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Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, Vol. 23, No. 4, Winter 2005 ( 2006)DOI: 10.1007/s10942-005-0018-6Published Online: March 7, 2006DETACHED MINDFULNESS IN COGNITIVE
THERAPY: A METACOGNITIVE ANALYSIS ANDTEN TECHNIQUESAdrian WellsThe University of Manchester, UKABSTRACT: This paper describes the nature and information processing
requirements of detached mindfulness. The construct emerged from the selfregulatory information processing theory of emotional disorder (Wells &
Matthews, 1994), and is viewed as a metacognitive state that facilitates
change in core underlying pathological processes. Detached mindfulness has
multiple components, requiring the activation of metacognitive knowledge,
metacognitive monitoring and control, suspension of conceptual processing,
attentional flexibility, and a de-centered relationship with thoughts. A model
of the cognitive structures and processes supporting the state is presented.
Implications of the model for the scientific development and effective use of
mindfulness techniques are discussed. Ten techniques for rapidly achieving
detached mindfulness in the course of metacognitive therapy are described.KEY WORDS: Metacognition; Cognitive therapy; mindfulness; information
processing; techniques.Mindfulness is a concept that has a variety of meanings and
contexts in psychology. It can be equated with effortful attentional
processing and is seen as the opposite of mindlessness, a state of
automatic processing (Shiffrin & Schneider, 1977). It is identified
with metacognitive monitoring of thinking and the application of different learning styles (Salomon & Globerson, 1987). In psychotherapy
research mindfulness has been conceptualised as an enhanced state
of self-awareness thought to promote well-being (Brown & Ryan,
2003). It has been proposed that it is a common factor found in allAddress correspondence to Professor Adrian Wells, Academic Division of Clinical Psychology, The
University of Manchester, Rawnsley Building, Manchester Royal Infirmary, Oxford Road,
Manchester M13 9WL, UK; e-mail: [email protected] 2006 Springer Science+Business Media, Inc.338 Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapymodes of psychotherapy, as a state of psychological freedom occurring
when attention remains quiet and limber, without attachment to any
point of view (Martin, 2002).There have been different pathways leading to clinical implementations of mindfulness. One has emerged primarily from adopting Buddhist meditation practices, and is exemplified by mindfulness based
relapse prevention in cognitive therapy (Teasdale et al., 2000).
Another has emerged from an information processing theory of psychological disorder in which a specific type of mindfulness is viewed as
a useful state in developing adaptive metacognitive monitoring and
control over pathogenic...