Professor Thorsten Barnhofer
About
Biography
I am a research clinical psychologist. I received my PhD from the Westfälische Wilhelms Universität, Münster, Germany, where I also earned my qualification as a cognitive-behavioural therapist, the German equivalent to the English Doctorate in Clinical Psychology. My training in mindfulness-based interventions has included an internship at the Centre for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society at the UMass Medical School in Worcester, MA, founded by Jon Kabat-Zinn, numerous teaching retreats with leading Western and Eastern practitioners, and has benefited from almost a decade of work in the group of one of the founders of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, Mark Williams.
I have been involved in research on mindfulness-based interventions from an early stage of their development. I worked at the University of Oxford from 2003 until 2012 as part of a Wellcome Trust-funded team investigating the use of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for highly vulnerable patients, and independently as a Clinical Senior Lecturer at the Institute Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, from 2012 until 2013. A prestigious Heisenberg Fellowship from the German Research Foundation allowed me to conduct research into the neural mechanisms of mindfulness training at the Freie Universität Berlin from 2013 until 2015. From 2015 until 2018, I worked as an associate professor at the Mood Disorders Centre, University of Exeter, where I led the training programmes in mindfulness-based interventions. Since 2018, I am a professor of clinical psychology at the University of Surrey.
News
In the media
ResearchResearch interests
I have a longstanding interest in understanding the psychological and biological mechanisms underlying depression and how best to address them using psychological interventions. The focus of my research is on the use of mindfulness-based interventions, and mindfulness training more specifically, to bring about sustainable changes in those who are most vulnerable. Previous work I have been involved in has shown how mindfulness training can help patients with highly recurrent and severe histories of depression (Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 2014, 2015). The psychotherapeutic approach of this work is described in the book, Mindfulness and the Transformation of Despair, published by Guildford Press.
Based on a psychobiological perspective that acknowledges common mechanisms underlying depression and related physical and neurodegenerative disorders, my current work investigates the use of mindfulness approaches for depression across the lifespan. Besides studies aimed at understanding the mechanisms of mindfulness training in order to better harness what might be a unique potential for reversing vulnerabilities (Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 2019), I am currently involved in intervention research to test the use of mindfulness-based approaches in adolescents suffering from anxiety and depression and in elderly people, as a means of reducing risk for dementia.
The field of mindfulness research combines insights from ancient wisdom traditions with knowledge accumulated through modern science. As our understanding of the role of mind-body interactions in physical and mental health increases, mindfulness-based interventions are becoming more and more relevant. A recent special issue on mindfulness in Current Opinions in Psychology, which I have edited together with colleagues Amit Bernstein and David Vago, provides a comprehensive map of this rapidly growing and exciting field.
Research projects
Investigating the impact of meditation training on mental health and wellbeing in the ageing population (MEDIT-AGEING)This project, funded by the European Horizon 2020 programme, investigates whether meditation practice can serve to downregulate adverse factors such as psychological distress, depression, anxiety and sleep difficulties and positively impact mental and neurological conditions including Alzheimer's disease in the elderly.
For more information see the European Commission CORDIS page for the project here.
A randomised controlled trial to investigate the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) for depressed non-responders to Increasing Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) high-intensity therapiesThis project, funded by the NIHR Research for Patient Benefit (RfPB) programme (NIHR200750), will investigate whether Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), a treatment combining intensive training in mindfulness and elements from cognitive therapy, can help depressed patients who have not sufficiently responded to IAPT high-intensity therapy, and also whether introduction of this intervention would be worthwhile in terms of its costs.
For more information see the NIHR Funding and Awards website for the project here.
A combined mindfulness-based approach for adolescent non-responders to first-line treatments of depression or anxiety and their carers: establishing feasibility of implementation and deliveryThis project, funded by the NIHR Programme Development Grants programme (NIHR201024), will build the foundations for a comprehensive investigation of a mindfulness-based intervention for depressed young people and their carers. It will address questions concerning therapist training, current care pathways, recruitment, adherence, and acceptability of biological assessments.
For more information see the NIHR Funding and Awards website for the project here and the project website here.
Research interests
I have a longstanding interest in understanding the psychological and biological mechanisms underlying depression and how best to address them using psychological interventions. The focus of my research is on the use of mindfulness-based interventions, and mindfulness training more specifically, to bring about sustainable changes in those who are most vulnerable. Previous work I have been involved in has shown how mindfulness training can help patients with highly recurrent and severe histories of depression (Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 2014, 2015). The psychotherapeutic approach of this work is described in the book, Mindfulness and the Transformation of Despair, published by Guildford Press.
