Effectiveness of Mindfulness and Qigong Training for Self-Healing in patients with Hwabyung and depressive disorder: a randomized controlled trial.
Seok-In Yoon, Hui-Yeong Park, Chan Park, Jiho Pyun, Jae-Hong Yoo, Geum-Ju Song, Hyun Woo Lee, Sun-Yong Chung, Jong Woo Kim
Frontiers in Psychiatry 2025 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1508937 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 64 |
| Population | Patients diagnosed with both Hwabyung and depressive disorder |
| Intervention | Mindfulness and Qigong Training for Self-Healing (MQT-SH) |
| Duration | 6-week intervention, 6-week follow-up |
| Topics | Anxiety Depression Meditation |
| Keywords | Hwabyung Qigong Randomized controlled trial Mental well-being Overall well-being Anger Symptoms Mind-body practices mindfulness Training Safe intervention Investigated Findings Vitality vitality Inner vitality Subjective vitality Boost |
| Citations | 3 |
| Key findings | Mindfulness and Qigong Training for Self-Healing (MQT-SH) significantly decreased Hwabyung, depression, anxiety, and anger while increasing subjective vitality, with effects maintained at a six-week follow-up. |
Abstract
Hwabyung is a Korean culture-bound syndrome characterized by anger-related physical and psychological symptoms. Depressive disorder is a common mental disorder that occurs worldwide and is highly comorbid with Hwabyung. In traditional East Asian medicine, both Hwabyung and depression are associated with an imbalance in vital energy termed qi. Mindfulness induces psychosomatic balance, and qigong facilitates the cultivation and regulation of qi, which may be effective treatments for Hwabyung and depression. This study aimed to investigate whether Mindfulness and Qigong Training for Self-Healing (MQT-SH) could improve psychosomatic symptoms in patients with Hwabyung and depressive disorders. This was a two-arm, randomized controlled trial. Patients diagnosed with both Hwabyung and depressive disorder were included in the trial. A total of 64 participants were recruited and randomly assigned to either the experimental (n=32) or control group (n=32). The experimental group underwent MQT-SH that consisted of mindfulness and qigong for the first six weeks, whereas the control group received no treatment. During the next six weeks, the control group performed MQT-SH for ethical equity. Assessments were conducted at baseline, post-intervention (6-week), and follow-up (12-week). MQT-SH significantly decreased Hwabyung, depression, anxiety, and anger while increasing subjective vitality, and the effectiveness of the intervention were maintained at a short-term follow-up of 6 weeks. Physical vitality mediated the effectiveness of the MQT-SH on Hwabyung, whereas psychological vitality mediated the effectiveness of the MQT-SH on depression. Only one adverse event was reported during the intervention period. Home practice was not significantly associated with any intervention change. This study demonstrated that MQT-SH is an effective and safe intervention for patients with Hwabyung and depressive disorders. This study explored the possibility that subjective vitality may serve as a mechanism for treating psychosomatic and mood symptoms. Future studies should control for placebo effects and conduct long-term follow-ups. This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Kyung-Hee University Oriental Medicine Hospital in Gangdong (KHNMCOH 2023-09-003). https://cris.nih.go.kr/cris/search/detailSearch.do?seq=26882&status=5&seq_group=25511&search_page=M, identifier KCT0008937.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on depression, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
Cites 17
- Mechanisms of mindfulness Journal of Clinical Psychology December 29, 2005
- How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective Perspectives on Psychological Science October 14, 2011
- Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Psychosomatic Medicine July 1, 2003
- Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness‐Based Cognitive Therapy – a systematic review of randomized controlled trials Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica April 28, 2011
- Home practice in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction: A systematic review and meta-analysis of participants' mindfulness practice and its association with outcomes Behaviour Research and Therapy May 10, 2017
and 12 more in the library