ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses some aspects of the issues related to working with both general and specific vulnerability within the Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) programme. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), from which MBCT evolved, was developed originally to work with groups of people with a wide range of different physical and psychological challenges and illnesses. It largely focuses on inviting participants to explore their general vulnerability - the patterns and habits of mind that create struggle and extra layers of challenge as he or she deals with daily life and the health difficulty he or she is experiencing. MBCT holds that the authors also carry some specific vulnerability: patterns or traits, which can be mild or considerably disabling. These specific vulnerabilities tend individuals towards such illnesses as depression or chronic fatigue. The MBCT programme has a particular intention to focus the learning on developing the skills to meet vulnerability to depression recurrence.