Based on a psychobiological perspective that acknowledges common mechanisms underlying depression and related physical and neurodegenerative disorders, my current work investigates the use of mindfulness approaches for depression across the lifespan. Besides studies aimed at understanding the mechanisms of mindfulness training in order to better harness what might be a unique potential for reversing vulnerabilities (Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 2019), I am currently involved in intervention research to test the use of mindfulness-based approaches in adolescents suffering from anxiety and depression and in elderly people, as a means of reducing risk for dementia.
The field of mindfulness research combines insights from ancient wisdom traditions with knowledge accumulated through modern science. As our understanding of the role of mind-body interactions in physical and mental health increases, mindfulness-based interventions are becoming more and more relevant. A recent special issue on mindfulness in Current Opinions in Psychology, which I have edited together with colleagues Amit Bernstein and David Vago, provides a comprehensive map of this rapidly growing and exciting field.
Research projects
This project, funded by the European Horizon 2020 programme, investigates whether meditation practice can serve to downregulate adverse factors such as psychological distress, depression, anxiety and sleep difficulties and positively impact mental and neurological conditions including Alzheimer's disease in the elderly.
For more information see the European Commission CORDIS page for the project here.
This project, funded by the NIHR Research for Patient Benefit (RfPB) programme (NIHR200750), will investigate whether Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), a treatment combining intensive training in mindfulness and elements from cognitive therapy, can help depressed patients who have not sufficiently responded to IAPT high-intensity therapy, and also whether introduction of this intervention would be worthwhile in terms of its costs.
For more information see the NIHR Funding and Awards website for the project here.
This project, funded by the NIHR Programme Development Grants programme (NIHR201024), will build the foundations for a comprehensive investigation of a mindfulness-based intervention for depressed young people and their carers. It will address questions concerning therapist training, current care pathways, recruitment, adherence, and acceptability of biological assessments.
For more information see the NIHR Funding and Awards website for the project here and the project website here.
Publications
Highlights
Bernstein, A., Vago, D. R., & Barnhofer, T. (2019). Understanding mindfulness, one moment at a time: an introduction to the special issue. Current Opinion in Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2019.08.001
Lifshitz, M., Sacchet, M. D., Huntenburg, J. M., Thiery, T., Fan, Y., Gärtner, M., Grimm, S., Winnebeck, E., Fissler, M., Schroeder, T. A., Margulies, D. S., & Barnhofer, T. (2019). Mindfulness-based therapy regulates brain connectivity in Major Depression. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 88(6), 375-377.
Background: This study assesses the relationships between dynamic functional network connectivity (DFNC) and dementia risk.Methods: DFNC of the default mode (DMN), salience (SN), and executive control networks was assessed in 127 cognitively unimpaired older adults. Stepwise regressions were performed with dementia risk and protective factors and biomarkers as predictors of DFNC.Results: Associations were found between times spent in (i) a "weakly connected" state and lower self-reported engagement in early- and mid-life cognitive activity and higher LDL cholesterol; (ii) a "SN-negatively connected" state and higher blood pressure, higher depression score, and lower body mass index (BMI); (iii) a "strongly connected" state and higher self-reported engagement in early-life cognitive activity, Preclinical Alzheimer's cognitive composite-5 score, and BMI; and (iv) a "DMN-negatively connected" state and higher self-reported engagement in early- and mid-life stimulating activities and lower LDL cholesterol and blood pressure. The lower number of state transitions was associated with lower brain perfusion.Conclusion: DFNC states are differentially associated with dementia risk and could underlie reserve.
Extending previous research, we applied latent profile analysis in a sample of adults with a history of recurrent depression to identify subgroups with distinct response profiles on the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire and understand how these relate to psychological functioning. The sample was randomly divided into two subsamples to first examine the optimal number of latent profiles (test sample; = 343) and then validate the identified solution (validation sample; = 340). In both test and validation samples, a four-profile solution was revealed where two profiles mapped broadly onto those previously identified in nonclinical samples: "high mindfulness" and "nonjudgmentally aware." Two additional subgroups, "moderate mindfulness" and "very low mindfulness," were observed. "High mindfulness" was associated with the most adaptive psychological functioning and "very low mindfulness" with the least adaptive. In most people with recurrent depression, mindfulness skills are expressed evenly across different domains. However, in a small minority a meaningful and replicable uneven profile indicating nonjudgmental awareness is observable. Current findings require replication and future research should examine the extent to which profiles change from periods of wellness to illness in people with recurrent depression and how profiles are influenced by exposure to mindfulness-based intervention.
