Only the lazy don’t know about mindfulness today. However... the lazy one knows too) The popularity of mindfulness is gaining momentum every day. And this is not surprising, the effectiveness of its methods has been scientifically proven, which has made it possible to include it in modern methods of psychotherapy. It became interesting to consider the phenomenon of mindfulness from its roots and I decided to do this using the example of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT). It is a type of “third wave” therapy in which the combination of ancient wisdom and modern science proves to be a powerful tool for treating many psychological conditions. The method is based on the active use of meditative practices that allow you to look at your own thoughts and reactions from the outside, disidentify with them and change your usual response to a more adaptive one. Mindfulness has deep roots in ancient Buddhist meditative practices that have been used for thousands of years. Translated from English, “mindfulness” means “attention, mindfulness.” At its core, it is the direction of attention to the current moment and dispassionate, non-reacting, accepting everything as it is awareness of it. Awareness expresses itself in awakening and living in harmony with oneself and the world. This is about the ability to appreciate the fullness of every moment lived. From the point of view of Buddhism, the ordinary waking state of consciousness is considered very limited and limiting. It is more like a continuation of sleep rather than wakefulness. Meditation helps to throw off this sleep, habitual and unconscious, and thus allows one to live in touch with the full range of conscious and unconscious possibilities. Full awareness was considered the heart of Buddhist meditation. The main task in the Buddhist practice of meditation is not to suppress or repress destructive mental states, but to determine how they arose, how they are lived, and what impact they have on the person and on other people in the long term. Buddhist techniques for cultivating mindfulness were adapted by Western psychology in the 80s. XX century. The study of the phenomenon of mindfulness in the context of scientific study in clinical psychology and psychotherapy began in the 1980s by a doctor in the field of molecular biology, professor of medicine Jon Kabat-Zinn. He was born in New York City to a biomedical scientist and an artist. He would later say that his mindfulness therapy was an attempt to reconcile these two elements and the realization of the desire to see the world in all its diversity. Kabat-Zinn first became acquainted with the art of meditation thanks to a Zen Buddhist missionary who came to share his knowledge. The teacher's lectures inspired young John so much that he began to master meditation and, later, teach it. He subsequently founded the Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, where he adapted Buddhist teachings and developed a stress reduction and relaxation program. Later, on the basis of this program, other techniques and directions were formed, for example, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) , designed specifically to help people suffering from recurring bouts of depression to prevent it from returning. The program was developed by Zindel Segal, Mark Williams and John Teasdale. The main goal of MBCT is to free clients from the tendency to automatically react to thoughts, emotions, and events, which fits perfectly into the basic idea of ​​mindfulness. Subsequently, programs for the treatment of addictive behavior, eating disorders, some mental disorders, etc. began to be built on these principles. Currently, the MBCT program is officially recommended by the National Institute for Clinical and Health Excellence (NICE) as an effective treatment for various disorders.