Abstract:

In the recent years it has been demonstrated that Schema Therapy and Mindfulness show practical and theoretical compatibility. Many authors suggest that integrating mindfulness and mindfulness-based interventions (MBI) within Schema Therapy, ST (Young, 1990) can be beneficial in reducing maladaptive schema endorsement, supporting the development of more adaptive coping strategies as well as self-regulation.

Some interesting studies (Unoka et al., 2021; van Vreeswijk et al., 2019; Shorey et al., 2015; Flink et al., 2017; Thimm, 2017) found a negative relation between EMS, Modes and mindfulness, and discovered that low levels of EMS and Modes are associated to higher level of mindfulness. These results support the hypothesis that the experiential avoidance and the defensive stance linked to EMS and Mode could be improved by an attitude of openness, curiosity, non-judgment of the moment by moment experience referred as characteristic of a mindfulness attitude and a conscious behavior.

So far, there are no studies based on the effect of mindfulness training on schema therapy and we propose the first evidence having offered to 33 subjects the mindfulness-based stress reduction program (MBSR), a standardized and evidence-based training on mindfulness developed in 1979 by Jon Kabat Zinn, and measured its effects on EMSs and Modes. Results suggest interesting improvement in pre-post test, confirming the beneficial integration between the two approaches.

About the Presenter:

Raffaella Pagnanini

I'm a schema therapist and cognitive behavioral therapist in Italy licensed in 2012. In addiction I'm a MBSR teacher qualified and certified at University of California San Diego and I collaborate with Sapienza University of Rome in research about Mindfulness in clinical and non-clinical fields. I'm also licensed in II level EMDR therapy. I'm interested in studying the integration between schema therapy, emdr, mindfulness and self-compassion approaches in individual and group settings.