Mindfulness Development via Biofeedback for Anxiety in Hospitalized Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Brain Sciences July 15, 2026 Anastasia V. Kotelnikova, Vera M. Ruzinova, Maria G. Kiseleva et al.
Adding biofeedback to anxiety disorder treatment reduces anxiety and improves mindfulness more than medication alone. Inpatients with anxiety disorders were randomly assigned to biofeedback for enhancing mindfulness, medication therapy (escitalopram 10 mg/day), or combined therapy. After 10 days of treatment and at one-month follow-up, the biofeedback and combined groups showed significantly greater reductions in anxiety (measured by the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale) and increases in mindfulness (measured by the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire) compared to the medication-only group, which showed a decrease in mindfulness. The biofeedback and combined groups did not differ significantly from each other. These findings suggest biofeedback may be a promising component of comprehensive anxiety therapy.