Treating Traumatic Grief with MBCT

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is a Mindfulness and Acceptance third-wave behavioral tradition that recognizes thoughts, feelings, and somatic experiences with acceptance and free of judgment. It is an evidence-based practice that improves symptoms of depression (Huang et al., 2019).

treating traumatic grief with MBCT

MBCT may also be an effective treatment for traumatic grief, which includes depressive symptoms such as rumination, wherein clients “attempt to avoid being engulfed by the catastrophic stories of what these cognitions associated with them.”

Huang et al. (2019; 2021) researched 8-week group MBCT programs with 19-23 bereaved individuals in Taiwan who had lost a significant relationship within 6-months to 4 years utilizing fMRI scans alongside emotional regulation self-report measurements. Pre-treatment fMRI scans of participants from Huang et al. (2019) showed activity in the thalamus, creating heightened emotionality that inhibited cognitive functioning. The fMRI scans coincided with the indications of rumination in the grief self-report measures. Post-treatment fMRI results indicated a clinically significant increase in emotion regulation and executive function in participants (Huang et al., 2019). Pre-treatment fMRI scans of participants from Huang et al. (2021) indicated heightened activity in the brain during a resting state, which manifested as rumination and a distracted mind. Post-treatment fMRI scans of participants showed decreased activity during resting state, indicating decreased rumination, distractibility, anxiety, unregulated emotions, and an increased calm and mindful resting state (Huang et al., 2021).

REFERENCES

Huang, F., Hsu, A., Chao, Y., Shang, C. M., Tsai, J., & Wu, C. W. (2021). Mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy on bereavement grief: Alterations of resting‐state network connectivity associate with changes of anxiety and mindfulness. Human Brain Mapping, 42(2), 510–520. https://doi-org.lib.pepperdine.edu/10.1002/hbm.25240

Huang, F.-Y., Hsu, A.-L., Hsu, L.-M., Tsai, J.-S., Huang, C.-M., Chao, Y.-P., Hwang, T.-J., & Wu, C. W. (2019). Mindfulness improves emotion regulation and executive control on bereaved individuals: An fMRI study. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 12. https://doi-org.lib.pepperdine.edu/10.3389/fnhum.2018.00541

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Emotional regulation

The fMRI also showed continued raised activity during emotionally arousing situations, demonstrating that the brain began activating at appropriate moments of arousal rather than remaining in hyper-arousal (Huang et al., 2021).

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Limitations

Some limitations in the MBCT research by Huang et al. (2019; 2021) are that there were small sample sizes, no waitlist control groups, losses occurred up to 4-years prior, and the relationship to the deceased varied.

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IMPLICATIONs

Despite these limitations, it is promising that grief symptoms and emotional regulation, including rumination and sadness, may significantly reduce within a couple of months utilizing MBCT techniques (Huang et al., 2021).

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Next Step

I am here to support you through you traumatic grief by utilizing mindfulness and cognitive therapy techniques for you to feel calmer and more like yourself again.