Complementary Therapies in Medicine
November 16, 2020
H. Bringmann, Nicole Bringmann, M. Jeitler et al.
16 citations
A new mind-body program called Meditation Based Lifestyle Modification (MBLM) was tested in 25 outpatients with mild or moderate depression to see if it was feasible and acceptable. Twenty patients completed at least six sessions, with 87.5% adherence. Most participants reported decreased emotional distress, increased self-confidence and self-acceptance, and many found the ethical aspects of yoga novel and inspiring. Depressive symptoms decreased by 39.23%, and measures of mindfulness and eudaemonic well-being improved significantly. The program appears highly acceptable and feasible for this population.
Depression and Anxiety
March 21, 2022
H. Bringmann, A. Michalsen, M. Jeitler et al.
A new program called Meditation-Based Lifestyle Modification (MBLM), a second-generation mindfulness-based intervention, appears to be an effective, low-risk, and cost-effective option for reducing the burden of depression in outpatients. The program shows promise as a treatment for depressive symptoms.
Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine
June 29, 2021
H. Bringmann, Jill Vennemann, Julianne Gross et al.
Depressive patients who participated in Meditation-Based Lifestyle Modification (MBLM), a mind-body intervention rooted in classical yoga that integrates ethical living, physical yoga, and meditation, reported three main benefits: reappraising past and present life patterns, experiencing serenity through calm and acceptance, and living more mindfully with increased self-awareness and conscious interactions. The ethical component was key to empowerment and appreciating personal strengths. These outcomes were sustained after six months.
Mindfulness
November 30, 2020
Karin Matko, U. Ott, P. Sedlmeier
Meditation covers a wide range of contemplative practices, and earlier attempts to categorize them have been incomplete. To create a comprehensive list, researchers first identified 309 meditation techniques from literature and interviews with 20 expert meditators, then reduced these to 50 basic techniques. In a second study, 635 experienced meditators from diverse traditions rated their experience with each technique, confirming the list was adequate with only two additions needed. Statistical analyses revealed preferences for specific techniques within and across traditions, and sets of techniques commonly practiced together. Body-centered techniques were especially important across all meditators. The resulting set of 50 basic techniques may aid future scientific research.
Frontiers in Psychology
October 22, 2019
Juliane Eberth, P. Sedlmeier, Thomas Schäfer
Equanimity (reduced emotional reactivity) and insight (altered cognitions) are the two key effects of mindfulness meditation that lead to increased wellbeing, according to a model developed from interviews with meditators and refined using Western research and Buddhist scriptures. The model was pilot-tested with a large sample of meditators and non-meditators, showing acceptable fit and significant differences between the groups on the model's core categories. This work builds on a prior meta-analysis that found positive effects of mindfulness meditation on mindfulness, emotions, self-concept, attention, perception, wellbeing, interpersonal abilities, and personality traits.
Frontiers in Psychology
October 15, 2019
Karin Matko, P. Sedlmeier
Meditation encompasses many different practices, and earlier classification systems failed to capture their diversity. Experienced meditators rated the similarity of 20 popular techniques. Multidimensional scaling revealed two key dimensions—activation and body orientation—that group techniques into seven clusters: mindful observation, body-centered meditation, visual concentration, contemplation, affect-centered meditation, mantra meditation, and meditation with movement. These clusters challenge the common division into focused attention and open-monitoring practices. The findings suggest there is no single "meditation" but rather distinct groups that may produce different effects, and the authors propose a new embodied classification system for future comparative research.
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews
March 21, 2016
K. Fox, Matthew L. Dixon, Savannah Nijeboer et al.
Different styles of meditation produce distinct patterns of brain activity and deactivation, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis of 78 functional neuroimaging studies. Four common styles—focused attention, mantra recitation, open monitoring, and compassion/loving-kindness—showed reliably dissociable activation patterns consistent with their psychological aims. Some brain areas, such as the insula and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, were recruited across multiple techniques, but convergence was the exception. A preliminary effect-size analysis found medium effects for both activations and deactivations, suggesting potential practical significance. The review also raised methodological concerns and suggested avenues for future research.