Stress Reduction through Mindfulness Meditation
Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics February 18, 2010 DOI: 10.1159/000289116 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 28 |
| Population | Individuals who volunteered to participate |
| Intervention | Mindfulness meditation |
| Duration | 8-week intervention |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Citations | 628 |
| Key findings | Mindfulness meditation training reduced psychological symptomatology and increased sense of control and spiritual experiences compared to no intervention. |
Abstract
Background: This study examined the effects of an 8-week stress reduction program based on training in mindfulness meditation. Previous research efforts suggesting this program may be beneficial in terms of reducing stress-related symptomatology and helping patients cope with chronic pain have been limited by a lack of adequate comparison control group.
Methods: Twenty-eight individuals who volunteered to participate in the present study were randomized into either an experimental group or a nonintervention control group.
Results: Following participation, experimental subjects, when compared with controls, evidenced significantly greater changes in terms of: (1) reductions in overall psychological symptomatology; (2) increase in overall domain-specific sense of control and utilization of an accepting or yielding mode of control in their lives, and (3) higher scores on a measure of spiritual experiences.
Conclusions: The techniques of mindfulness meditation, with their emphasis on developing detached observation and awareness of the contents of consciousness, may represent a powerful cognitive behavioral coping strategy for transforming the ways in which we respond to life events. They may also have potential for relapse prevention in affective disorders.