Assessing Mindfulness and Acceptance Processes in Clients

"Informed by the maxim that you can’t study what you can’t see, Baer’s book provides the necessary psychometric underpinning to further our understanding of core change processes in mindfulness-based interventions."

—Zindel V. Segal, Ph.D., Cameron Wilson Chair in Depression Studies at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and author of The Mindful Way Through Depression

"Mindfulness meditation has become a leading clinical intervention for clients with multiple problems, ranging from pain and physical discomfort (mindfulness-based stress reduction) to mental health problems such as depression (mindfulness-based cognitive therapy). Although mindfulness training has been shown to be effective in various clinical outcome studies, questions have been raised about the mechanisms of change that help explain these successful results. This new book, edited by Ruth Baer, provides a variety of perspectives on potential mechanisms of change, including decentering, psychological flexibility, values processes, emotion regulation, self-compassion, and spiritual engagement. I highly recommend this book as a cutting-edge approach to understanding mindfulness and acceptance processes in clients."

—G. Alan Marlatt, Ph.D., professor of psychology at the University of Washington and director of the Addictive Behaviors Research Center

"Ruth Baer has consistently been at the forefront of careful study of the efficacy of mindfulness-based treatments. In this edited volume, she provides readers with a thoughtful review of a crucial area of study: potential mechanisms that may underlie the efficacy of mindfulness and acceptance-based psychotherapies. Each chapter provides a conceptual and empirical review of a relevant process (e.g., decentering, emotion regulation), as well as relevant assessment methods. This kind of attention to the reasons why mindfulness-based intervention may be beneficial will help stimulate informative research in the area and also help clinicians provide therapy that enhances these important skills."

—Lizabeth Roemer, Ph.D., professor of psychology at the University of Massachusetts and coauthor of Mindfulness- and Acceptance-Based Behavioral Therapies in Practice

"In this comprehensive and much-needed book, Ruth Baer and colleagues present the most up-to-date findings on exactly how mindfulness and acceptance might work to increase psychological well-being. An excellent resource not only for mindfulness researchers and practitioners, but for anyone interested in what leads to mental health and emotional balance."

—Cassandra Vieten, Ph.D., director of research at the Institute of Noetic Sciences and author of Mindful Motherhood

"A fascinating journey to the heart of what actually changes in mindfulness and acceptance-based treatment. Ruth Baer and her colleagues offer a brilliant and careful review of one of the most exciting areas of behavioral research in decades. This book is highly recommended for psychotherapists, health care professionals, and anyone seeking the very latest scientific understanding of psychological change."

—Christopher K. Germer, Ph.D., clinical instructor in psychology at Harvard Medical School and author of The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion

"A cutting edge text which responds with rigor and clarity to the salient questions in the field of mindfulness-based interventions, namely, what are the mechanisms and processes of change? And how can these processes be assessed? Baer does an excellent job weaving different perspectives and theories from a wide range of experts to provide a pioneering response to these compelling questions."

—Shauna L. Shapiro, Ph.D., coauthor of The Art and Science of Mindfulness

"This is an important and timely book. Ruth Baer has brought together international experts in the clinical and research fields to build a critically important bridge between ancient wisdom and modern psychological science. This book will be essential reading for students, researchers, and practitioners of mindfulness and acceptance-based approaches."

—Mark Williams, professor of clinical psychology at the University of Oxford and coauthor of The Mindful Way Through Depression