Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is a structured psychological intervention developed by Dr. Zindel Segal, Dr. Mark Williams, and Dr. John Teasdale. It combines the techniques of Cognitive Behavior Therapy with mindfulness practices — creating a distinct clinical approach with a specific and well-evidenced therapeutic purpose.
MBCT was originally developed as a relapse prevention intervention for recurrent major depression and is now recommended by multiple international clinical guidelines as a first-line approach for patients who have experienced three or more episodes of major depression.
The central insight behind MBCT is that depressive relapse is not typically triggered by the return of difficult life circumstances — it is triggered by the return of negative thinking patterns that, in vulnerable individuals, can escalate rapidly into a full depressive episode. After recovery, even mild low mood can reactivate the full pattern of depressive thinking — a process called cognitive reactivity.
MBCT breaks this cycle not by changing the content of thoughts, but by changing the patient's relationship to them. Through sustained mindfulness practice, patients learn to recognise the early warning signs of depressive thinking and to respond with awareness and equanimity rather than automatic reactivity.
MBCT has the strongest evidence base for the prevention of depressive relapse in recurrent major depression — reducing relapse rates by approximately 40 to 50 percent in patients with three or more previous episodes.
Beyond relapse prevention, MBCT is also used for current depression — particularly chronic or residual depressive symptoms; generalised anxiety disorder and other anxiety conditions; stress-related disorders and burnout; PTSD as a component of a broader treatment plan; and eating disorders where mindful awareness of eating behaviour and emotional triggers is therapeutically relevant.
MBCT is delivered as a structured programme, typically over eight weekly sessions. Each session combines formal mindfulness practices — body scan, mindful breathing, mindful movement — with cognitive therapy elements: psychoeducation about depression and anxiety, work on automatic negative thoughts, and action plans for managing early warning signs.
Between sessions, participants engage in daily home practice — typically 45 minutes per day. This daily practice is the engine of change that MBCT produces: the therapeutic process is not limited to the sessions themselves.
The body scan and mindful movement practices play a particular role in reconnecting patients with bodily experience — important in depression, where disconnection from the body is often pronounced, and in anxiety, where bodily sensations are frequently misinterpreted as threatening.
MBCT is conducted directly in English, Russian and Hebrew — without an interpreter. Mindfulness instruction and cognitive work both depend on precise, nuanced communication — including the ability to explore the patient's direct experience in real time.
MBCT is delivered within an integrated clinical framework. For patients also receiving pharmacotherapy, the MBCT therapist and treating psychiatrist work in close coordination. MBCT and antidepressant medication are compatible and complementary — research suggests that patients combining both have better long-term outcomes than those using either alone.
MBCT may be combined with ACT — both share a mindfulness foundation and focus on acceptance — or offered as a component of broader psychiatric management for recurrent or chronic conditions.
All MBCT at IsraClinic is delivered within the framework of the Psychoergonomic Method — ensuring the intervention is placed within a comprehensive understanding of this specific patient's clinical history, needs, and goals.
MBCT is most clearly indicated for patients who have experienced three or more episodes of major depression and are currently in remission — as a relapse prevention intervention. It is also indicated for chronic or residual depressive symptoms, anxiety conditions with significant rumination or worry, and presentations where building mindfulness-based emotional regulation capacity is a clinical goal.
MBCT requires sufficient stability to engage with daily practice. The treating team will assess readiness and timing.
IsraClinic accepts patients for in-person consultation in Tel Aviv and online, in English, Russian and Hebrew. No referral is required.
Clinical Programme Curator: Valery Kravitz | IsraClinic | Last reviewed: 2026
MBCT teaches you to relate to difficult thoughts differently — not to eliminate them, but to stop being controlled by them. Our team is available in English, Russian and Hebrew.