The Benefits of Loving Kindness Meditation for Helping Professionals: A Systematic Review
Tracy Watson, Lynelle Watts, Rebecca Waters, David Hodgson
Health & Social Care in the Community October 23, 2023 DOI: 10.1155/2023/5579057 (opens in new tab)
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractHelping professionals often face health problems from constant exposure to others' emotional distress. Although the term compassion fatigue suggests compassion causes exhaustion, research indicates compassion actually promotes well-being and is neurologically rejuvenating. This review of scientific literature on loving kindness meditation (LKM), a compassion-enhancing practice, suggests LKM can serve as an alternative strategy to reduce stress, ease empathic distress, and increase positive affect.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | loving kindness meditation |
| Key finding | Loving kindness meditation can reduce stress, ease empathic distress, and increase positive affect. |
Abstract
Helping professionals are at risk of experiencing adverse health and psychological problems when working in roles where they are continually exposed to the emotional distress of others. The term compassion fatigue was coined to describe symptoms of emotional and physical fatigue experienced by workers in these environments. However, empirical research contends that compassion does not cause fatigue, rather compassion is said to foster well-being and is neurologically rejuvenating. The objective of this review was to examine the scientific literature which investigated the compassion-enhancing practice of loving kindness meditation (LKM). This review suggests that LKM can be seen as an alternate strategy to reduce stress, ease empathic distress, and increase positive affect.