Quieting the Mind, Healing the Body: Guided Imagery and Mindfulness Meditation among Cancer Patients
Gireesh Giriyapura Rudrappa, Leena Kunnath Chacko
Indian Journal of Palliative Care June 12, 2026 DOI: 10.25259/ijpc_414_2025 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Quasi-experimental pretest–posttest control group design Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 148 |
| Population | Patients with stage II and III cancer undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy in a tertiary care hospital in South India |
| Interventions | Guided imagery Mindfulness meditation |
| Duration | 4-week intervention |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Guided imagery Psychological intervention Cancer Post-hoc analysis Relaxation psychology Coronary artery disease Statistical significance Physical therapy Wilcoxon signed-rank test Repeated measures design Radiation therapy Affect linguistics Clinical psychology Analysis of variance Blood pressure |
| Key findings | Both guided imagery and mindfulness meditation significantly improved physiological and psychological parameters in patients with cancer, with mindfulness meditation showing relatively greater psychological benefits. |
Abstract
Objectives: Cancer and its treatment modalities, such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy, adversely affect physiological stability and psychological well-being, leading to symptoms like pain, anxiety, depression, and stress. Mind–body interventions such as guided imagery (GI) and mindfulness meditation (MM) may help alleviate these symptoms. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of GI and MM on selected bio-physiological and psychological parameters among patients with cancer.
Materials and Methods: A quasi-experimental pretest–posttest control group design was adopted among 148 patients with stage II and III cancer undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy in a tertiary care hospital in South India during 2023–2024. Participants were assigned to GI (n=49), MM (n=49), and control (n=50) groups. Interventions were administered for 15 minutes twice daily over four weeks. Physiological parameters (heart rate, respiratory rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, salivary amylase) and psychological variables (pain, depression, anxiety, and stress) were assessed at baseline and post-intervention. Data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA, one-way ANOVA, Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and Bonferroni post hoc test, with significance set at p <0.05.
Results: Both GI and MM groups showed statistically significant improvements in physiological and psychological parameters compared to the control group ( p <0.001). Significant reductions were observed in heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, salivary amylase levels, pain, depression, anxiety, and stress. MM demonstrated relatively greater improvement in psychological outcomes, while GI showed comparable effectiveness in physiological stabilization.
Conclusion: Guided imagery and mindfulness meditation appear to be effective, feasible, and low-cost non-pharmacological interventions that improve physiological relaxation and psychological well-being among patients with cancer. Integration of these interventions into palliative and oncology nursing practice can enhance holistic patient care.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Cancer patients (clinical intervention study) | 2003 | Mixed methods: scale development, correlational, quasi-experimental, laboratory, experience-sampling, and clinical intervention study | |
| Loving-kindness meditation increases social connectedness. | 2008 | Controlled laboratory experiment | |
| Mindfulness and mind-wandering: Finding convergence through opposing constructs. | 2012 | Two studies: correlational study and experimental study | |
| Mental Training Enhances Attentional Stability: Neural and Behavioral Evidence | 2009 | Experimental study | |
| Mindfulness meditation and substance use in an incarcerated population. Incarcerated population | 2006 | Quasi-experimental with treatment-as-usual control condition |
Citations in the library
Cites 5
- The impact of mindfulness-based interventions on symptom burden, positive psychological outcomes, and biomarkers in cancer patients Cancer Management and Research June 1, 2015
- Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Clinical Practice: A Systematic Review of Neurocognitive Outcomes and Applications for Mental Health and Well-Being. Journal of Clinical Medicine March 3, 2025
- Effects of mindfulness-based interventions on cognitive impairment in patients with cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis. International journal of clinical and health psychology : IJCHP 2025
- Mindfulness-Based Interventions and the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis: A Systematic Review. Neurology International November 20, 2024
- PE augmented mindfulness: A neurocognitive framework for research and future healthcare Frontiers in Human Neuroscience August 23, 2022