Nine cancer patients who completed an 8-week Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program and continued attending weekly drop-in sessions described five themes from adding meditation to their lives: opening to change, self-control, shared experience, personal growth, and spirituality. These themes were used to develop theory about how MBSR creates change for cancer patients, which may help refine programs to better support patients during diagnosis, treatment, and recovery.
Caregivers of chronically ill children often experience high chronic stress. A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program offered to parents at a large urban children's medical center substantially reduced stress and mood disturbance. Forty-four caregivers, mostly mothers of children with special needs diagnosed an average of 7 years prior, completed the program. Before the intervention, they reported very high stress and mood disturbance. Over the 8-week program, stress symptoms decreased by 32% and total mood disturbance by 56%, both statistically significant. The findings suggest MBSR provides effective relief for this population, though further studies with more rigorous methods are needed.
A single yoga session for female cancer survivors was linked to steady increases in focused attention and positive mood, while changes in heart activity matched the intensity of each yoga sequence. Shifts in attention and mood were predicted by concurrent cardiac activity. Participants reported that awareness of breathing, physical movement, and increased relaxation were possible reasons for yoga's benefits. Yoga may work mainly as a meditative method for regulating attention and affect, distinct from exercise or relaxation alone.