Metacognition and Mindfulness Integrated Therapy Reduces Severity of Hallucination in a Patient Not Taking Antipsychotic Medication.
Devvarta Kumar, Ganesan Venkatasubramanian
Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy August 2018 DOI: 10.1891/0889-8391.32.3.192 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case study Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1 |
| Population | A patient with distressing auditory hallucinations who could not tolerate antipsychotic medications |
| Intervention | Metacognition and mindfulness integrated therapy |
| Duration | Eight sessions |
| Measures | Psychotic Symptom Rating Scale (PSYRATS) auditory hallucination subscale |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Hallucination Metacognition Schizophrenia |
| Key findings | The patient's PSYRATS auditory hallucination score fell by more than 50% after eight sessions of integrated metacognition and mindfulness therapy. The authors propose that building metacognitive insight helps patients adopt a detached approach to hallucinations, reducing distress, and suggest this approach may benefit patients who do not take antipsychotics. |
Abstract
Psychological interventions have proven efficacy in treating psychotic symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations. However, the efficacy of these interventions has primarily been evaluated in the context of their use as an adjunct to antipsychotics or on patients who do not respond to adequate trials of antipsychotics. There is paucity of research about the effectiveness of psychological interventions in patients who do not take antipsychotics either because they are not willing to take medications or are not able to tolerate antipsychotics due to the side effects. We report here the case of a patient who had distressing auditory hallucinations and was not able to take antipsychotic medications because of severe reactions. She responded to metacognition and mindfulness integrated therapy for auditory hallucination. A total of eight sessions of therapy with the major focus on enhancement of metacognitive insight into the mechanisms of genesis and maintenance of hallucinations followed by encouraging the patient to use mindfulness-based strategies and regular self-monitoring of hallucinatory experiences were conducted. The patient was assessed pre-post intervention on the auditory hallucination subscale of the Psychotic Symptom Rating Scale (PSYRATS). There was significant improvement as reflected by more than 50% reduction in the PSYRATS score. This case highlights that metacognition and mindfulness integrated therapy has the potential to help patients with hallucination who do not take antipsychotic medications. The insight building helps in developing a detached approach towards hallucinatory experiences which, in turn, reduces distress caused by the hallucinations.
Comparable studies
Other case reports and case series on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brain sources of EEG gamma frequency during volitionally meditation-induced, altered states of consciousness, and experience of the self Advanced meditator | 2001 | Case study | n = 1 |
| Mindfulness Meditation for Alcohol Relapse Prevention: A Feasibility Pilot Study Adult alcohol-dependent graduates of an intensive outpatient program | 2008 | Prospective case series | n = 19 |
| How does it feel to lack a sense of boundaries? A case study of a long-term mindfulness meditator. A single long-term mindfulness practitioner (S) with 40 years of practice in... | 2015 | Qualitative case study | n = 1 |
| Loving‐kindness meditation to enhance recovery from negative symptoms of schizophrenia Individuals suffering from schizophrenia-spectrum disorders with persistent negative... | 2009 | Case study | |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Problem Gambling A female problem gambler | 2011 | Case study | n = 1 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 1
Cites 3
- Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2003
- Mindfulness of voices, self-compassion, and secure attachment in relation to the experience of hearing voices. British Journal of Clinical Psychology August 12, 2017
- Mindfulness groups for distressing voices and paranoia: a replication and randomized feasibility trial. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy July 1, 2009