Mindtrek: development and implementation of a nature-based contemplative programme for patients, caregivers and clinicians in integrative breast oncology
Guido Freddi, Lucrezia Bizzarri, Cristina Rossi, Gianluca Franceschini, Stefano Magno, Claudia Maggiore, Mara D’Onofrio, Maria Gabriella Buzzi, Alessandro Giannandrea
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) October 11, 2026 preprint DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.23304116 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Preprint Qualitative |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 41 |
| Population | 19 patients with breast cancer, 19 caregivers and 3 clinicians at an integrative oncology centre in Rome |
| Interventions | shared silence attentional practices |
| Duration | Two eight-week cycles (winters 2025 and 2026) |
| Key points | The preprint reports that all 41 participants (19 patients with breast cancer, 19 caregivers, 3 clinicians) completed two eight-week Mindtrek cycles and that no accidents occurred. The authors make no claim of efficacy, stating that no research data were collected; they argue for bringing patients, caregivers and clinicians into a single group, drawing on terror management theory and research on contemplative practice and mortality salience. |
Abstract
This preprint describes the development and clinical implementation of Mindtrek, a nature-based contemplative programme, at the Komen Italia Centre for Integrative Oncology, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Rome. Mindtrek combines slow walking in natural environments, shared silence, attentional practices and group reflection. In two eight-week cycles (winters 2025 and 2026) it was delivered as integrative clinical care to 19 patients with breast cancer, 19 caregivers and 3 clinicians, who practised together as a single group. The report sets out the rationale for bringing patients, caregivers and clinicians into the same programme, drawing on terror management theory and research on contemplative practice and mortality salience. It presents four design principles, describes the intervention according to the TIDieR checklist, and reports participation, attendance and safety across the two cycles: all participants completed the programme and no accidents occurred. A prospective feasibility study with standardised measures and an independent qualitative component is planned for 2027. No research data were collected and no claim of efficacy is made. The theoretical and anthropological foundations of the method are developed in a companion paper by the first author: Mindtrek: Nature as Contemplative Mirror (Mindtrek Papers #02), https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23076578.