Dr Bruno Cayoun is a clinical and research psychologist and developer of Mindfulness-integrated Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (MiCBT). He is the founder and Director of the MiCBT Institute, a leading provider of MiCBT training and professional development to mental health services and professional associations internationally since 2003. He maintains a private practice in Hobart, Australia, undertakes mindfulness research at the MiCBT Institute, and regularly cooperates on mindfulness-based research with various universities in Australia and abroad.
Dr. Cayoun is the developer of the Co-Emergence Model of Reinforcement (CMR), a neurophenomenological framework that explains the mechanisms underlying intrusive thoughts, emotion dysregulation, and the therapeutic mechanisms of mindfulness meditation. His work bridges classical cognitive-behavioural therapy with contemporary neuroscience and Buddhist psychology, offering clinicians a unified theoretical understanding of how psychological disorders develop and how they can be effectively treated.
Dr Cayoun Dr Cayoun is the author and co-author of five books on MiCBT and his research has been published in leading peer-reviewed journals. His mindfulness training audio instructions are used worldwide in various languages, and he is the principal developer of validated and widely-used questionnaires, including the Short Progress Assessment, the Mindfulness-based Self Efficacy Scale, and co-developer of the Equanimity Scale-16.
Beyond clinical psychology research and practice, Dr. Cayoun maintains a deep engagement with Buddhist psychology and contemplative practice. He practises mindfulness meditation in the Burmese Vipassana tradition of Ledi Sayadaw, U Ba Khin and S. N. Goenka and has undergone intensive training in France, Nepal, India, and Australia since 1989. This unique integration of Western psychology, neuroscience, and Buddhist epistemology positions him as a leader in the third-wave cognitive-behavioural therapy movement and a voice for transdiagnostic, mechanistically-informed treatment.
Dr Bruno Cayoun is a clinical and research psychologist and developer of Mindfulness-integrated Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (MiCBT). He is the founder and Director of the MiCBT Institute, a leading provider of MiCBT training and professional development to mental health services and professional associations internationally since 2003. He maintains a private practice in Hobart, Australia, undertakes mindfulness research at the MiCBT Institute, and regularly cooperates on mindfulness-based research with various universities in Australia and abroad.
Dr. Cayoun is the developer of the Co-Emergence Model of Reinforcement (CMR), a neurophenomenological framework that explains the mechanisms underlying intrusive thoughts, emotion dysregulation, and the therapeutic mechanisms of mindfulness meditation. His work bridges classical cognitive-behavioural therapy with contemporary neuroscience and Buddhist psychology, offering clinicians a unified theoretical understanding of how psychological disorders develop and how they can be effectively treated.
Beyond clinical psychology research and practice, Dr. Cayoun maintains a deep engagement with Buddhist psychology and contemplative practice. He practises mindfulness meditation in the Burmese Vipassana tradition of Ledi Sayadaw, U Ba Khin and S. N. Goenka and has undergone intensive training in France, Nepal, India, and Australia since 1989. This unique integration of Western psychology, neuroscience, and Buddhist epistemology positions him as a leader in the third-wave cognitive-behavioural therapy movement and a voice for transdiagnostic, mechanistically-informed treatment.
Research Interests / Specialties:
- MiCBT education and dissemination
- The transdiagnostic applicability and effectiveness of MiCBT across disorders and cultures
- The development and assessment of mindfulness and equanimity psychometric measures
- Translational research in mindfulness practice and neural correlates
- Transtherapeutic efficacy of the co-emergence model of reinforcement
- Application of MiCBT in chronic pain
- Differential effects of different mindfulness approaches
- Compassion training and it's effects on well-being
- Beneficial effects of explicit ethics in psychological therapy
- Emotion regulation using the mindfulness-based interoceptive exposure task (MIET)
Publications:
SELECTED RESEARCH ARTICLES· Strohmaier, S.,
Cayoun, B. A., Shires, A. G., Medvedev, O. N., & Krageloh, C. U. (2025). Development and validation of the Mindfulness Meditation Practice Quality Scales (MMPQS) in a clinical population using Rasch analysis [preprint]. ResearchSquare. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8218417/v1
· Francis, S. E. B., Shawyer, F.,
Cayoun, B. A., Grabovac, A., and Meadows, G. (2024). Differentiating mindfulness-integrated cognitive behavior therapy and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy clinically: the
why,
how, and
what of evidence-based practice.
