Table 1 Overview of MBCT sessions
Theme of session | Mindfulness exercises | Didactic teaching | Homework assignments |
|---|---|---|---|
1. Automatic pilot | • Raisin exercise • Body scan • Three-minute breathing space | • Bipolar disorder • Rationale for mindfulness | • Body scan • Mindful eating • Mindful routine activity • Three-minute breathing space |
2. Dealing with barriers | • Awareness of surroundings • Body scan • Sitting meditation – focus on breath • Three-minute breathing space | • Relationship between thoughts and feelings | • Body scan • Three-minute breathing space • Mindful routine activity • Pleasant events calendar |
3. Mindfulness of the breath | • Sitting meditation – focus on breath and body • Three-minute breathing space • Floor yoga | • Awareness of pleasant events • Automatic positive thoughts (mania) • Recognition and managing core symptoms of mania | • Sitting meditation • Floor yoga • Mindful routine activity • Unpleasant events calendar • Three-minute breathing space |
4. Staying present | • Sitting meditation – focus on breath, body, sounds, and thoughts • Three-minute breathing space • Mindful walking | • Awareness of unpleasant events • Automatic negative thoughts • Recognition and managing core symptoms of depression | • Sitting meditation/ mindful walking/ floor yoga/ body scan • Three-minute breathing space (regular) • Three-minute breathing space (coping) • Stressful events calendar |
5. Allowing and letting be | • Sitting meditation –focus on breath, body, sounds, and thoughts • Standing yoga • Three-minute breathing space | • Acceptance • Stress • Helping and non-helping thoughts | • Sitting meditation • Standing yoga • Three-minute breathing space (coping) • Communication events calendar |
6. Mindful communication (partner session) | • Standing yoga • Three-minute breathing space | • Mindfulness and bipolar disorder • Communication – listening and speaking | • Sitting meditation/ mindful walking/ floor yoga/ body scan • Three-minute breathing space • Creating crisis intervention action plan |
Silent day - 6 hours | |||
7. Taking care of yourself | • Sitting meditation – focus on breath, body, sounds, thoughts, emotions, and choiceless awareness | • Recognizing symptoms of relapse • Keeping in balance • Relapse prevention plan | • Sitting meditation/ mindful walking/ floor yoga/ body scan • Three-minute breathing space • Adjusting relapse prevention plan Self-evaluation |
8. The rest of your life | • Three-minute breathing space • Body scan • Three-minute breathing space | • Preventing relapse • Maintaining practice • Reflection |  |