Preliminary Investigation of a Mindfulness-Based Intervention for Social Anxiety Disorder That Integrates Compassion Meditation and Mindful Exposure.
Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.) May 1, 2016 Diana Koszycki, Jennifer Thake, Céline Mavounza et al.
A 12-week group mindfulness-based intervention tailored for social anxiety disorder (MBI-SAD) was tested against a waitlist control in a randomized trial with 39 participants. The intervention combined mindfulness, self-compassion training, and exposure exercises. 81% of participants attended at least 75% of sessions, indicating feasibility. Compared to the waitlist, MBI-SAD led to greater improvements in social anxiety symptom severity, depression, and social adjustment, and enhanced self-compassion and certain mindfulness facets. Gains were maintained at a 3-month follow-up. The authors suggest the intervention is promising and call for a comparison with cognitive-behavior therapy.