Therapy, explained
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT)
TherapiesEpisode 87 minDecember 21, 2025

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT)

Low mood is not the problem. The rumination that piles on top of it is. Noticing the thought as a thought interrupts the pile-on.

mindfulnessruminationdepression

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About this episode

When your mood drifts, what thinking patterns follow in your mind? In this episode, let's delve into Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), which helps you notice thoughts without getting stuck into them, and return yourself back to the calm status!

Key takeaways

  1. 1

    Doing mode tries to fix feelings; being mode lets them pass.

  2. 2

    The three-minute breathing space: notice, gather on the breath, expand to the body.

  3. 3

    Relapse often starts with "here it comes again." Catching that sentence early matters.

Try this tonight

Set a timer for three minutes. One minute noticing what is here, one on the breath, one widening to the whole body.

Journal prompt

“What is the first thought that shows up when my mood dips, and what would it be like to just notice it?”

Write about it

Framework from this episode

Attention3 min

The three-minute breathing space

An hourglass for the mind: wide, narrow, wide.

Use it when

Rumination is starting, or you need to reset between tasks.

  1. 1Minute one, awareness: what thoughts, feelings, and sensations are here? Just note them.
  2. 2Minute two, gathering: narrow attention to the breath at the belly.
  3. 3Minute three, expanding: widen to the whole body, then the room.
  4. 4Carry that wider awareness into the next thing you do.
Ep 8: Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT)Dr. Min Chen

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Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)

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Group therapy