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COGNITIVE MINDFULNESS
WORKBOOK
AWARENESS, ACCEPTANCE AND ACTION IN
PSYCHOTHERAPY
Tom Gibbons, MSW
Transitions
79 Front Street
Hamilton HM 12
Bermuda
© Tom Gibbons
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
AWARENESS
CHAPTER ONE – OUR THOUGHTS AND OUR MOODS
CHAPTER TWO – CORE BELIEFS
CHAPTER THREE – MINDFULNESS AND MEDITATION
ACCEPTANCE
CHAPTER FOUR - COGNITIVE DISTANCING AND DEFUSION
CHAPTER FIVE – COMPASSION AND FORGIVENESS
ACTION
CHAPTER SIX – CONTROL AND EXPERIENTIAL AVOIDANCE
CHAPTER SEVEN – VALUES AND TAKING ACTION
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER: MINDFUL ENGAGEMENT
REFERENCES
RESOURCES
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INTRODUCTION
“Freedom is what you do with what has been done to you”
Jean-Paul Sartre
This workbook focuses on a very interesting and unexpected phenomenon: how the most
scientifically validated psychotherapy currently available in the Western world - the various
techniques and theories arising out of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) - seems to have naturally
converged with and to complement certain other theories and practices that have been practiced in
the East for thousands of years, notably mindfulness and meditation.
These Eastern ideas and practices share a general approach and orientation with the scientifically
based CBT. Both accept the primacy of experimentation as our guide going forward, to what works
and what doesn’t, and both teach the need for ongoing awareness of important aspects of our
experience (mindfulness). The fact that some of these ideas may historically have been derived from
Eastern religious traditions such as Buddhism does not mean that any kind of religious faith is
required, any more than faith is required for CBT to work. Both approaches are based rigorously in
the scientific method of empirical testing and result.
So please do not take anything I say in this workbook on faith. Take what works and discard what
doesn’t. What is important here is finding what works for you, based on the results you see. There
are a number of different ideas presented and I don’t suggest hurrying through them all at once.
Instead, try a particular technique and approach over a period of time; give it a good chance to
succeed. I am sharing what I know to have considerable evidence of clinical efficacy and what I have
seen help both my clients in my psychotherapy practice, as well as what I have seen work for myself,
my colleagues and friends in the various meditation and therapy groups I have been privileged to be
part of over the years. It is not possible (or desirable) in a short workbook like this to go into more
depth in each of the areas covered, my purpose is more by way of an introduction; however, I hope
this workbook can act at the least as an introduction and hopefully inspire further reading and
investigation. A good place to start is with the reference books listed at the end.
……………………………………………
The workbook is divided up into three sections, awareness, acceptance and action. These broad ideas
are an attempt to simplify some of the main ideas in CBT. There are in fact a number of different
schools that fall under the CBT umbrella, such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive
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Therapy and Behavioral Activation, all of which are represented in this book. Though they have
enough in common to belong to CBT, they may also emphasize different aspects of our human
functioning, such as focusing primarily on inner thoughts and beliefs as against external observable
behaviours or vice versa, or even having apparently different goals, such as learning to restructure
our thoughts and beliefs, versus learning to leave them alone and not be so bothered by them so
much. There is even a bit of existential and humanistic therapy reflected in the chapter on choice and
values.
I am not taking a position here for against any of these schools, and I don’t think it is helpful to get
side-tracked from the practical business of therapy by largely theoretical questions, which may lead
to confusion. What I have found is that some techniques and approaches work better than others for
some clients, or some kinds of disorders, and at certain stages in the therapeutic process. Cognitive
therapy is particularly good for panic disorder and Behavioral Activation for depression, for example,
and if you are having trouble with alcohol, AA is a good place to start. My hope is to present a
number of such approaches in the spirit of, as I said above, finding what works best for each
individual, as every person is unique and they are ultimately the best judge of effectiveness.
…………………………………………………..
Indeed, I’d like to encourage you to consider whatever difficulty it is that brought you to reading this
now, whether it is new for you or seems to have been around forever, I want you to consider the
possibility that it may also be an opportunity. At some point you may even be able to say to yourself
that you are thankful for the problem(s), because without them you would not have been able to
begin learning some new skills for coping a bit better in life and living it more fully, as well as gaining
a greater degree of self knowledge.
After all, we don’t tend to worry about what’s important in life until things go a bit wrong, no? Time
and again in my practice clients have expressed the view that their difficulties have been a blessing,
forcing them to do some work and learn something about themselves, and to grow in a way that
certainly would not have happened if everything had continued to go along smoothly.
Tom Gibbons
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER
Nothing in this workbook is intended to be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or
disorder, nor should it be used as a substitute for your own independent health professional's
advice. Always consult a suitably qualified professional on any specific mental health or medical
problem you may have.
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AWARENESS
“We are what we think.”
The Dhammapada (India, c. 480 BC)
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