Background Older individuals with subjective cognitive decline (SCD) perceive that their cognition has declined but do not show objective impairment on neuropsychological tests. Individuals with SCD are at elevated risk of objective cognitive decline and incident dementia. Non-pharmacological interventions (including mindfulness-based and health self-management approaches) are a potential strategy to maintain or improve cognition in SCD, which may ultimately reduce dementia risk. Methods This study utilized data from the SCD-Well randomized controlled trial. One hundred forty-seven older adults with SCD (M-Age = 72.7 years; 64% female) were recruited from memory clinics in four European countries and randomized to one of two group-based, 8-week interventions: a Caring Mindfulness-based Approach for Seniors (CMBAS) or a health self-management program (HSMP). Participants were assessed at baseline, post-intervention (week 8), and at 6-month follow-up (week 24) using a range of cognitive tests. From these tests, three composites were derived-an "abridged" Preclinical Alzheimer's Cognitive Composite 5 (PACC5(Abridged)), an attention composite, and an executive function composite. Both per-protocol and intention-to-treat analyses were performed. Linear mixed models evaluated the change in outcomes between and within arms and adjusted for covariates and cognitive retest effects. Sensitivity models repeated the per-protocol analyses for participants who attended >= 4 intervention sessions. Results Across all cognitive composites, there were no significant time-by-trial arm interactions and no measurable cognitive retest effects; sensitivity analyses supported these results. Improvements, however, were observed within both trial arms on the PACC5(Abridged) from baseline to follow-up (Delta [95% confidence interval]: CMBAS = 0.34 [0.19, 0.48]; HSMP = 0.30 [0.15, 0.44]). There was weaker evidence of an improvement in attention but no effects on executive function. Conclusions Two non-pharmacological interventions conferred small, non-differing improvements to a global cognitive composite sensitive to amyloid-beta-related decline. There was weaker evidence of an effect on attention, and no evidence of an effect on executive function. Importantly, observed improvements were maintained beyond the end of the interventions. Improving cognition is an important step toward dementia prevention, and future research is needed to delineate the mechanisms of action of these interventions and to utilize clinical endpoints (i.e., progression to mild cognitive impairment or dementia).
INTRODUCTION: Older adults experiencing subjective cognitive decline (SCD) have a heightened risk of developing dementia and frequently experience subclinical anxiety, which is itself associated with dementia risk. OBJECTIVE: To understand whether subclinical anxiety symptoms in SCD can be reduced through behavioral interventions.METHODS: SCD-Well is a randomized controlled trial designed to determine whether an 8-week mindfulness-based intervention (caring mindfulness-based approach for seniors; CMBAS) is superior to a structurally matched health self-management program (HSMP) in reducing subclinical anxiety. Participants were recruited from memory clinics at 4 European sites. The primary outcome was change in anxiety symptoms (trait subscale of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory; trait-STAI) from pre- to postintervention. Secondary outcomes included a change in state anxiety and depression symptoms postintervention and 6 months postrandomization (follow-up).RESULTS: One hundred forty-seven participants (mean [SD] age: 72.7 [6.9] years; 64.6% women; CMBAS, n = 73; HSMP, n = 74) were included in the intention-to-treat analysis. There was no difference in trait-STAI between groups postintervention (adjusted change difference: -1.25 points; 95% CI -4.76 to 2.25) or at follow-up (adjusted change difference: -0.43 points; 95% CI -2.92 to 2.07). Trait-STAI decreased postintervention in both groups (CMBAS: -3.43 points; 95% CI -5.27 to -1.59; HSMP: -2.29 points; 95% CI -4.14 to -0.44) and reductions were maintained at follow-up. No between-group differences were observed for change in state anxiety or depression symptoms.CONCLUSIONS: A time-limited mindfulness intervention is not superior to health self-management in reducing subclinical anxiety symptoms in SCD. The sustained reduction observed across both groups suggests that subclinical anxiety symptoms in SCD are modifiable. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03005652.
