RESEARCH PROPOSAL PAPER
Is emotion regulation amongst grieving individuals able to be improved with mindfulness-
based cognitive therapy?
Literature Review
The gap statement for this proposal is the study of further studies that might consider that
there are different types of measures with different data that is collected at different time points
as well as recruiting participants form various sources in order to help reduce the systematic
method variance bias that is related wo a number of factors that will reduce the validity and
reliability of the measured constructs (Huang, 2022, p. 2098). The purpose of this research
proposal is to figure out if mindfulness based cognitive therapy is beneficial to the emotion
regulation amongst those individuals who are grieving.
The most supported type of therapy for prolonged grief disorder is in fact grief-focused
cognitive behavior therapy, although, many people do find it difficult to treat with this (Bryant
et., al., 2024). Because of this, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy is often used as it is an easier
treatment method than grief-focused cognitive behavior therapy. Emotion regulation among
grieving individuals can indeed be improved with mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT).
Grief, manifesting as a highly emotional and often prolonged response to loss, can significantly
disrupt an individual's cognitive and emotional functioning. This is where MBCT comes into
play as a potent intervention. MBCT combines traditional cognitive behavioral therapy
techniques with mindfulness strategies, which help individuals become more aware of their
thoughts and feelings in the present moment without judgment. This heightened awareness
fosters a better understanding of emotional triggers and helps individuals develop healthier ways
to respond to their grief.
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RESEARCH PROPOSAL PAPER
Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) as well as Mindfulness-based Stress
Reduction (MBSR) focus on two key forms of meditation which include: focused attention (FA)
and open monitoring (OM) (Brown et., al., 2022). When one is grieving it is not only a
significant event in their lives but also a stressful event that has a major impact not only on their
psychological wellbeing but also their physical wellbeing (Huang, 2022). When it comes to
bereavement there is something known as prolonged grief disorder (PGD) that is identified as a
disorder where a person is experiencing intense longing for the person who has died or
preoccupied thoughts of said person (Sekowski & Prigerson, 2021). However, there is a thought
that this relationship might not just be independent of depression but also related to both the
person’s loss as well as their interpersonal dependency (Sekowsi & Prigerson, 2021).
Bereavement is something that is considered a catastrophic event in one’s life but also an
inevitable event in their lives as eventually everyone goes through it in one way or another
(Huang et., al., 2020). MBCT has been found to improve the wellbeing of individuals who are
bereaved as it enhances their cognitive performances (Huang et., al., 2020). With all this being
said its easy to see how MBCT has a positive effect on those who are grieving and that it is
something that can be integrated into everyday counseling sessions to help those who are
grieving.
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RESEARCH PROPOSAL PAPER
Method
This proposal poses the question on whether or not mindfulness based cognitive therapy
can be beneficial to bereaved individuals. This is an important question to answer as it is
pursuing whether bereaved individuals can be helped through the grieving process in a
mindfulness approach. Grieving is a natural part of life, and a lot of times people don’t know
how to cope with their grief. By introducing mindfulness based cognitive therapy this is giving
them another approach on how to handle their grief in a positive manner.
The type of design that would be most effective would be that of a descriptive research
design such as a case report. A descriptive case study combines the use of observation and survey
to study people or things in their natural environment. Since a survey would be involved this
would produce qualitative data especially considering it would use a Likert scale to measure the
variables.
Looking at what fits best with the research a strategy that can be used is a survey via
survey monkey. Choosing a number of individuals, such as 10 men and women of different
ethnicities and ages ranging from 18 – 50 would be sufficient for the study as it would give
diversity to the study. The study would have participants fill out a survey at the beginning of
their counseling sessions then at the end where they would be compared to one another to see if
the MBCT proved to be successful.
This would contribute to the field of counseling by showing whether or not MBCT is
successful in a counseling session for bereaved individuals. If it does show to be successful this
could prove to be a valuable tool in a counselor’s tool belt for counseling those going through the
grieving process.
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RESEARCH PROPOSAL PAPER
Integration
One of the most famous passage in the bible comes from Matthew 5:4 that reads,
“blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Holy Bible, NIV, 2011, Matthew
5:4). Grief is a natural part of life and as this passage reads those who grieve will be comforted.
That is the goal of MBCT to comfort those who are grieving. To help them through every step of
the grieving process in order to overcome said grieving and be able to feel some sort of normalcy
again. According to Alkhunaizi & Levene (2012) overcoming grief begins with obligatory
caution where readers are encouraged to seek out help if they experience one of fourteen signs.
Overcoming grief can be a hard thing to do and this research study helps to look at a way that
grief can be overcome in a counseling setting. MBCT is a technique that can help people reach
some sort of normalcy again after going through a time of grief and this proposal helps to show
that with help from research and the bible.
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RESEARCH PROPOSAL PAPER
References
Alkhunaizi, R. by: S., & Levene, R. S. (2012). Overcoming Grief: A Self-Help Guide Using
Cognitive Behavioral Techniques.DJournal of Palliative Medicine.,D15(11), 1284–1284.
https://doi.org/10.1089/jpm.2012.9547
Brown, K. W., Berry, D., Eichel, K., Beloborodova, P., Rahrig, H., & Britton, W. B. (2022).
Comparing impacts of meditation training in focused attention, open monitoring, and
mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy on emotion reactivity and regulation: Neural and
subjective evidence from a dismantling study.DPsychophysiology,D59(7).
https://doi.org/10.1111/psyp.14024
Bryant, R. A., Azevedo, S., Yadav, S., Cahill, C., Kenny, L., Maccallum, F., Tran, J., Choi-
Christou, J., Rawson, N., Tockar, J., Garber, B., Keyan, D., & Dawson, K. S. (2024).
Cognitive behavior therapy vs mindfulness in treatment of prolonged grief disorder.DJAMA
Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2024.0432
Huang, F. (2022). How emotion regulation mediates the relationship between dispositional
mindfulness, depression, and complicated grief among the bereaved population.
Mindfulness, 13(8), 2092-2100, https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-022-01944-1
Holy Bible, NIV (2011).
Huang, F., Hsu, A., Chao, Y., Shang, C. M., Tsai, J., & Wu, C. W. (2020). Mindfulness‐based
Cognitive therapy on bereavement grief: Alterations of resting‐state network connectivity
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RESEARCH PROPOSAL PAPER
associate with changes of anxiety and mindfulness.DHuman Brain Mapping,D42(2), 510–
520. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbm.25240
Sekowski, M., & Prigerson, H. G. (2021). Associations between interpersonal dependency and
severity of prolonged grief disorder symptoms in bereaved surviving family
members.DComprehensive Psychiatry,D108, 152242.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2021.152242
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