A Feasibility Study of an Emotion-Focused Mindfulness Group

University of Toronto Practice Based Research Network

Status

Completed

Conditions

Depression

Anxiety

Treatments

Behavioral: Emotion-focused mindfulness group

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

Identifiers

NCT02987582

EFM 1

Details and patient eligibility

About

Living with symptoms of mental illness is associated with psychosocial impairment as it can affect someone's ability to work, their relationships and level of functioning. This also has high economic costs on a societal level. It has been shown that an increase in self-compassion may result in a secondary benefit of reducing psychological distress, which could offer substantial benefits. There is little empirical data on Emotion Focused Mindfulness (EFM) interventions for the population we are studying. This study aims to address this gap in the literature and practice, thus advancing the field.

Full description

Study Design

The proposed study is a non-controlled, open-label, repeated measures intervention study. It is a two year feasibility study.

Procedure:

Recruitment

Participants will be recruited through the Mount Sinai Academic Family Health Team. Patients who experience symptoms of depression and/or anxiety, may be referred by any member of the family health team, self-referrals through the family health team will also be accepted. Patients will be screened for eligibility for the EFM Group by the group facilitators. Patients may participate in the EFM group and refuse to participate in the research study.

When patients agree to participate in the group intervention, patients will then be asked about interest in participating in this research. Group facilitators will provide details about the study. Interested patients are given the consent form to review. The group facilitator leaves the room and the research associate will then come into the room to obtain written consent.

Intervention

The group will run for 8-weeks. Each group session is 2 and a half hours. Half way through the intervention there will be a 5 hour retreat on the weekend. A typical group format includes 20-40 minutes of meditation, followed by 10 minutes of independent journaling. Then group members will have time to report on recollections from meditation and facilitators will provide feedback. There is a break and the second part of the group focuses on a didactic teaching topic. Topics change each week. EFM groups will run between September 2016 and June 2018.

Enrollment

30 patients

Sex

All

Ages

18+ years old

Volunteers

No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

Must be patient of Mount Sinai Academic Family Health Team

Adults over the age of 18 years
Symptoms of depression and anxiety as identified by the patient and/or family physician
Sufficient English language skills to participate in the group (based on assessment of group facilitators)
Committed and willing to engage in the group work, such as listening to others, speaking in front of others (based on assessment of group facilitators)

Exclusion Criteria: (each based on assessment by group facilitators)

Active suicidality
Severe depression
Possible alcohol abuse
High tendency to dissociate
Personality style that may disrupt group formation processes, participation in interpersonal group processes, and/or developing a meditation practice