Mindfulness-based programs (MBPs) are increasingly utilized to improve mental health. Interest in the putative effects of MBPs on cognitive function is also growing. This is the first meta-analysis of objective cognitive outcomes across multiple domains from randomized MBP studies of adults. Seven databases were systematically searched to January 2020. Fifty-six unique studies ( n = 2,931) were included, of which 45 ( n = 2,238) were synthesized using robust variance estimation meta-analysis. Meta-regression and subgroup analyses evaluated moderators. Pooling data across cognitive domains, the summary effect size for all studies favored MBPs over comparators and was small in magnitude ( g = 0.15; [0.05, 0.24]). Across subgroup analyses of individual cognitive domains/subdomains, MBPs outperformed comparators for executive function ( g = 0.15; [0.02, 0.27]) and working memory outcomes ( g = 0.23; [0.11, 0.36]) only. Subgroup analyses identified significant effects for studies of non-clinical samples, as well as for adults aged over 60. Across all studies, MBPs outperformed inactive, but not active comparators. Limitations include the primarily unclear within-study risk of bias (only a minority of studies were considered low risk), and that statistical constraints rendered some p -values unreliable. Together, results partially corroborate the hypothesized link between mindfulness practices and cognitive performance. This review was registered with PROSPERO [CRD42018100904].
Objectives A combination of negatively biased information processing and a reduced ability to experience positive emotions can persist into remission from major depression (rMDD). Studies have shown that mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) can increase self-reported positive emotions in rMDD participants; similar changes using neuropsychological tasks have not been shown. In this study, we investigated neuropsychological change in emotional processing following MBCT in rMDD participants. Methods Seventy-three rMDD participants, 40 of whom received MBCT and 33 of whom continued with treatment as usual (TAU), and 42 never depressed participants took part; neither the TAU nor never depressed participants received MBCT. All were assessed at baseline and immediately following MBCT or after an 8-week gap for those without active intervention. Participants completed emotion evaluation and face emotion recognition tasks with self-report measures (mood, mindfulness) at each session. Results Results showed an MBCT-specific shift in ratings from less negative to more positive emotion evaluations, which correlated with mindfulness practice and self-report mindfulness change. Both the MBCT and TAU groups showed a small increase in overall face emotion recognition accuracy compared with no change in never depressed participants. Conclusions These findings support a specific role for MBCT in encouraging more positive evaluations of life situations in those with previous depression rather than influencing lower-level processing of emotions. Results should be interpreted cautiously given that this was a non-randomised, preference choice trial.
Decentering is a ubiquitous therapeutic concept featuring in multiple schools of psychological intervention and science. It describes an ability to notice to day-to-day psychological stressors (negative thoughts, feelings, and memories) from an objective self-perspective and without perseverating on the themes they represent. Thus, decentering dampens the impact and distress associated with psychological stressors that can otherwise increase mental ill health in vulnerable individuals. Importantly, the strengthening of decentering-related abilities has been flagged as a core component of psychological interventions that treat and prevent anxiety and depression. We provide an in-depth review evidence of the salutary effects of decentering with a special focus on youth mental health. This is because adolescence is a critical window for the development of psychopathology but is often under-represented in this research line. A narrative synthesis is presented that integrates and summarizes findings on a range of decentering-related abilities. Section 1 reviews extant conceptualizations of decentering and data-driven approaches to characterize its characteristic. A novel definition is then offered to guide future empirical research. Section 2 overviews laboratory-based research into the development of decentering as well as its relationship with anxiety and depression. Section 3 examines the role decentering-related skills play in psychological interventions for anxiety and depression. Critically, we review evidence that treatment-related increases in decentering predict latter reductions in anxiety and depression severity. Each section highlights important areas for future research. The report concludes by addressing the vital questions of whether, how, why and when decentering alleviates youth anxiety and depression.
Objective Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have been found to be a promising approach for the treatment of recurrent courses of depression. However, little is known about their neural mechanisms. This functional magnetic resonance imaging study set out to investigate activation changes in corticolimbic regions during implicit emotion regulation. Methods Depressed patients with a recurrent lifetime history were randomized to receive a 2-week MBI (n = 16 completers) or psychoeducation and resting (PER; n = 22 completers). Before and after, patients underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while labeling the affect of angry, happy, and neutral facial expressions and completed questionnaires assessing ruminative brooding, the ability to decenter from such thinking, and depressive symptoms. Results Activation decreased in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) in response to angry faces after MBI (p < .01, voxel-wise family-wise error rate correction, T > 3.282; 56 mm(3); Montreal Neurological Institute peak coordinate: 32, 24, 40), but not after PER. This change was highly correlated with increased decentring (r = -0.52, p = .033), decreased brooding (r = 0.60, p = .010), and decreased symptoms (r = 0.82, p = .005). Amygdala activation in response to happy faces decreased after PER (p < .01, family-wise error rate corrected; 392 mm(3); Montreal Neurological Institute peak coordinate: 28, -4, -16), whereas the MBI group showed no significant change. Conclusions The dlPFC is involved in emotion regulation, namely, reappraisal or suppression of negative emotions. Decreased right dlPFC activation might indicate that, after the MBI, patients abstained from engaging in elaboration or suppression of negative affective stimuli; a putatively important mechanism for preventing the escalation of negative mood. Trial Registration: The study is registered at (NCT02801513; 16/06/2016).
