AIDS Care2013Sumedha Chhatre, David S Metzger, Ian Frank et al.
Stress is implicated in the pathogenesis and progression of HIV. The Transcendental Meditation (TM) is a behavioral stress reduction program that incorporates mind-body approach, and has demonstrated effectiveness in improving outcomes via stress reduction. We evaluated the feasibility of implementing TM and its effects on outcomes in persons with HIV. In this community-based single blinded...
Mystical experiences have always been studied with a sense of awe and mystery both by the laypersons as well as the scientists. Today due to advancements in Spiritual Psychology, Consciousness studies and Meditation studies, they are being explored from a scientific perspective. As a result several features, identifying criteria, and unique characteristic of these experiences have surfaced in...
Stress-impacts, both short and long term, are well-documented occupational “land-mines” that counsellors navigate throughout their careers (Baker, 2003; Guy, Poelstra, & Stark, 1989). Novice therapists and trainees are particularly vulnerable to these effects (Shapiro, Brown, & Biegel, 2007). Protective practices to prevent impairment and distress are paramount; one significant antidote is...
Objectives: This randomized controlled trial was conducted to examine immune recovery following breast cancer (BC) therapy and evaluate the effect of mindfulness-based stress reduction therapy (MBSR) on immune recovery with emphasis on lymphocyte subsets, T cell activation, and production of T-helper 1 (Th1; interferon [IFN]-γ) and T-helper 2 (Th2; interleukin-4 [IL-4]) cytokines. Method:...
Patients with lung cancer are in need of effective strategies to modify symptom burden and improve health-related quality of life (HRQOL). One promising approach to symptom management is an 8-week mindfulness-based intervention, which incorporates meditation, breathing, and gentle yoga exercises. It requires few resources to implement, but has not been adequately tested with lung cancer...
To conduct a feasibility and efficacy trial of mindfulness therapy in somatization disorder and functional somatic syndromes such as fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, and chronic fatigue syndrome, defined as bodily distress syndrome (BDS). We randomized 119 patients to either mindfulness therapy (mindfulness-based stress reduction and some cognitive behavioral therapy elements for BDS) or...
The objective of the present study is to estimate the economic consequences of somatization disorder and functional somatic syndromes such as fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, defined as bodily distress syndrome (BDS), when mindfulness therapy is compared with enhanced treatment as usual. A total of 119 BDS patients were randomized to mindfulness therapy or enhanced treatment as usual...
This study focuses on an evolving, interdisciplinary area of research involving Exercise Science and Clinical Psychology. It investigated the relationship between the perception of present-moment exertion or effort during exercise and a concept called mindfulness. Exertion is commonly measured more objectively using physiological measures (e.g., heart rate) or more subjectively using self-rated...
This dissertation theorized that higher levels of dispositional mindfulness (DM), the innate tendency to be aware and accepting of the present moment, is associated with fewer maladaptive eating behaviors, particularly in response to stress and negative emotions. Previous research has established that DM is predictive of decreased stress perception and more skillful emotion regulation. However,...
The current study investigated the relationships between mindfulness, flow and enjoyment, and attempted to identify whether flow mediates the relation between mindfulness and enjoyment.The sample consisted of 307 German speaking participants (mean age 26.47) who all participate in sports.Dispositional mindfulness was assessed with KIMS-short (Höfling, Ströhle, & Michalak, 2011), Flow with...
This study aimed to find a simple and effective mindfulness training method for intervening depression. 95 university students with moderate or severe depression participated in the study and they were divided into three mindfulness training groups: 8-week complete group, 8-week informal group, and 4-week group. All subjects completed Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-Ⅱ) and Five Fact Mindfulness...
During functional magnetic resonance imaging studies of meditation the cortical salience detecting and executive networks become active during "awareness of mind wandering," "shifting," and "sustained attention." The anterior cingulate (AC) is activated during "awareness of mind wandering." The AC modulates both the peripheral sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and the central locus coeruleus...
Meditation is associated with positive health behaviors and improved cognitive control. One mechanism for the relationship between meditation and cognitive control is changes in activity of the anterior cingulate cortex-mediated neural pathways. The error-related negativity (ERN) and error positivity (Pe) components of the scalp-recorded event-related potential (ERP) represent...
Meditation has clear effects in bringing practitioners’ mind into a tranquil state and promoting both the mental and the physical health. The effect of meditation is measurable. The authors propose to establish a model for meditation state by applying modern experimental sciences to brain wave data. The authors start with a project that aims to create an application that takes...
Background: Chronic pain involves hypervigilance for pain-related stimuli. Selective attention to pain-related stimuli, known as pain attentional bias (AB), can exacerbate chronic pain, prolong suffering, and undermine quality of life. The aim of this study was to determine if a multimodal mindfulness-oriented intervention could significantly reduce pain AB among chronic pain patients receiving...
An impressive body of research indicates that expressive writing, which encourages participants to let go and explore their deepest thoughts and feelings while writing continuously, produces physical and psychological benefits.Mindfulness is defined as paying attention on pupose, in the present moment and nonjudgmentally, to the unfolding of experience moment by moment.Combining the concepts of...
Mindfulness-based therapy (MBT) has been used effectively to treat a variety of physical and psychological disorders, including depression, anxiety, and chronic pain. Recently, several lines of research have explored the potential for mindfulness-therapy in treating somatization disorders, including fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and irritable bowel syndrome. Thirteen studies were...
Mindfulness meditation (MM) is an inward mental practice, in which a resting but alert state of mind is maintained. MM intervention was performed for a population of older people with high stress levels. This study assessed signal processing methodologies of electroencephalographic (EEG) and respiration signals during meditation and control condition to aid in quantification of the meditative...
Abstract Psychological interest in the impact of mental states on biological functioning is growing rapidly, driving a need for new methods for inducing mental states that last long enough, and are sufficiently impactful, to have significant effects on physical health. The many traditions of meditative practice are one potential pathway for studying mind‐body interactions. The purpose of this...
BACKGROUND/AIMS: Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) has enhanced cognition, positive emotion, and immunity in younger and middle-aged samples; its benefits are less well known for older persons. Here we report on a randomized controlled trial of MBSR for older adults and its effects on executive function, left frontal asymmetry of the EEG alpha band, and antibody response. METHODS: Older...