Manuals

This section contains links to documents that may be helpful for both participants and tutors of the 8 week mindfulness courses, MBCT and MBSR.  The manuals provided here are for use only in these circumstances - the manuals are not intended as stand alone guides for teaching, or participating in mindfulness courses. For copyright reasons we are unable to make the MBCT manual freely available. Participants on locally delivered MBCT courses will be given a password for access to the MBCT manual (via the 'Participants' section of this app).

The authorised version of the MBSR manual is available freely through the University of Massachusetts. Mindfulness Scotland have kindly given us permission to make their 8 week MBSR course book freely available.

We have also provided a link to a 'meditation kit', (available in English, Spanish, Japanese and Persian /Farsi) developed by Tara Brach which answers frequently asked questions about learning to meditate and mindfulness, as well as providing some helpful tips and guidance.

 

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Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy ( MBCT):  This is an 8 week course that combines mindfulness/meditation with cognitive therapy. This was developed by Segal et al 1990, 2002, 2018) and integrates a cognitive framework with core elements of the MBSR programme.  This intervention has a strong evidence base, including randomised controlled trials. It is well evidenced as an effective relapse prevention intervention in depression. MBCT is cited within the depression pathway within The Matrix : A Guide to delivering Evidence -Based Psychological Therapies in Scotland, and is supported by the Scottish Government to be offered as a treatment by the NHS.

To deliver this programme within an NHS setting in Scotland, therapists (teachers) must meet the NES Good Practice Guidelines for delivering mindfulness based approaches.

 

Segal, Z. V., Williams, J. M. G., & Teasdale, J. D. (2013). Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression (2nd ed.). The Guilford Press.   (Can be accessed in NHS libraries 1st and 2nd edition)

 

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Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Authorised Curriculum Guide:

This is the ordinal and authorised curriculum guide for MBSR developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn in 1979. This curriculum has been reviewed and updated since then, most recently by Santorelli et al. in 2017. For some context, and guidance on appropriate use of the Guide, please note the disclaimer below, copied from the preface of the guide:

"The essence of the MBSR program is not easily conveyed by a written document. The teaching of MBSR is less about following a class plan and more about a deep and personal experience of mindfulness and a concomitant knowledge and skill in knowing how best to convey the practice of mindfulness in a highly experiential learning environment. The person of the teacher plays a substantive role in this conveyance.

Training to become a skilled MBSR teacher takes a great deal of energy, resource and commitment involving an investment in a personal meditation practice over many years, including multiple silent meditation retreats, and a deep study and understanding of the roots and pedagogy of the program.

For this reason, we request that unless you are a qualified MBSR teacher who's received the curriculum in a specific MBSR training, this manual be used solely for researchers and those curious about the content of MBSR, and not for teaching purposes.

Thank you for your understanding. If you have further questions, please direct them to cfm.oasis@umassmed.edu  

Umass MBSR Curriculum Guide (2017) (pdf)

https://www.umassmed.edu/cfm/training/mbsr-curriculum/

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Course Handbook: 

This manual was developed locally by the charity Mindfulness Scotland, and is reproduced here with their kind permission. Aside from minor formatting changes it is identical to the manual used for a local NHS Staff Wellbeing project, an 8 week course based on the MBSR curriculum with a few elements drawn from MBCT. The manual is copyrighted to Mindfulness Scotland and should not be reproduced in any format without their permission.

Mindfulness Scotland MBSR Course Handbook (published 2008, revised 2017)

Meditation Kit

Getting started with meditation and mindfulness? 

This free 'meditation kit', * developed by Tara Brach answers frequently asked questions about learning to meditate and mindfulness, as well as providing some helpful tips and guidance. It also has two 10 minute guided practices - a breath meditation and a mindfulness meditation.

* Available in English, Spanish, Japanese and Persian (Farsi)

Resources: Everyday Mindful Living

Everyone's path to happiness is different.  Action for happiness is a movement of people committed to building a happier and more caring society. They want to see 'a fundamentally different way of life - where people care less about what they can get just for themselves and more about the happiness of others.'

Drawing on research, Action for Happiness have identified 10 Keys to Happier Living that consistently tend to make life happier and more fulfilling. 

Updated 23/07/2024 (review date due in 6 months)