TEXT 1

Relationships Among Introduction

Emotional--Schemas,,
Emotional
 Mindfulness,
Mi df l psychological
h l i l flflexibility,
ibili andd emotional
i l
Psychological Flexibility, schemas have each been related to emotional experiencing
Dispositional Mindfulness,
Mindfulness & and responding, as well as to the alleviation of human
suffering (Corrigan, 2004; Hayes, Wilson, Gifford, Follette, and Strosahl, 1996; Martin,
Emotion Regulation in Adult 1997; Fulton and Seigel, 2005).

C
Cognitive-
Cognitive
iti -Behavioral
B h i l Therapy
Th  Mindfulness, acceptance and emotional schemas have each
Outpatients been associated with challenging experiential avoidance
and
d contributing
t ib ti to
t emotion
ti regulation.
l ti
Laura R. Silberstein PsyD,  This study focuses on the relationships between
Dennis
D i D.
D Tirch
Ti h PhD & Robert
R b tL L. L
Leahy
h PhD emotional schemas, psychological flexibility and
dispositional mindfulness.
American Institute for Cognitive
g Therapy
py

A
B

Mindfulness Psychological Flexibility

 The
Th meta-experiential
i i l concept off mindfulness
i df l refers
f to a mode
d off  Psychological
P h l i l fl ibili has
flexibility h been
b defined
d fi d as the
h ability
bili to
perception or awareness of the present moment in a fully encounter an experience without gratuitous defense
nonjudgmental and accepting manner (Kabat-Zinn, 1990). and, depending upon the context, continuing or changing
behavior in the pursuit of goals and values (Hayes et al., 2006).
 Dispositional mindfulness is an innate characteristic reflecting an
individuals’ natural occurringg ability y to inhabit this intentional
 The term psychological flexibility has been used as a
stance of awareness (Brown and Ryan, 2003).
general factor to provide a more specific description of the
 Mindfulness offers a perceptual
perceptual, rather than cognitive or affective core processes involved in experiential avoidance and
presentation of the current moment as it is. experiential acceptance (Hayes et al., 2006).

 Dispositional mindfulness has been associated with an increased  Experiential avoidance and acceptance are subsumed by
capacity to let go of negative thoughts and is viewed as a core psychological flexibility, although they are still useful ways
process in psychological flexibility (Frewen, Evans, Maraj, Dozois, and Partridge, to describe aspects of this construct (Bond, et al., In press).
2008; Hayes
Hayes, Strosahl and Wilson,
Wilson 1999).
1999)

1
C D
 Psychological Flexibility Psychological Flexibility
 Experiential
E i ti l acceptance
t is the practice
i th ti off jjustt lletting
tti things
thi  Experiential avoidance results when an individual is unwilling to
be and experiencing them as they are. It involves being remain in contact with a particular experience and attempts to
alter the form or frequency of these experiences (Hayes, Wilson, Gifford,
open to an experience and willing to remain in contact with Follette, and Strosahl, 1996).
it, even if the experience is unpleasant (Campbell-Sills, Barlow, Brown,
and Hofman, 2006).  Avoidance can be considered a broad category or class of
behaviors that attempt to escape, avoid or modify a particular
 Acceptance
A t can be
b described
d ib d as second-order
d d change
h or internal or external stimulus (Chapman,
(Chapman Gratz,
Gratz and Brown,
Brown 2006).
2006)

meta-change and is often viewed as preceding behavior or

 Individuals who engage in experiential avoidance often engage in
thought changes (Germer, 2005; Hayes, 2001). more control tactics and verbal strategies to regulate their
emotions (Campbell-Sills, Barlow, Brown, and Hofman, 2006; Cochrane, Barnes-Holmes,
 The focus is on changing the influence of the thoughts and Stewart, and Luciano, 2007).

emotions byy shiftingg one’s response

p to them and not trying
y g
 The negative effects of experiential avoidance result from the
to change or struggle with the thoughts or feelings ineffective and often paradoxical process of attempts to avoid or
themselves (Bishop et al., 2004). alter private events (Wenzlaff and Wegner, 2000).

E
F

Emotional Schemas Emotional Schemas

 Emotional
E i l schemas
h are defined
d fi d as plans,
l concepts, and
d  Individuals vary in their perception of emotions as
strategies that an individual utilizes in the event of a certain temporary, universal, comprehensible, complex experiences that
can be subject to acceptance, validation, and expression (Leahy
emotion (Leahy 2002). 2007).
)

 Similarly, emotion schemas have also been described as  Emotional schema dimensions range from flexible and
adaptive
p to more rigid
g and maladaptive.
p
causal or mediating processes that involve the continual
dynamic interaction of emotion, cognition and behavior  This model of emotional schemas contends that those who
(Izard, 2009).
endorse maladaptive emotional schemas are more likely to
resist
i certain
i emotions
i and
d engage in
i avoidant
id strategies
i
 Emotional schemas can be considered complex emotion- (Leahy 2002).
cognition-action systems that, after a period of social and
emotional development, inform emotional processing and  Also
Al emphasizes
h i the
h positive
i i implications
i li i in
i overcoming
i
avoidance, increasing emotional processing, and the role of
emotion regulation strategies (Izard, 2009; Leahy, 2002). cognition in emotional experiencing (Leahy 2007).

G H 2
 Present Study Rationale Current Study
 The
Th currentt study
t d aims
i tto explore
l the relationships
th l ti hi b between
t  The
Th current research
h iis a cross sectional,
i l observational
b i l
emotional schemas, psychological flexibility and study of current patients at the American Institute for
dispositional
p mindfulness. Cognitive Therapy.

 This research also examines the relative contribution of
mindful awareness and emotional schemas to
psychological flexibility.
 The roles of dispositional mindfulness and those emotional
schemas which represent emotion regulation strategies will
be explored in terms of their relationship with psychological
flexibility.
 202 patients volunteered to complete three brief measures
assessing dispositional mindfulness,
mindfulness psychological
flexibility, and emotional schemas. The responses are
largely from intake assessments, typically collected at the
b i i off therapy.
beginning h
 The cognitive-behavioral therapy offered at this institute
primarily was non-manualized and included elements of
Beckian Cognitive Therapy and integrated with elements of
ACT DBT,
ACT, DBT and Buddhist Psychology.
Psychology

I J