Effects of brief mindful breathing and loving-kindness meditation on shame and social problem solving abilities among individuals with high borderline personality traits.
Behaviour Research and Therapy October 1, 2017 Shian-Ling Keng, Jun Xian Tan
Brief mindfulness meditation, but not loving-kindness meditation (LKM), reduces shame in adults with high borderline personality disorder (BPD) traits. In a laboratory experiment, 88 participants with high BPD traits recalled a negative autobiographical memory to induce shame, then were randomly assigned to 10 minutes of mindful breathing, LKM, or a no-instruction control. Shame decreased significantly more in the mindfulness group than in the LKM or control groups. Social problem-solving abilities did not differ among groups after the intervention. The findings suggest mindfulness is effective for regulating shame in this population, while LKM may be less useful under high emotional arousal.