Additional publications
Barnhofer, T., Reess, T. J., Fissler, M., Winnebeck, E., Grimm, S., Gärtner, M., Fan, Y., Huntenburg, J. M., Schroeter, T. A., Gummersbach, M., Bajbouj, M., & Hölzel, B. K. (in press). Effects of mindfulness training on emotion regulation in patients with depression: reduced dorsolateral prefrontal cortex activation indexes early beneficial changes. Psychosomatic Medicine.
Barnhofer, T. (2020). The benefits of calm abiding: concentrative meditation practices, inflammation, and its consequences for attentional functioning. Brain, Behaviour, and Immunity. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2020.10.01
Williams, K., Elliott, R., McKie, S., Zahn, R., Barnhofer, T., & Anderson, I.M. (2020). Changes in the neural correlates of self-blame following mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in remitted depressed participants. Psychiatry Research - Neuroimaging, 304, 111152. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pscychresns.2020.11115
Williams, K., Elliott, R., Barnhofer, T., Zahn, R., & Anderson, I. M. (2020). Positive shifts in emotion evaluation following Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) in remitted depressed participants. Mindfulness. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-020-01521-4
Ford, T., Richardson, J., Wilkinson, K., Smith, P., Berry, V., Barnhofer, T., Fox, J., & Kuyken, W. (2020). Could mindfulness-based cognitive therapy prevent a lifelong recurrent course of depression or anxiety by addressing key mechanisms of vulnerability in high-risk adolescents? British Journal of Psychiatry, 216(4), 175-177.
Gu, J., Strauss, C., Karl, A., Baer, R., Barnhofer, T., & Crane, C. (2020). Latent profile analysis of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in a Sample with a History of Recurrent Depression. Assessment, 27(1), 149-163. http://doi.org/10.1037/pas0000263
Barnhofer, T. (2019). Mindfulness training in the treatment of persistent depression: can it help to reverse maladaptive plasticity? Current Opinion in Psychology, 28, 262-267. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2019.02.007
Gärtner, M., Ghisu, E., Scheidegger, M., Bönke, L., Fan, Y., Stippl, A., Herrera-Melendez, A –L., Metz, S., Winnebeck, E., Fissler, M., Bajbouj, M., Borgwardt, K., Barnhofer, T., & Grimm, S. (2018). Aberrant working memory processing in Major Depression: evidence from multivoxel pattern classification. Neuropsychopharmacology, 43, 1972-1979.
Marchant, N. L., Barnhofer, T., Klimecki, O. M., Poisnel, G., Lutz, A., Arenaza-Urquijo, E., … SCD-Well Medit-Ageing Research Group (2018). The SCD-Well randomized controlled trial: Effects of a mindfulness-based intervention versus health education on mental health in patients with subjective cognitive decline (SCD). Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions, 4, 737–745.
Fissler, M., Winnebeck, E., Gärtner, M., Gummersbach, M., Schröter, T., Huntenburg, J., & Barnhofer, T. (2017). Brief mindfulness training may normalize blunted error-related negativity in chronically depressed patients. Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral Neuroscience, 17, 1164-1175.
Winnebeck, E., Fissler, M., Gärtner, M., Chadwick, P., & Barnhofer, T. (2017). Brief training in mindfulness meditation reduces symptoms in patients with a chronic or recurrent lifetime history of depression: a randomized controlled study. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 99, 124-130.
