INSOMNIA (symposium session): Expanding the insomnia toolkit: mindfulness-based therapy for insomnia
Tracks
Track 5
| Saturday, November 14, 2026 |
| 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM |
Details
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) is currently considered the gold-standard treatment for chronic insomnia, , it is ineffective for 30-40% of patients, highlighting the need to develop or expand the model. There is good evidence for the use of Mindfulness-Based Therapy for Insomnia (MBT-I) as an effective therapy for insomnia that has evolved from CBT-I - blending mindfulness meditation with established CBT-I [GW1.1]techniques to address the hyperarousal, cognitive reactivity, and emotional dysregulation that drive insomnia persistence. This symposium brings together sleep psychologists, a sleep physician, and sleep researchers to examine the theoretical foundations, clinical integration, scalable delivery and current evidence of the effectiveness of MBTI for addressing insomnia and co-morbid conditions.
Speaker
Gisele Withers
MBTI in the clinic: Practical delivery, digital integration, and up-skilling for clinical practice
11:00 AM - 11:18 AMBiography
Allie Peters
Why mindfulness? Theoretical foundations and the evidence base for MBTI
11:18 AM - 11:36 AMBiography
Dr David Cunnington
Sleep Physician
Sunshine Coast University Hospital and University of the Sunshine Coast
A sleep physician's perspective: When and why to refer for MBTI
11:36 AM - 11:54 AMBiography
Dr David Cunnington is a sleep physician at Sunshine Coast University Hospital, and an Adjunct Fellow at the University of the Sunshine Coast. He is Chair of the clinical committee of the Australasian Sleep Association and a Field Editor for the journal Sleep Medicine. David's clinical and research interests span insomnia and its behavioural and pharmacological management, sleep diagnostics, complex sleep disordered breathing, narcolepsy and disorders of hypersomnolence, and sleep in psychiatric conditions.
Miss Hemangi Sanjivini
PhD Candidate
Monash University
Scaling MBTI: Digital interventions and the future of accessible insomnia care
11:54 AM - 12:12 PMBiography
Melinda Jackson
Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University
Chair
Biography
Gisele Withers
Chair
Biography
