A Qualitative Study Comparing the Experiences of the Meditation-Based Lifestyle Modification Program with Multi-professional Psychiatric Treatment for Female Outpatients with Mild to Moderate Depression
Julian Gross, Karin Matko, Jill Vennemann, Holger C Bringmann
OBM Integrative and Complementary Medicine December 14, 2021 DOI: 10.21926/obm.icm.2104054 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 12 |
| Population | Psychiatric outpatients receiving treatment in an outpatient clinic |
| Interventions | Meditation-Based Lifestyle Modification (MBLM) multi-professional psychiatric treatment (MPT) |
| Duration | Eight-week intervention |
| Topics | Depression Meditation |
| Citations | 3 |
| Key findings | Five themes emerged from patient interviews: calmness, increased awareness, interpersonal relationships, depressive symptoms, and difficulties within therapy. The MBLM and MPT groups differed in the frequency with which topics were addressed and in perceived effectiveness. MBLM participants generally appeared to experience a deeper emotional-experiential integration, whereas MPT patients showed more cognitive-behavioral processing. |
Abstract
Meditation-Based Lifestyle Modification (MBLM) is a complex eight-week mind-body intervention based on the traditional eight-fold path of classical yoga. MBLM was developed for mental health care, and it combines ethical living, physical yoga, and meditation. In this qualitative study, the subjectively perceived efficacy of MBLM was compared to the perceived efficacy of an individually tailored, multi-professional psychiatric treatment (MPT) in a psychiatric outpatient clinic. Twelve patients were interviewed for this study (six for each condition). All qualitative interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. In total, five main themes with associated subthemes emerged from the data: calmness, increased awareness, interpersonal relationships, depressive symptoms, and difficulties within the therapy. Moreover, our study showed significant differences between the two therapy groups. First, the groups differed regarding the frequency with which various topics were addressed by the patients. Second, the perceived effectiveness of both therapies (MBLM vs. MPT) varied according to descriptions of the perceived changes in each participant. The participants in the MBLM program generally appeared to experience a deeper emotional-experiential integration which contrasted with the more cognitive-behavioral processing of the MPT patients. These findings may guide further research and the implementation of similar complementary therapies in psychiatry.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on depression, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cites 7
- The psychological effects of meditation: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin May 14, 2012
- Meditation based lifestyle modification (MBLM) in outpatients with mild to moderate depression: A mixed-methods feasibility study. Complementary Therapies in Medicine November 16, 2020
- “To Be Finally at Peace with Myself”: A Qualitative Study Reflecting Experiences of the Meditation-Based Lifestyle Modification Program in Mild-to-Moderate Depression The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine June 29, 2021
- Differential Effects of Ethical Education, Physical Hatha Yoga, and Mantra Meditation on Well-Being and Stress in Healthy Participants-An Experimental Single-Case Study. Frontiers in Psychology 2021
- Yoga, mindfulness-based stress reduction and stress-related physiological measures: A meta-analysis. Psychoneuroendocrinology December 2017
and 2 more in the library