Strengthen Your Relationship With Mindfulness-Based Relationship Enhancement

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsDefining MindfulnessWhat Is MBRE?MBRE TechniquesBenefitsThe ResearchPracticing at Home

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Defining Mindfulness

What Is MBRE?

MBRE Techniques

Benefits

The Research

Practicing at Home

Close

We typically think of reserving therapeutic techniques for when we’re having problems in our relationships, but they can actually be super helpful even when things are going well.

Mindfulness-based relationship enhancement (MBRE), for instance, is a set of techniques used with couples who are already content with each other (i.e. not in distress) to help strengthen coping skills related to stress within the relationship.

All couples will face life challenges and stressors in their lifetime. As these difficult periods of life emerge, it is helpful for couples to have skills that promote working together and positive, adaptive coping strategies. That is where mindfulness-based relationship enhancement comes in.

At a GlanceEven the healthiest relationships can use a little preventative support. Mindfulness-based relationship enhancement (MBRE) has been shown to be effective in boosting couples' ability to cope with stress, increasing personal well-being, improving relationship happiness, and increasing stress management skills.The ultimate goal of mindfulness-based relationship enhancement is to learn how to be present in the moment, accept whatever challenges you are facing individually and as a couple, and take your time reacting and making decisions to avoid the negative impact of hasty choices made in the heat of the moment.

At a Glance

Even the healthiest relationships can use a little preventative support. Mindfulness-based relationship enhancement (MBRE) has been shown to be effective in boosting couples' ability to cope with stress, increasing personal well-being, improving relationship happiness, and increasing stress management skills.The ultimate goal of mindfulness-based relationship enhancement is to learn how to be present in the moment, accept whatever challenges you are facing individually and as a couple, and take your time reacting and making decisions to avoid the negative impact of hasty choices made in the heat of the moment.

Even the healthiest relationships can use a little preventative support. Mindfulness-based relationship enhancement (MBRE) has been shown to be effective in boosting couples' ability to cope with stress, increasing personal well-being, improving relationship happiness, and increasing stress management skills.

The ultimate goal of mindfulness-based relationship enhancement is to learn how to be present in the moment, accept whatever challenges you are facing individually and as a couple, and take your time reacting and making decisions to avoid the negative impact of hasty choices made in the heat of the moment.

Before we properly dig into mindfulness-based relationship enhancement, it’s helpful to take a step back and learn a bit about the concept ofmindfulness.

Mindfulness refers to being in a state of focused attention and awareness of your present experience. It also involves being curious, open, and accepting of that experience.When you are acting mindfully, you don’t immediately react to thoughts or emotions that pass through your mind. Instead, you act as a non-judging observer who explores and acknowledges feelings without immediately reacting. In this way, the roots of mindfulness lie in Buddhist orZen meditation.

Mindfulness refers to being in a state of focused attention and awareness of your present experience. It also involves being curious, open, and accepting of that experience.

When you are acting mindfully, you don’t immediately react to thoughts or emotions that pass through your mind. Instead, you act as a non-judging observer who explores and acknowledges feelings without immediately reacting. In this way, the roots of mindfulness lie in Buddhist orZen meditation.

How does mindfulness help you? When you learn to practice mindfulness, you are learning how to cope in all of the different areas of your life. Rather than being a skill, mindfulness is a way of approaching life and the world.

Mindfulness makes all things in life more pleasant, it helps you to think more clearly, aids in being “in the moment,” and increases your ability to cope with stressful events.

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What Is Mindfulness-Based Relationship Enhancement?

Instead of allowing disagreements to escalate, which can happen when couples react in haste or out of anger or anxiety, MBRE teaches couples how to prevent and diffuse disagreements and conflict.

4 Components of MBREThere are four main areas on which MBRE is based as follows:Mindfulness:Learning to be non-judging of all experiences in the present moment (good and bad). This means experiencing present-moment awareness but not reacting to it.Acceptance: Learning toaccept experiencesas they are, which leads to increased compassion and empathy for yourself and your partner.Relaxation: Learning to generate therelaxation response, which helps to manage stress and improve feelings of well-being, clarity, and the ability to remain calm.Self-broadening: Developing a greater sense of trust, connection, and love for everyone.

4 Components of MBRE

There are four main areas on which MBRE is based as follows:Mindfulness:Learning to be non-judging of all experiences in the present moment (good and bad). This means experiencing present-moment awareness but not reacting to it.Acceptance: Learning toaccept experiencesas they are, which leads to increased compassion and empathy for yourself and your partner.Relaxation: Learning to generate therelaxation response, which helps to manage stress and improve feelings of well-being, clarity, and the ability to remain calm.Self-broadening: Developing a greater sense of trust, connection, and love for everyone.

There are four main areas on which MBRE is based as follows:

MBRE also involves gaining insight into your own patterns of interactions in your relationship, and feelings and thoughts. It could be that you and your spouse have each fallen intonegative ways of thinkingor interacting with each other that could be improved.

It means being flexible and non-judgemental, accepting differences, being less reactive, and being more objective. All of these qualities, both on a personal level and as a couple, will serve you well in facing the world together—as well as simply spending time with one another.

The following are mindfulness-based relationship enhancement techniques that may be used as part of this set of strategies.

What are the established benefits of mindfulness-based relationship enhancement? There is robust and growing scientific evidence to support the positive effects of the use of mindfulness in improving relationships.

Some of the many benefits of MBRE include:Increased relationship satisfactionIncreased acceptance of one’s partnerImproved individual well-beingLowered relationship distressIncreased self-reportedempathyIncreased ability to respond to relationship stressImproved emotional stress responsesImprovements in perceptions of the relationship (before and after disagreements)More adaptive communication stylesImproved relaxation responseDevelopment of a buffer against chronic stressCalming of emotional arousal

Some of the many benefits of MBRE include:

Mindfulness-based relationship enhancement can involve using strategies individually (such as practicing mindfulness on your own) or as a couple. These strategies allow you to become better in tune with yourself and your partner, to increase your empathy, and see problems that arise as challenges to be overcome rather than as threats to your relationship.

