ABSTRACT
The Points described in the early Part of the book focused very much on the traditional concerns of cognitive therapy, such as negative thoughts, beliefs and schemas. Since Point 10, however, we seem to have been shifting into newer ground and have become familiar with wider concerns connected to the process elements of the client's cognitive organisation. Point 13 is the culmination of these trends and leads us to examine what is increasingly becoming `the next big thing' in cognitive therapy ± mindfulness. Linked as it is with Buddhism, this is creating much excitement in the ®eld. In order to assess its signi®cance, we will need to look quite carefully at what is being claimed on its behalf. We will begin by examining its basis in previous theory. We will ®nd, however, that several different ± not entirely harmonious ± elements emerge. This will lead us to a ®nal consideration of two points:
· Are all mindfulness exponents talking about the same thing?
