Mindfulness training and problem formulation

Evidence suggests mindfulness-based clinical interventions are effective. Accepting this, we caution against assuming that mindfulness can be applied as a generic technique across a range of disorders without formulating how the approach addresses the factors maintaining the disorder in question. Six specific issues are raised: mindfulness has been found to be unhelpful in some contexts; where mindfulness has been found to be effective, instructors have derived and shared with clients a clear problem formulation; there may be many dimensions of effectiveness underlying the apparent simplicity of mindfulness; mindfulness was developed within a particular "view" of emotional suffering that implies wider changes that go beyond meditation practice alone; professionals need to match the different components of mindfulness with the psychopathology being targeted; nonetheless, mindfulness may affect processes common to different pathologies.