Derived from ancient Buddhist and Yoga practices, mindfulness-based therapy (MBT), which includes mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT; e.g., Segal, Williams, & Teasdale, 2002) and mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR; e.g., Kabat-Zinn, 1982), has become a very popular form of treatment in contemporary psychotherapy (e.g., Baer, 2003; Bishop, 2002; Hayes, 2004; Kabat-Zinn, 1994; Salmon, Lush, Jablonski, & Sephton, 2009). Several of the applications of MBT (such as MBCT) have been designed as relapse prevention strategies rather than to reduce acute symptoms. Other studies have examined MBT as a symptom-focused treatment. The present study is a review of MBT as a therapy to reduce acute symptoms of anxiety and depression.
