Pilot study of an online-delivered mindfulness meditation in Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS): effect on quality-of-life and participant lived experience.
Disability and Rehabilitation November 1, 2023 Paul Lattimore, Fay Harrison
Daily practice of internet-delivered mindfulness meditation for two weeks produced clinically important improvement in the mental component of quality-of-life among people with Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS). Of 157 recruited from UK EDS charity mailing lists, 76 completed the intervention. The SF-36 mental component summary score showed a statistically significant change of medium effect size. Thematic analysis of interviews with 10 participants identified three themes: increased body awareness, reduction in pain intensity, and barriers to practice. The findings suggest online mindfulness meditation may be an acceptable therapy for pain in EDS, but controlled trials are needed to establish efficacy.