Mindfulness and Depression with Professor Zindel Segal

In this episode of the MindSpace podcast, Dr. Joe speaks with Dr. Zindel Segal. Zindel is a Distinguished Professor of Psychology in Mood Disorders at the University of Toronto. He is best known for co-founding Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), along with his UK colleagues, Mark Williams and John Teasdale.

MBCT is an adaptation of Jon Kabat-Zinn’s eight week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program for people suffering from depression. It combines the tools of cognitive therapy with the practice of mindfulness. The focus is on changing the relationship with one’s thoughts rather than the thoughts themselves. It has proven to be especially effective in preventing the relapse of depressive episodes.

Zindel has made an enormous contribution to the field of clinical psychology. His impact is reflected in an impressive publication record: he is an author of over 100 scientific publications, some in high profile medical journals and some featured in popular news media such as the Wall Street Journal, CNN Health and the New York Times. He is also an author of 10 books, including 2 very well-known ones on MBCT: 1) The Mindful Way Through Depression, which is a guide to using mindfulness to manage mood and 2) Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression, which is the bible for teachers of MBCT.

In this episode, they discuss:
- The story behind the creation and evolution of MBCT
- Zindel’s take on how exactly MBCT and CBT are helpful for managing mood
- The challenges he and is team are facing around the dissemination of MBCT
- The current science of mindfulness and well-being