Previous studies have demonstrated that attempts to suppress thoughts about using substances may actually lead to increases in substance use. Vipassana, a mindfulness meditation practice, emphasizes acceptance, rather than suppression, of unwanted thoughts. A study by Bowen and colleagues examining the effects of a Vipassana course on substance use in an incarcerated population showed...
Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of meditation therapy on the social anxiety. Methods: The subjects of this study were totally 111(54 in the experimental group, 57 in the control group) as nursing students. Research design was nonequivalcnt control group pretest - posttest quasi-experimental research. The period was from March to October, 2006. The researcher gave experimental...
OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of a meditation training program, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), on depressive symptoms, psychological status, and disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) through a randomized, waitlist-controlled pilot study. METHODS: Participants were randomized to either an MBSR group, where they attended an 8-week course and 4-month maintenance...
Abstract Chapter 9 outlines the eighth session of CBSM treatment, which explores meditation (its physiological effects, medical applications, postures, and the meditative attitude). Mantra meditation is particularly focused upon. Anger management is also discussed, including the physical symptoms of anger, awareness of response patterns and power dynamics, and options for expressing anger.
An increasing number of studies consider the specific processes by which distressing sensations, thoughts, and emotional experiences exert their influence on the daily functioning of those who suffer with chronic pain. Clinical methods of mindfulness and the processes that underlie them appear to have clear implications in this area, but have not been systematically investigated to this point...
To describe the construct of mindfulness meditation and systematically review instruments measuring the psychological impact of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) on health among patients with cancer. PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, ISI Web of Knowledge, EBSCO, and published literature (1987-2006). 13 psychological instruments used in seven studies (2000-2005) to measure effects of MBSR on...
It has long been theorised that there are two temporally distinct forms of self-reference: extended self-reference linking experiences across time, and momentary self-reference centred on the present. To characterise these two aspects of awareness, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine monitoring of enduring traits ('narrative' focus, NF) or momentary experience...
Depersonalization (DP), i.e., feelings of being detached from one's own mental processes or body, can be considered as a form of mental escape from the full experience of reality. This mental escape is thought to be etiologically linked with maltreatment during childhood. The detached state of consciousness in DP contrasts with certain aspects of mindfulness, a state of consciousness...
The aim of this study was to compare a mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program and a healing through the creative arts (HA) program on measures of post-traumatic growth (PTGI-R), spirituality (FACIT-Sp), stress (SOSI), and mood disturbance (POMS) in cancer patients. A sample of cancer outpatients (MBSR, n = 60; HA, n = 44) with a variety of diagnoses chose to attend either an 8-week...
Natural Stress Relief meditation, a mental technique which is practiced for 15 minutes twice a day, aims to reduce stress and anxiety by eliciting a specific state of physiological rest along with mental alertness. The meditation is taught in a self-administered program, requiring one hour of training during the first three days, followed by the regular twice daily practice. Each 15-min....
Abstract Although hypnosis is now less popular as an interviewing technique in forensic investigations than it used to be, recent evidence suggests that some of the components of hypnotic interviewing might still be useful in the development of brief memory facilitation procedures. Two experiments are described which continue this componential approach to hypnotic interviewing. In the first...
OBJECTIVE: Mindfulness is a process whereby one is aware and receptive to present moment experiences. Although mindfulness-enhancing interventions reduce pathological mental and physical health symptoms across a wide variety of conditions and diseases, the mechanisms underlying these effects remain unknown. Converging evidence from the mindfulness and neuroscience literature suggests that...
Meditation refers to a family of mental training practices that are designed to familiarize the practitioner with specific types of mental processes. One of the most basic forms of meditation is concentration meditation, in which sustained attention is focused on an object such as a small visual stimulus or the breath. In age-matched participants, using functional MRI, we found that activation...
BACKGROUND: Stress can impact student performance. Yet few medical schools provide students with a consistent opportunity to develop and regularly practice stress reduction techniques to aid them academically. DESCRIPTION: A curriculum component designed to assist 64 postbaccalaureate minority students in developing and practicing a stress-management technique was implemented on a regular basis...
The objectives of this pilot study were to assess the feasibility of recruitment and adherence to an eight-session mindfulness meditation program for community-dwelling older adults with chronic low back pain (CLBP) and to develop initial estimates of treatment effects. It was designed as a randomized, controlled clinical trial. Participants were 37 community-dwelling older adults aged 65 years...
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is a new group-based intervention for prevention of relapse in recurrent depression which has not been scientifically evaluated regarding its clinical effectiveness for ameliorating residual depressive symptoms following a depressive episode. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of MBCT in reducing residual depressive symptoms in...
Mindfulness is defined as paying attention in the present moment. We investigate the hypothesis that mindfulness training may alter or enhance specific aspects of attention. We examined three functionally and neuroanatomically distinct but overlapping attentional subsystems: alerting, orienting, and conflict monitoring. Functioning of each subsystem was indexed by performance on the Attention...
Mindfulness-based stress-reduction courses were offered in drug units in six Massachusetts Department of Corrections prisons. A total of 1,350 inmates completed the 113 courses. Evaluation assessments were held before and after each course, and highly significant pre- to post-course improvements were found on widely accepted self-report measures of hostility, self-esteem, and mood disturbance....
The present study evaluated whether Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptom severity was associated with participation and treatment outcomes comparing a Vipassana meditation course to treatment as usual in an incarcerated sample. This study utilizes secondary data. The original study demonstrated that Vipassana meditation is associated with reductions in substance use. The present study...