Gaertner, M., Irrmischer, M., Winnebeck, E., Fissler, M., Huntenburg, J. M., Schroeter, T., Linkenkaer-Hansen, K., Nikulin, V., & Barnhofer, T. (2017). Aberrant long-range temporal correlations in depression are normalized after psychological treatment. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 11, Article number 340. http://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2017.00340
Nasrin, F., Rimes, K., Reinecke, A., Rinck, M., & Barnhofer, T. (2017). Effects of brief behavioural activation on approach and avoidance tendencies in acute depression: preliminary findings. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 1, 58-72. http://doi.org/10.1017/S1352465816000394
Fissler, M., Winnebeck, E., Schroeter, T., Gummersbach, M., Hunternburg, J. M., Gaertner, M., & Barnhofer, T. (2016). An investigation of the effects brief mindfulness training on self-reported interoceptive awareness, the ability to decenter, and their role in the reduction of depressive symptoms. Mindfulness, 7, 1170-1181. http://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-016-0559-z
Gu, J., Straus, C., Crane, C., Barnhofer, T., Karl, A., Cavanagh, K., & Kuyken, W. (2016). Examining the factor structure of the 39-item and 15-item versions of the Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire before and after Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for people with recurrent depression.Psychological Assessment, 28, 791-802. http://doi.org/10.1037/pas0000263
Costa, A., & Barnhofer, T. (2016).Turning towards or turning away: the relative benefits of mindfulness and distraction in patients with acute depression. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 44, 410-419. http://doi.org/10.1017/S1352465815000387
Barnhofer, T., Huntenburg, J. M., Lifshitz, M., Antonova, E., Wild, J., & Margulies, D. S. (2015). How mindfulness may help to reduce vulnerability for recurrent depression: a neuroscientific perspective. Clinical Psychological Science, 4, 328-343. http://doi.org/10.1177/2167702615595036
Barnhofer, T., Crane, C., Brennan, K., Crane, R., Fennell, M. J. V., & Williams, J. M. G. (2015). Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) reduces the association between depressive symptoms and suicidal cognitions in patients with a history of suicidal depression. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 83(6), 1013-1020. http://doi.org/10.1037/ccp0000027
Brennan, K., Barnhofer, T., Crane, C., & Williams, J. M. G. (2015). Memory specificity and mindfulness jointly moderate the effect of reflective pondering on depressive symptoms in individuals with a history of recurrent depression. Journal of Abnormal Psychology. 124 (2), 246-255. http://doi.org/10.1037/abn0000027
Pile, V, Barnhofer, T., & Wild, J. (2015). Updating versus habituation to prevent consolidation of conditioned fear.PLoS ONE, 10(4),e0122971. http://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0122971
Ietsugu, T., Crane, C., Hackmann, A., Brennan, K., Gross, M., Crane, R. S., Silverton, S., Radford, S., Eames, C., Fennell, M. J. V., Williams, J. M. G., & Barnhofer, T. (2015).Gradually getting better: trajectories of change in rumination and anxious worry in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for prevention of relapse to recurrent depression. Mindfulness, 6, 1088-1094. http://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-014-0358-3
Crane, C., Crane, R., Eames, C., Fennell, M., Silverton, S., Williams, J. M. G., Barnhofer, T. (2014). The effects of amount of practice on hazard of relapse to depression in the Staying Well After Depression trial. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 63, 17-24. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2014.08.015
Radford, S., Eames, C., Brennan, K., Lambert, D., Crane, C., Williams, J.M.G., Duggan, D., & Barnhofer, T. (2014). Trait mindfulness as a limiting factor for residual depressive symptoms: an explorative study using quantile regression, PLoS ONE, 9 (7), e100022.http://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0100022
Boecking, B. & Barnhofer, T. (2014). ‘She called her partner – hence she is needy’: depressed patients show increased tendencies to make spontaneous trait inferences. Psychological Medicine, 44 (14), 2995-3006. http://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291714000622
Barnhofer, T., Brennan, K., Crane, C., Duggan, D., & Williams, J. M. G. (2014). A comparison of vulnerability factors in patients with persistent and remitting lifetime symptom course of depression. Journal of Affective Disorders, 152 - 154 (1), 155-161. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2013.09.001
Crane, C., Barnhofer, T., Duggan, D. S., Eames, C., Hepburn, S., Shah, D., & Williams, J. M. G. (2014). Comfort from suicidal cognition in recurrently depressed patients. Journal of Affective Disorders, 155 (1), 241-246. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2013.11.006
