A Randomized Controlled Trial of Tong Len Meditation Practice in Cancer Patients: Evaluation of a Distant Psychological Healing Effect.
Gioacchino Pagliaro, Paolo Pandolfi, Natalina Collina, Giovanni Frezza, Alba Brandes, Margherita Galli, Federica Marzocchi Avventuroso, Sara De Lisio, Muriel Assunta Musti, Enrico Franceschi, Roberta Degli Esposti, Laura Lombardo, Giovanna Cavallo, Monica Di Battista, Simonetta Rimondini, Rosalba Poggi, Cinzia Susini, Rina Renzi, Linda Marconi
Explore 2016 DOI: 10.1016/j.explore.2015.10.001 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Double-blind randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 103 |
| Population | Cancer patients with tumors |
| Duration | Three months of treatment with assessments at baseline (T0), two months (T1), three months (T2), and one month after treatment cessation (T3) |
| Measures | Profile of Mood States (POMS), European Quality of Life-5 Dimensions (EQ-5D) |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Compassion Distance meditation Nonlocal phenomena Quantum physics Tong len |
| Key findings | The authors report insufficient evidence that distant Tong Len meditation heals psychological symptoms, despite a statistically significant advantage for the treatment group on depression (P = .003) and for the control group on vigor/activity (P = .009). Both groups improved on the remaining POMS and EQ-5D factors, which the authors say warrants deeper investigation of distant meditation for cancer patients' psychological problems. |
Abstract
Tong Len meditation is an important therapeutic tool in the Tibetan medicine, and it can be used for self-healing and/or to heal others. Currently, in the West, there is no scientific study concerning the efficacy of a Tong Len distant healing effect on psychological disorders in cancer patients. To evaluate a distant healing effect of Tong Len meditation on stress, anxiety, depression, fatigue, and self-perceived quality of life in cancer patients. These psychological objectives were chosen as a consequence of the limited scientific literature of present day. We performed a double-blind randomized controlled trial on 103 cancer patients with tumors. Overall, 12 meditators used Tong Len in aid of 52 patients randomly selected as experimental group, while the remaining 51 patients constituted the control group. Patients and meditators did not know each other. All patients completed profile of mood states (POMS) and European Quality of Life-5 dimensions (EQ-5D) questionnaires before treatment (T0), after two (T1) and three months of treatment (T2), and one month after treatment cessation (T3). With regard to the parameters related to depression, a statistically significant improvement (P = .003) was observed in the treatment group compared to controls. On the other hand, the vigor/activity parameter saw significant improvements in the control group (P = .009). Both groups exhibited significant improvements in the other factors assessed in the POMS and EQ-5D questionnaires. This study did not provide sufficient evidence supporting an efficacy of Tong Len meditation in distant psychological healing as compared to a control condition. The research highlighted some psychological improvements through Tong Len distant meditation in a group of patients unknown to meditators. Therefore, the enhancement detected in most parameters in both treatment and control groups raises interest on in-depth analysis and evaluation of distant meditation on cancer patients to mitigate psychological problems caused by the disease.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Healthy employees in a work environment | 2003 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 41 |
| Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2000 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 145 |
| Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Working adults | 2008 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 139 |
| Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Undergraduate Chinese students | 2007 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 40 |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Replication and Exploration of Differential Relapse Prevention Effects. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2004 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 73 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 6
- What if consciousness is not an emergent property of the brain? Observational and empirical challenges to materialistic models. Frontiers in Psychology 2022
- Meditation and Emotion The Oxford Handbook of Meditation October 4, 2019
- A preliminary study on the effectiveness of a virtual reality system to enhance Tonglen compassion practice Virtual Reality June 19, 2026
- Investigating the Psychophysiological Effects of Tonglen Compassion Meditation in Healthcare Workers Mindfulness June 3, 2025
- Effectiveness of meditation for fatigue management: Insight from a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis. General Hospital Psychiatry August 1, 2024
and 1 more in the library
Cites 3
- Loving-kindness and compassion meditation: potential for psychological interventions. Clinical Psychology Review July 26, 2011
- BOLD signal in insula is differentially related to cardiac function during compassion meditation in experts vs. novices. Neuroimage September 1, 2009
- Effect of compassion meditation on neuroendocrine, innate immune and behavioral responses to psychosocial stress. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2009