Journey 2 · Awareness
Seeing a Thought as Just a Thought
In people who had been depressed, those less able to see thoughts as passing events were likelier to relapse, and a mindfulness program grew that ability.
Teasdale and colleagues measured how readily people who had been depressed could see a negative thought as an event in the mind rather than as who they are, a stance called decentering. Among those still partly depressed, people who found it harder were likelier to relapse. A mindfulness-based program, MBCT, increased it. The researchers suggest the program may help by changing people’s relationship to negative thoughts, not their belief in them.
A later analysis by Kuyken and colleagues pooled nine trials of people with recurrent depression: compared with not taking the program, taking it lowered the risk of relapse over 60 weeks. Journey 2 is coaching and self-reflection, not a program for depression, and some thoughts do still need answering. If you’re having a hard time, in the US, call or text 988, any hour.
Lemeki’s journey is built on this: the thoughts don’t have to stop; your relationship to them can change. When a harsh thought shows up, you notice it as an event passing through rather than the truth about you. Which thought could you simply notice today, before deciding whether it needs an answer?
The research
Strong evidence Replicated findings and meta-analyses.
- Teasdale, J. D., Moore, R. G., Hayhurst, H., Pope, M., Williams, S., & Segal, Z. V. (2002). Metacognitive awareness and prevention of relapse in depression: Empirical evidence. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 70(2), 275–287.
- Kuyken, W., Warren, F. C., Taylor, R. S., et al. (2016). Efficacy of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in prevention of depressive relapse: An individual patient data meta-analysis from randomized trials. JAMA Psychiatry, 73(6), 565–574.
A free account for life, with All-Access free for your first 30 days. No card.
Join free
