TY - JOUR
T1 - An Investigation of Sequencing Effects in Combining Cognitive Questioning and Mindful Acceptance
AU - Borlimi, Rosita
AU - Benetka, Gerhard
AU - Brighetti, Gianni
AU - Caselli, Gabriele
AU - Caletti, Elisabetta
AU - Redaelli, Carolina A.
AU - Ruggiero, Giovanni M.
AU - Sarracino, Diego
AU - Sassaroli, Sandra
PY - 2019
Y1 - 2019
N2 - Cognitive-behavioral treatments assume that the mechanisms of change depend on the assessment and questioning of biased beliefs. In contrast, recent developments have emphasized mindful acceptance interventions, in which clients allow thoughts to come and go without questioning them. In order to discuss therapeutic efficacy difference in emotional disorders, we explored the possible normalizing effects of cognitive questioning and mindful acceptance on sympathetic reactivity aroused by recall tasks. We compared the effects of different sequencing of cognitive questioning and mindful acceptance on emotional distress in two groups in which questioning either preceded (group 1) or followed (group 2) acceptance. Thirty-five non-clinical individuals (21 males, 14 females) randomly allocated to either group 1 or 2 participated in the experimental tasks (unpleasant recall, cognitive questioning, and metacognitive acceptance). Sympathetic reactivity levels were measured using galvanic skin response. Results showed that acceptance reduced sympathetic reactivity when compared to questioning. The best sequence was that in which questioning preceded acceptance. By interpreting sympathetic reactivity as a measure of emotional distress and experimental tasks as models for therapeutic approaches, this experiment suggests that acceptance is better than questioning in reducing emotional distress especially when cognitive questioning is followed by mindful acceptance.
AB - Cognitive-behavioral treatments assume that the mechanisms of change depend on the assessment and questioning of biased beliefs. In contrast, recent developments have emphasized mindful acceptance interventions, in which clients allow thoughts to come and go without questioning them. In order to discuss therapeutic efficacy difference in emotional disorders, we explored the possible normalizing effects of cognitive questioning and mindful acceptance on sympathetic reactivity aroused by recall tasks. We compared the effects of different sequencing of cognitive questioning and mindful acceptance on emotional distress in two groups in which questioning either preceded (group 1) or followed (group 2) acceptance. Thirty-five non-clinical individuals (21 males, 14 females) randomly allocated to either group 1 or 2 participated in the experimental tasks (unpleasant recall, cognitive questioning, and metacognitive acceptance). Sympathetic reactivity levels were measured using galvanic skin response. Results showed that acceptance reduced sympathetic reactivity when compared to questioning. The best sequence was that in which questioning preceded acceptance. By interpreting sympathetic reactivity as a measure of emotional distress and experimental tasks as models for therapeutic approaches, this experiment suggests that acceptance is better than questioning in reducing emotional distress especially when cognitive questioning is followed by mindful acceptance.
KW - Acceptance
KW - Cognitive therapy
KW - Metacognition
KW - Questioning
KW - Sympathetic reactivity
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85058067981&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85058067981&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s10942-018-0312-8
DO - 10.1007/s10942-018-0312-8
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85058067981
VL - 37
SP - 284
EP - 298
JO - Journal of Rational - Emotive and Cognitive - Behavior Therapy
JF - Journal of Rational - Emotive and Cognitive - Behavior Therapy
SN - 0894-9085
IS - 3
ER -