The Chinese medicine construct "stagnation" in mind-body connection mediates the effects of mindfulness training on depression and anxiety.
Complementary Therapies in Medicine August 1, 2013 Herman H M Lo, Siu-Man Ng, Cecilia L W Chan et al.
A randomized trial assigned 82 adults with depressive and anxiety symptoms to either a Compassion-Mindfulness Therapy program or a waitlist control. Those in the therapy group showed significant decreases in depression, anxiety, stagnation, and other well-being measures compared to controls. Stagnation, a concept from Chinese medicine, partially mediated the treatment effects on depression and anxiety, with reductions in the direct effect of treatment after accounting for changes in stagnation. The findings suggest stagnation may help explain how mindfulness training produces its benefits, supporting a body-mind nondual perspective.