MiCBT

Mindfulness-Integrated Cognitive Behaviour Therapy

Dr. Bruno Cayoun, Director of the MiCBT Institute, developed Mindfulness-Integrated Cognitive Therapy. MiCBT integrates Eastern mindfulness with the principles of evidence-based Cognitive Behavior Therapy, CBT. This experienced-based, life-changing program has helped thousands of people to establish inner peace, mental well-being, and fulfillment. It’s a step-by-step experiential approach in mental health care that facilitates rapid change for individuals. Across countries, cultures, most ages (from about age 7), even those with severe and chronic mental health issues. 

Many leading authorities in the field of psychology and mindfulness endorse MiCBT. Professor Mark Williams, PhD., author of MBCT for Depression, states the evidence shows that it helps individuals with some of the most severe emotional and physical difficulties. It also works to enhance well-being. Dr. Christopher Germer, PhD., author of The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion, sees MiCBT as a masterful therapy integration of clinical science and mindfulness meditation training. 

This 10-12 week course utilizes evidence-based techniques derived from mindfulness training in the Burmese Vipassana tradition of Ledi Sayadaw, U Ba Khin, Goenka, and CBT to address a broad range of clinical issues. It addresses both crisis and chronic conditions, emotional disorders and helps to reduce relapse. 

Summary

There has been exponential growth in mindfulness research over the last two decades. The success stories from patients attest to the efficacy of MiCBT. So whether you have personal distress or relationship difficulties, this program is a treasure. It is grounded in the wisdom that’s lasted 2500 years. 

Dr. Cayoun reminds us that we are all unknowingly led by our suffering yet avoid it instead of learning from it. Avoiding discomfort is an automatic reaction to our unwanted sensations, which causes and reinforces more suffering. MiCBT helps us understand and alleviate our suffering mechanisms and replaces unawareness with insight to change our habitual patterns. This program teaches about the experience of thinking and how to regulate the thinking process. We also learn about feeling and how to regulate emotions, and about acting, and how to regulate behavior. This applied practice in daily life serves to reduce suffering and increases personal growth and well-being. 

The MiCBT model is a 4-stage process; Stage 1: Personal Stage: We learn mindfulness meditation training to decrease emotional reactivity and promote acceptance and awareness. Stage 2: Exposure Stage: Exposure Stage: We develop a skill set to deal with the avoidance of uncomfortable emotions. We benefit from the practice of equanimity. Stage 3: Interpersonal Stage: Experiential ownership is a skill that helps us to see the suffering in ourselves and others and still be assertive about communicating our needs. Our relationships benefit from non-reactive communication. Stage 4: Empathetic Stage: We increase awareness of ethical commitment and boundaries to ethics: compassion for ourselves and others, maintaining the gains we’ve made in the ten weeks, and preventing relapse. 

MiCBT is available to individuals, couples, and groups. This beautiful 10-week journey will require effort and commitment. It includes listening and practicing along with the mp3, reading the handbook over 10-weeks, writing your experiences and, applying a formal practice of meditation daily.