Effectiveness of Nature- and Animal Assisted Mindfulness for Relapse Prevention in Depressed Patients With a History of Childhood Maltreatment
Frontiers in Psychiatry July 14, 2022 Elisabeth Schramm, Christoph Breuninger, Rainer Wohlfarth et al.
A nature- and animal-assisted mindfulness program (NAM) combined with treatment-as-usual (TAU) was more effective than TAU alone in preventing depression relapse over 12 months in unstable or partially remitted depressed patients with a history of early life trauma. The 8-week program included 8 group sessions of 150 minutes each plus one booster session. Relapse rates and weeks spent depressed were significantly lower in the NAM group, and global quality of life improved more. Other secondary outcomes showed no significant difference. Satisfaction was high, with a 6% dropout rate, and most participants felt safe practicing with sheep in nature.