A randomized controlled trial of mindfulness meditation versus relaxation training: Effects on distress, positive states of mind, rumination, and distraction
Annals of Behavioral Medicine February 1, 2007 Shamini Jain, Shauna L. Shapiro, Summer Swanick et al. 1,304 citations
A one-month mindfulness meditation program and a somatic relaxation training both reduced psychological distress and improved positive mood in 83 distressed students, compared with a no-treatment control group. The two active interventions produced similarly large reductions in distress, but mindfulness meditation had a larger effect on positive states of mind and was the only intervention that decreased both distractive and ruminative thoughts. Reducing rumination partially explained how mindfulness meditation lowered distress. No changes in spiritual experience were observed.