Frontiers in Psychology. 15:1342592.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1342592
· Shires, A., Osborne, S.,
Cayoun, B. A., Williams, E., & Rogers, K. (2023). Predictive validity and response shift in the Equanimity Scale-16.
Mindfulness, 14, 2880–2893.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-023-02257-7
· Francis, S. E. B., Shawyer, F.,
Cayoun, B., Enticott, J., and Meadows, G. N. (2022). Group mindfulness-integrated cognitive behavior therapy (MiCBT) reduces depression and anxiety and improves flourishing in a transdiagnostic primary care sample compared to treatment-as-usual: a randomized controlled trial.
Frontiers in Psychiatry. 13:815170.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.815170
·
Cayoun, B. A., Elphinstone, B., Kasselis, N., Glenn Bilsborrow, G., & Skilbeck, C. (2022). Validation and factor structure of the Mindfulness-based Self Efficacy Scale-Revised.
Mindfulness, 13, 751-765.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-022-01834-6
· Sohrabi, F., Sohrabi, A., Shams-Alizadeh, N., and
Cayoun, B. A. (2022). Managing type 2 diabetes and depression with mindfulness-integrated cognitive behavior therapy (MiCBT).
Discover Psychology. 2:10.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s44202-022-00026-6
·
Cayoun, B. A., & Shires, A. G., (2020). Co-emergence reinforcement and its relevance to interoceptive desensitization in mindfulness and therapies aiming at transdiagnostic efficacy.
Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 545945.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.545945
·
Cayoun, B. A., Simons, A., & Shires, A. (2020). Immediate and lasting chronic pain reduction following a brief self-implemented mindfulness-based interoceptive exposure task: A pilot study.
Mindfulness, 11, 112–124.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-017-0823-x
BOOKS
· Cayoun, B. A. (2011). Mindfulness-integrated CBT: Principles and Practice. Wiley-Blackwell.
· Cayoun, B. A. (2015). Mindfulness Mindfulness-integrated CBT for Well-Being and Personal Growth, Wiley-Blackwell.
· Cayoun, B. A., Francis, E., & Shires, A. G. (2019). The Clinical Handbook of Mindfulness-integrated Cognitive Behaviour Therapy: A Step-by-Step Guide for Therapists. Wiley-Blackwell.
· Grabovac, A., & Cayoun, B. A. (2025). The Mindfulness and Meditation Workbook for Anxiety and Depression: Balance Emotions, Overcome Intrusive Thoughts, and Find Peace Using Mindfulness-integrated CBT. New Harbinger.
· Cayoun, B. A., & Grabovac, A. D. (2026). Mindfulness-integrated CBT for well-being and personal growth: A 10‐week evidence‐based program to cultivate inner calm, boost self‐confidence and improve relationships. Wiley-Blackwell.
BOOK CHAPTERS
· Cayoun, B. A., Elphinstone, B., Shires, A.G. (2025). Equanimity Scale-16 (ES-16). In: Medvedev, O. N., Krägeloh, C. U., Siegert, R. J., Singh, N. N. (eds) Handbook of Assessment in Mindfulness Research. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-77644-2_57-2
· Cayoun, B. A., & Elphinstone, B. (2022). Mindfulness-Based Self-Efficacy Scale-Revised (MSES-R). In: Medvedev, O.N., Krägeloh, C.U., Siegert, R.J., Singh, N.N. (Eds) Handbook of Assessment in Mindfulness Research. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-77644-2_93-1
· Cayoun, B. A. (2017). The Purpose, Mechanisms, and Benefits of Cultivating Ethics in Mindfulness-Integrated Cognitive Behavior Therapy. In: Monteiro, L., Compson, J., Musten, F. (eds) Practitioner's Guide to Ethics and Mindfulness-Based Interventions. Mindfulness in Behavioral Health. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-64924-5_7
For more published research in MiCBT: https://www.mindfulness.net.au/research/research-studies/
Affiliations:
MiCBT Institute, Hobart, Australia
