Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Training Core Mindfulness: Its Impact on Everyday Mindfulness, Goal-Directed, and Ineffective Behaviors

Abstract

Individuals diagnosed with certain mental illnesses often engage in automatic thought patterns, which makes them more likely to behave in ineffective and harmful ways. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), with its emphasis on mindfulness, aims to help individuals break automatic thought patterns in order to engage in more goal directed behaviors. Previous studies have explored the effectives of the DBT program in its entirety however; only preliminary results have been published on the impact of mindfulness as it is taught through DBT. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of core mindfulness as it is taught through a DBT skills training group on goal directed and ineffective behaviors. The study will be detailed through describing the participants, materials, and the procedure. Results were measured through pre, mid-way, and post-test administration of the Mindfulness Awareness Attention Survey (MAAS). The results indicate that for some participants, levels of mindfulness did increase after participating in the core mindfulness module of DBT skills training. Lastly, findings, implications, limitations, and recommendations for future research are explored.