Many mindfulness-based interventions include two principal components, both monitoring present moment experience and cultivating an attitude of acceptance and equanimity. In this study, the investigators evaluated the effects of a program that included both components (standard MBSR) with a program that just focused on monitoring attention without cultivating acceptance or non-judging. They randomly assigned participants to either a standard 8 week MBSR program, to an 8 week program that just taught monitoring and attention skills without addressing acceptance, or to a group that received no training. They found that the standard MBSR program resulted in a greater reduction in stress ratings and experiencing feelings of stress in daily life, as well as an increase in non judgment, compared to the other two groups. They concluded that acceptance skills training appeared to be a necessary active ingredient for optimizing stress reduction.
Chin B, et al. Health Psychology 2019;38:759-768 Psychological mechanisms driving stress resilience in mindfulness training
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