Think of the last time you found yourself upset in your relationship. Chances are that instead of collaboration and understanding, one or both of you were upset and being confrontational. While stress can lead to conflict and negative emotions, when you practice mindfulness, you will experience compassion and acceptance in the moment, which will improve outcomes for your relationship.

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A 2004 study in the journalBehavior Therapyinvestigated the use of mindfulness-based relationship enhancement to enhance the relationships of couples who were happy and not in distress. The study showed that there were positive outcomes of MBRE in the following areas. In addition, all of these benefits continued to show at a 3-month follow-up in the study.

Benefits for CouplesEnhanced relationship satisfactionImproved autonomyImproved relatednessIncreased closenessIncreased acceptance of each otherLower relationship distressBenefits for IndividualsIncreased optimismEnhancedspiritualityImproved relaxationReduced psychological distress

Benefits for CouplesEnhanced relationship satisfactionImproved autonomyImproved relatednessIncreased closenessIncreased acceptance of each otherLower relationship distress

Enhanced relationship satisfaction

Improved autonomy

Improved relatedness

Increased closeness

Increased acceptance of each other

Lower relationship distress

Benefits for IndividualsIncreased optimismEnhancedspiritualityImproved relaxationReduced psychological distress

Increased optimism

Enhancedspirituality

Improved relaxation

Reduced psychological distress

A 2015 phenomenological study published in theJournal of Marital and Family Therapyinvestigated the impact of a relationship enhancement program for couples expecting their first child.

This program was called the “4-Week Mindful Transition to Parenthood Program” and involved mindfulness practices and interpersonal activities with an aim of developing personal and interpersonal skills for being in tune with oneself and each other in a couple.

The study involved semi-structured interviews with 13 couples and identified four areas of improvement after the mindfulness program:

These study findings highlight the benefits of MBRE in terms of positive enhancements for both individuals in the relationship as well as the couple as a whole unit.

How can you practice mindfulness-based relationship enhancement on your own at home? One way to do this is to draw on the techniques of MBRE on your own.

Below is a list of quick mindfulness strategies that you can employ on your own as a couple to start adding mindfulness to your relationship.

Mindfulness-based relationship enhancement has a long history and proven benefits to help you build a stronger and more resilient foundation as a couple. If you are already in a happy and positive relationship, MBRE may be helpful to prepare you for the life challenges you will eventually face, such as having children, job loss, financial difficulties, illness, etc.

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SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Carson J, Carson K, Gil K, Baucom D.Mindfulness-based relationship enhancement (MBRE) in couples.Mindfulness-Based Treatment Approaches: Clinician’s Guide to Evidence Base and Applications. Elsevier Academic Press; 2006:309-331. doi:10.1016/B978-012088519-0/50015-0.Carson J, Carson K, Gil K, Baucom D.Mindfulness-based relationship enhancement.Behavior Therapy. 2004;35(3):471-494. doi:10.1016/S0005-7894(04)80028-5.Gambrel L, Piercy F.Mindfulness-based relationship education for couples expecting their first child-part 2: phenomenological findings.Journal of Marital Family and Therapy. 2015;41(1):25-41. doi:10.1111/jmft.12065.

Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Carson J, Carson K, Gil K, Baucom D.Mindfulness-based relationship enhancement (MBRE) in couples.Mindfulness-Based Treatment Approaches: Clinician’s Guide to Evidence Base and Applications. Elsevier Academic Press; 2006:309-331. doi:10.1016/B978-012088519-0/50015-0.Carson J, Carson K, Gil K, Baucom D.Mindfulness-based relationship enhancement.Behavior Therapy. 2004;35(3):471-494. doi:10.1016/S0005-7894(04)80028-5.Gambrel L, Piercy F.Mindfulness-based relationship education for couples expecting their first child-part 2: phenomenological findings.Journal of Marital Family and Therapy. 2015;41(1):25-41. doi:10.1111/jmft.12065.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Carson J, Carson K, Gil K, Baucom D.Mindfulness-based relationship enhancement (MBRE) in couples.Mindfulness-Based Treatment Approaches: Clinician’s Guide to Evidence Base and Applications. Elsevier Academic Press; 2006:309-331. doi:10.1016/B978-012088519-0/50015-0.Carson J, Carson K, Gil K, Baucom D.Mindfulness-based relationship enhancement.Behavior Therapy. 2004;35(3):471-494. doi:10.1016/S0005-7894(04)80028-5.Gambrel L, Piercy F.Mindfulness-based relationship education for couples expecting their first child-part 2: phenomenological findings.Journal of Marital Family and Therapy. 2015;41(1):25-41. doi:10.1111/jmft.12065.

Carson J, Carson K, Gil K, Baucom D.Mindfulness-based relationship enhancement (MBRE) in couples.Mindfulness-Based Treatment Approaches: Clinician’s Guide to Evidence Base and Applications. Elsevier Academic Press; 2006:309-331. doi:10.1016/B978-012088519-0/50015-0.

Carson J, Carson K, Gil K, Baucom D.Mindfulness-based relationship enhancement.Behavior Therapy. 2004;35(3):471-494. doi:10.1016/S0005-7894(04)80028-5.

Gambrel L, Piercy F.Mindfulness-based relationship education for couples expecting their first child-part 2: phenomenological findings.Journal of Marital Family and Therapy. 2015;41(1):25-41. doi:10.1111/jmft.12065.

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