Williams, J. M. G., Crane, C., Barnhofer, T., Brennan, K., Duggan, D. S., Fennell, M. J. V., Hackmann, A., Krusche, A., Muse, K., Von Rohr, I. R., Shah, D., Crane, R. S., Eames, C., Jones, M., Radford, S., Silverton, S., Sun, Y., Weatherley-Jones, E., Whitaker, C. J., Russell, D., Russell, I. T. (2014). Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for preventing relapse in recurrent depression: a randomized dismantling trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 82 (2), 275-286. http://doi.org/10.1037/a0035036
Wessel, I., Postma, I.R., Huntjens, R.J.C., Crane, C., Smets, J., Zeeman, G.G., & Barnhofer, T. (2014). Differential correlates of autobiographical memory specificity to affective and self-discrepant cues. Memory, 22 (6), 665-668. http://doi.org/10.1080/09658211.2013.811255
Griffith, J.W., Sumner, J.A., Raes, F., Barnhofer, T., Debeer, E., & Hermans, D. (2012). Current psychometric and methodological issues in the measurement of overgeneral autobiographical memory. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 43 (Suppl. 1), S21 - S31. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbtep.2011.05.008
Williams, J.M.G., Barnhofer, T., Crane, C., Duggan, D., Shah, D., Brennan, K., Krusche, A., Crane, R., Eamus, C., Jones, M., Radford, S., & Russell, I. (2012). Pre-adult onset and patterns of suicidality in patients with a history of recurrent depression. Journal of Affective Disorders, 138 (1-2), 173 – 179. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2011.12.011
Crane, C., Winder, R., Hargus, E., Amarasinghe, M., & Barnhofer, T. (2012). The effects of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on the specificity of life goals. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 36 (3), 182 - 189. http://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-010-9349-4
Crane, C., Shah, D., Barnhofer, T., Holmes, E.A. (2012). Suicidal imagery in a previously depressed community sample. Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, 19 (1), 57-69. http://doi.org/10.1002/cpp.741
Barnhofer, T., Duggan, D., & Griffith, J.W. (2011). Dispositional mindfulness moderates the relation between neuroticism and depressive symptoms. Personality and Individual Differences, 51 (8), 958-962. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2011.07.032
Crane, C., Barnhofer, T. Hargus, E., Amarasinghe, M., & Winder, R. (2010). The relationship between dispositional mindfulness and conditional goal setting in depressed patients. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 49 (3), 281-290. http://doi.org/10.1348/014466509X455209
Barnhofer, T., Chittka, T., Nightingale, H., Visser, C., & Crane, C. (2010). State effects of two forms of meditation on prefrontal EEG asymmetry in previously depressed patients. Mindfulness, 1, 21 -27. http://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-010-0004-7
Barnhofer, T.& Chittka, T. (2010). Cognitive reactivity mediates the relationship between neuroticism and depression. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 48 (4), 275 -281. http://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-010-0004-7
Crane, C., Jandric, D., Barnhofer, T., Williams, J.M.G. (2010). Dispositional mindfulness, meditation, and conditional goal setting. Mindfulness, 1 (4), 204 - 214. http://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-010-0029-y
Williams, J.M.G., Russell, I.T., Crane, C., Russell, D., Whitaker, C.J., Duggan, D.S., Barnhofer, T., Fennell, M.J.V., Crane, R., & Silverton, S. (2010). Staying well after depression: trial design and protocol. BMC Psychiatry,10,art. no. 23. http://doi.org/10.1186/1471-244X-10-23
Hargus, E.A., Crane, C., Barnhofer, T., & Williams, J.M.G. (2010). Effects of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy on awareness of relapse signatures in patients with a history of suicidal depression. Emotion, 10 (1),34-42. http://doi.org/10.1037/a0016825
Barnhofer, T., Crane, C., Hargus, E., Amarasinghe, M., Winder, R., & Williams, J.M.G. (2009). Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy as a treatment for chronic depression: a preliminary study. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 47 (5), 366-373. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2009.01.019
Hepburn, S.R., Crane, C., Barnhofer, T., Duggan, D.S., Fennell, M.J., & Williams, J.M.G. (2009). Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy may reduce thought suppression in previously suicidal patients: Findings from a preliminary study”. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 48, 209-215.http://doi.org/10.1348/014466509X414970
Hepburn, S.R., Barnhofer, T., & Williams, J.M.G. (2009). The future is bright? Effects of mood on perception of the future. Journal of Happiness Studies, 10 (4), 483-496.http://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-008-9102-9
