A Therapeutic Tool for Boosting Mood: The Broad-Minded Affective Coping Procedure (BMAC)

Citation

Johnson J, Gooding PA, Wood AM, Fair KL & Tarrier N (2012) A Therapeutic Tool for Boosting Mood: The Broad-Minded Affective Coping Procedure (BMAC). Cognitive Therapy and Research, 37 (1), pp. 61-70. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-012-9453-8

Abstract
The broaden-and-build theory of emotions suggests that positive emotions such as happiness and hope expand thought-action repertoires and support the building of resources and resilience to a variety of psychological disorders. Even brief, transient experiences of positive emotions have been found to increase resilience measured one month later, suggesting a role for clinical mood inductions. This study presents a preliminary test of the new Broad-Minded Affective Coping (BMAC) procedure, a positive emotion induction technique involving the recall of positive autobiographical memories. Fifty people with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders were randomly allocated to a condition where they either experienced the BMAC or a control procedure. Participants who took part in the BMAC showed greater increases in both hope and happiness. These results suggest that the BMAC represents a practical and effective method for boosting mood amongst individuals with psychosis-spectrum disorders.

Keywords
Broaden-and-build; Positive emotions; Psychosis; Schizophrenia; Resilience; Positive clinical psychology; Psychology, Cognitive Science; Positive Psychology

Journal
Cognitive Therapy and Research: Volume 37, Issue 1