Mindfulness-Based Therapy for Brain Tumour Survivors

Brain Tumour (BT) survivors struggle with disabling physical, emotional, cognitive and psychosocial sequelae. Unfortunately, to-date there has been very limited research into rehabilitative interventions for this population. With 55,000 BT survivors in Canada alone1, access to effective, evidence-based rehabilitative treatment that would improve BT survivors' quality of life (QOL) and capacity to cope is a necessity. Mindfulness-Based Therapy's (MBTs) are emerging as a potential treatment to address this need. MBTs are group-based psychological treatments for coping with illness or disability, with the goal of improving psychological wellbeing. Recent studies have begun to suggest a role for MBTs in addressing symptom burden and QOL in the acquired brain injury (ABI) population, a heterogeneous population that includes survivors of stroke and traumatic brain injury, as well as BT survivors. High quality research including within-subject controlled trials, are needed to demonstrate whether MBTs can provide efficacious, accessible and cost-effective treatment to improve the lives of BT survivors.

Sex

All

Minimum age

18 Years

Maximum age

70 Years

Inclusion Criteria:

* consenting brain tumour survivor at The Odette Cancer Centre
* \>six months post-treatment
* Ability to communicate, in written and spoken English

Exclusion Criteria:

* Minimal depressive symptoms (score below 14 on the BDI-II)
* Previous head injuries or non-BT neurological diseases
* Unaware of deficits (determined through clinical judgement)
* Substance abuse / dependence within three months
* History of dementia, a recent suicide attempt, or current self-injurious behavior
* Previously completed \>four weeks of a MBI, or general CBT, in the past three years