Intensive mindfulness training-related changes in cognitive and emotional experience
Kevin M. Orzech, Shauna L. Shapiro, Kirk Warren Brown, Matthew P. McKay
The Journal of Positive Psychology May 1, 2009 DOI: 10.1080/17439760902819394 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Quasi-experimental and longitudinal Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 69 |
| Population | Community adults |
| Intervention | Intensive mindfulness training |
| Dose | 10–12 hours of formal mindfulness practice per day for 1 month |
| Duration | 1-month intervention, 1-month follow-up |
| Topics | Anxiety Meditation |
| Keywords | Operationalization Clinical psychology Psychological resilience Experiential learning Cognitive reappraisal Compassion Psychotherapist Trait Cognition |
| Citations | 128 |
| Key findings | Intensive mindfulness training was associated with increases in trait mindfulness, decentering, and acceptance, and with declines in anxiety and improvements in well-being and self-compassion. |
Abstract
This study examined the role of intensive mindfulness training on changes in day-to-day experiential processing, psychological symptoms, resilience, and well-being in two groups of community adults (N = 69). Using both quasi-experimental and longitudinal methods, the study found that intensive training, operationalized as 10–12 hours of formal mindfulness practice per day for 1 month, was significantly related to increases in training-specific experiential processing capacities, namely trait mindfulness and decentering (reperceiving), in comparison to pre–post-training wait-list controls. In both training groups combined, mindfulness, decentering, and acceptance increased over the pre-training to 1-month follow-up period. Intensive mindfulness training was also related to declines in anxiety and enhanced both subjective well-being and self-compassion from pre-training to follow-up in the two training groups. Finally, increases in trait mindfulness and acceptance were related to improvements in psychological symptoms, well-being, and resilience. Future directions for this novel area of mindfulness research are discussed.