therapist needs to integrate MBCT into their practice and optimize its delivery, including a manualized 8-session program and guidance on how to teach MBCT skills
• Features case studies and real-world examples that help practitioners to avoid common pitfalls and optimize the delivery of MBCT for chronic pain for their own individual clients
• Features links to guided meditations, client and therapist handouts and other powerful tools

Foreword ix

Acknowledgments xi

About the Companion Website xiii

Introduction 1

Part I Chronic Pain 5

1 Defining Chronic Pain and its Territory 7

2 Psychosocial Chronic Pain Management: Current State of the Theory and Evidence 39

3 The Development of MBCT for Chronic Pain 63

Part II MBCT for Chronic Pain 87

4 Overview of the Eight‐Session Treatment 89

5 Session 1: Stepping Out of Automatic Pain Habits 115

6 Session 2: Facing the Challenge 137

7 Session 3: The Breath as an Anchor 155

8 Session 4: Learning to Stay Present 167

9 Session 5: Active Acceptance 183

10 Session 6: Seeing Thoughts as Just Thoughts 197

11 Session 7: Taking Care of Myself 211

12 Session 8: Harnessing the Power of the Mind for Chronic Pain Management 223

13 Integrating MBCT for Chronic Pain with Existing Treatments 235

Conclusion 249

Index 259

Melissa A. Day, PhD, is a NHMRC Research Fellow at the University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. Dr. Day completed her MA (Clin) and PhD in clinical health psychology, with a research focus on pain. Currently her research focuses on optimizing mindfulness-based and cognitive-behavioural interventions for chronic pain.

A proven approach to integrating mindfulness with CBT to manage chronic pain

In this unique guide, Dr. Melissa Day seamlessly integrates recent advances in the biopsychosocial understanding of chronic pain with state-of-the-art cognitive therapy and mindfulness techniques to offer a fresh and highly effective Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) approach to helping patients manage chronic pain. While much available information in this area can be theoretical or speculative in nature, this manual provides everything a therapist needs to integrate MBCT into a practice and optimize its delivery. Readers get detailed, step-by-step guidance on how to teach patients MBCT skills, a complete, eight-session MBCT program structure, illustrated patient and therapist handouts, guided meditation audios, and other powerful tools.

• There is high interest in mindfulness worldwide, and the demand for effective approaches to managing chronic health conditions has never been greater
• Teaches practitioners how to deliver MBCT for chronic pain management in practice; includes real-world examples to help avoid common pitfalls and optimize delivery
• Provides a complete, manualized session structure, combining established mindfulness theory and practices with traditional cognitive-behavioural therapy approaches
• Features links to guided meditation audios, downloadable client and therapist handouts, and other powerful clinical tools