Crane, C., Barnhofer, T., Duggan, D.S., Hepburn, S., Fennell, J.V.M. & Williams, J.M.G. (2008). Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy and self-discrepancy in recovered depressed patients with a history of depression and suicidality. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 32, 775-787. http://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-008-9193-y
Williams, J.M.G., Alatiq, Y., Crane, C., Barnhofer, T., Fennell, M.J.V., Duggan, D. Hepburn, S. & Goodwin, G. (2008). Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) in Bipolar Disorder: preliminary evaluation of immediate effects on between-episode functioning. Journal of Affective Disorders, 107, 275-279.http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2007.08.022
Williams, J.M.G., Van der Does, A.J.W., Barnhofer, T., Crane, C., & Segal, Z. (2008). Cognitive reactivity, suicidal ideation and future fluency: preliminary investigation of a differential activation theory of hopelessness/suicidality. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 32,83-104. http://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-006-9105-y
Barnhofer, T., Crane, C., Spinhoven, P., & Williams, J.M.G. (2007). Failures to retrieve specific memories in previously depressed individuals: random errors or content-related? Behaviour Research and Therapy, 45 (8), 1859-1869. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2007.02.006
Barnhofer, T., Duggan, D., Crane, C., Hepburn, S., Fennell, M.J.V., & Williams, J.M.G. (2007). Effects of meditation on frontal alpha-asymmetry in previously suicidal individuals. Neuroreport, 18 (7), 709-712.http://doi.org/10.1097/WNR.0b013e3280d943cd
Crane, C., Barnhofer, T., Visser, C., Nightingale, H., & Williams, J.M.G. (2007). The effects of analytical and experiential rumination on autobiographical memory specificity in individuals with a history of Major Depression. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 45 (12), 3077-3087. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2007.05.009
Crane, C., Barnhofer, T., & Williams, J.M.G. (2007). Reflection, brooding, and suicidality: A preliminary study of different types of rumination in individuals with a history of Major Depression. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 46 (4), 497-504. http://doi.org/10.1348/014466507X230895
Crane, C., Barnhofer, T., & Williams, J.M.G. (2007). Cue self-relevance affects autobiographical memory specificity in individuals with a history of major depression. Memory, 15 (3), 312-323. http://doi.org/10.1080/09658210701256530
Williams, J.M.G., Barnhofer, T., Crane, C., Hermans, D., Raes, F., Watkins, E., & Dalgleish, T. (2007). Autobiographical memory specificity and emotional disorder. Psychological Bulletin, 133 (1), 122-148. http://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.133.1.122
Barnhofer, T., Kuehn, E.M., de Jong-Meyer, R., & Williams, J.M.G. (2006). Beliefs about benefits of rumination in depressed men and women with and without a history of assault. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 35, 317-324. http://doi.org/10.1017/S1352465806003341
Hepburn, S.R., Barnhofer, T., & Williams, J.M.G. (2006). Effects of mood on how future events are generated and perceived. Personality and Individual Differences, 41,801-811. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2006.03.022
Eade, J., Healy, H., Williams, J. M. G., Chan, S., Crane, C., & Barnhofer, T.(2006). Retrieval of autobiographical memories: the mechanisms and consequences of truncated search. Cognition and Emotion, 3/4, 351-383. http://doi.org/10.1080/02699930500342522
Williams, J.M.G., Crane, C., Barnhofer, T., Van der Does, W., & Segal, Z.V. (2006). Recurrence of suicidal ideation across depressive episodes. Journal of Affective Disorders, 91 (2-3), 189-194. http://doi.org/10.1385/BTER:109:2:189
Williams, J. M. G., Barnhofer, T., Crane, C. & Beck, A. T. (2005). Problem-solving deteriorates following mood challenge in formerly depressed patients with a history of suicidal ideation. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 114 (3), 421-431. http://doi.org/10.1037/0021-843X.114.3.421
Barnhofer, T., Kühn, E. M. & de Jong-Meyer, R. (2005).Specificity of autobiographical memory and basal cortisol levels in patients with major depression. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 30, 403-411. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2004.11.005
Barnhofer, T., de Jong-Meyer, R., Kleinpaß, A. & Nikesch, S. (2002). Specificity of autobiographical memories in depression: An analysis of retrieval processes in a think-aloud task. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 41, 411-416. http://doi.org/10.1348/014466502760387524
de Jong-Meyer, R. & Barnhofer, T.(2002). Unspezifität des autobiographischen Gedächtnisses bei Depressiven: Ein Phänomen, seine möglichen Ursachen und einige Konsequenzen. [Over-generality of autobiographical memory in depression: a phenomenon, possible causes and some consequences]. Psychologische Rundschau, 53 (1),http://doi.org/23-33. 10.1026