Advancing the treatment of long-lasting borderline personality disorder: a feasibility and acceptability study of an expanded DBT-based skills intervention.

BACKGROUND: Long-term follow-up studies in patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) consistently show persistent impairment in psychosocial adjustment, although symptoms tend to decrease over time. Consequently, it might be better to deemphasize symptom-oriented interventions and instead promote interventions that incorporate patient perspectives on recovery. In this study we aimed to examine the feasibility and acceptability of a novel intervention (dialectical behavioral therapy combined with positive psychology and contextual-based skills) in the clinical treatment of long-lasting BPD difficulties. METHODS: This was a qualitative study. We developed an initial 8-week group intervention for long-lasting BPD. Upon completion of the 8-week program, the participants were asked to participate in a group discussion to provide feedback. Based on that feedback, the intervention protocol was modified and then offered to a second group of patients, who also provided feedback. The protocol was revised again and administered to a third group. A total of 32 patients participated in the group interventions; of these, 20 provided feedback in the qualitative study. The main outcome measure was acceptability. RESULTS: The following overarching themes emerged from the group interviews: helpful, unhelpful and neutral practices; internal/external barriers; facilitators; and effects. Participants reported difficulties in imagining an optimal future and self-compassion. By contrast, positive skills were associated with an increase in positive emotions. The main internal barrier was facing difficult emotions. The main external barriers were language-related issues. The group format was perceived as a facilitator to success. Dropout rates, which were assessed as an additional measure of acceptability, decreased substantially in each successive group, from 60 to 40% and finally 20%. CONCLUSIONS: The intervention was feasible to implement in the clinical setting and participants rated the final set of skills highly. Most of the skills were considered useful. Participant feedback was invaluable to improve the intervention, as evidenced by the large increase in the retention rate from 40 to 80%. Randomized clinical trials are needed to test the efficacy of this intervention in promoting well-being in participants with long-lasting BPD.

Wellbeing Training Based on Contemplative Practices in a Sample of Intensive Care and Homecare Professionals: A Pilot and Feasibility Non-Randomized Clinical Trial.

BACKGROUND: Intensive care unit (ICU) and homecare unit professionals are susceptible to higher levels of stress and burnout than other healthcare professionals, which has an impact on their well-being, and in turn on their patients. In terms of data, there is not much research about the effects of psychological interventions on ICU and homecare professionals. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of Wellbeing Training based on Contemplative Practices (WTCP) for the increase of psychological functioning in a sample of ICU and homecare professionals. METHODS: A pilot and feasibility non-randomized clinical trial was conducted. Participants in the WTCP group (n = 19) attended an at-work 8-session/2 h group WTCP program aimed at directly training four basic skills: (a) sustained positive emotions, (b) recovery from negative emotions, (c) pro-social behavior and generosity, and (d) mind wandering, mindfulness, and "affective stickiness". Nineteen professionals were allocated in the control group. RESULTS: Results indicated that WTCP had a positive impact on self-compassion, personal accomplishment (burnout), and frequency of negative emotions. Moreover, a thematic analysis of participant interviews (n = 14) was conducted. CONCLUSIONS: These preliminary results are promising, though future research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of WTCP using randomized controlled trial methodologies.

Meditators' Non-academic Definition of Mindfulness.

Objectives: Mindfulness has been defined differently in academic scientific contexts and in Buddhist academic contexts. An under-studied area is that of lay (non-academic) theories of mindfulness. The goal of this article is to identify, organize, analyze in detail, and provide themes from the meditators' definitions of mindfulness. Possible differences and similarities of the collected definitions of mindfulness with the scientific-academic definitions and with the academic-Buddhist definitions are also checked. Methods: A qualitative and inductive thematic analysis on the definitions of mindfulness offered by the participants was carried out. Results: The sample consisted of 326 meditators who offered a definition of mindfulness through an open question. Seven themes were identified: (1) mindfulness defined as attention/awareness; (2) mindfulness defined as a non-evaluative attitude; (3) mindfulness defined as strategy; (4) mindfulness defined from a theoretical analysis; (5) mindfulness defined as a psycho-affective-spiritual state; (6) mindfulness defined as personal development; and (7) lack of understanding of mindfulness. From these themes, it can be deduced that the definitions collected share more patterns of meaning with the scientific-academic definition of mindfulness than with the academic-Buddhist one. Conclusions: The findings of this study provide new insights into the complexity and heterogeneity of the definition of mindfulness. What has been discovered may indicate the complexity of the mindfulness construct itself. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12671-022-01899-3.

Psicología positiva contemplativa: integrando mindfulness en la psicología positiva / No disponible

A pesar de que mindfulness está integrado en muchos manuales de psicología positiva como una técnica «positiva», apenas se han desarrollado las implicaciones que tiene su uso ni se ha investigado la relación entre mindfulness y bienestar humano. Analizar las principales potencialidades de los dos ámbitos, las posibilidades de integración, así como las posibles contradicciones entre sus mensajes, es fundamental de cara a establecer puentes. Mindfulness es más que una técnica de meditación, lleva implícitos una serie de valores y condicionantes éticos que se adecuan en buena medida con los presupuestos que se proponen desde la psicología positiva, como el desarrollo de la amabilidad, la compasión, y las emociones positivas. El objetivo de este artículo es presentar por un lado aspectos comunes y similitudes, y por otro lado diferencias entre mindfulness y la psicología positiva. También se presentarán los principales estudios que han investigado el papel que tiene mindfulness y las prácticas contemplativas sobre el bienestar humano. Finalmente se discutirá y plantearán futuras líneas de investigación e intervención para acercar ambas propuestas

Although mindfulness is integrated in many positive psychology manuals as a «positive» technique, they have hardly developed the implications of their use or have investigated the relationship between mindfulness and human well-being. Analyze the main strengths of the two fields, the possibilities of integration and possible contradictions between their messages, is essential in order to establish bridges. Mindfulness is a meditation technique, implicit in a set of values and ethical conditions that largely conform to the proposed budgets from positive psychology, such as the development of kindness, compassion, and positive emotions. The aim of this paper is to present the one hand commonalities and similarities, and secondly differences between mindfulness and positive psychology. Major studies that have investigated the role that mindfulness and contemplative practices on human well-being will also be presented. Finally it will be discussed and future research arise and intervention to bring both proposals