Abstract The number of acceptance- and mindfulness-based interventions for chronic pain, such as acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), increased in recent years. Therefore an update is warranted of our former systematic review and meta-analysis of studies that reported effects on the mental and...
Background: Mindfulness- and acceptance-based interventions are increasingly studied as a potential treatment for a variety of mental conditions. Objective: To assess the effects of mindfulness- and acceptance-based interventions on psychotic symptoms and hospitalization in patients with psychosis. Methods: MEDLINE/PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and PsycINFO were screened from inception...
Mindfulness can be viewed as an important dispositional characteristic that reflects the tendency to be mindful in daily life, which is beneficial for improving individuals' both hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. However, no study to date has examined the brain regions involved in individual differences in dispositional mindfulness during the resting state and its relation with hedonic and...
Smoking cessation is often accompanied by withdrawal symptoms, cigarette craving, increased negative affect, and increased experience of stress. Because yoga has been shown to reduce stress and negative affect, it may be an effective aid to smoking cessation. The objective of this study was to examine women's phenomenological experiences of vinyasa yoga as part of a smoking cessation program....
ABSTRACT This pilot study assessed the effects of a five day focused meditation training on the interplay between emotional interference and anxiety in a non clinical sample randomized into two groups (experimental=13; control=18). Emotional interference was indexed comparing the reaction times in an attention span task with negative or neutral distracting images. Anxiety experienced during the...
Published findings from a randomized controlled trial have shown that Mindful Yoga training improves symptoms, functional deficits, and coping abilities in individuals with fibromyalgia and that these benefits are replicable and can be maintained 3 months post-treatment. The aim of this study was to collect pilot data in female fibromyalgia patients (n = 7) to determine if initial evidence...
This chapter discusses the beneficial role meditation can play in the management of chronic pain and illness. It contains a review of the prevalence of pain within society and the high costs borne by both the individual and health systems. It then goes on to explore how meditation and awareness training can reduce the individual’s suffering with a review of the evidence base. The Breathworks’...
Heart diseases especially Hypertension, Coronary Artery Diseases (CAD) and stroke are the leading causes of death all over the world. Hostility, anxiety, depression and increased reactivity to mental stress have been strongly associated with hypertension and CAD. Mental stress or anxiety causes increased sympathetic activation and poor vagus nerve control over heart. Imbalance between...
We examined self-esteem as a mediator of the relationship between mindfulness and social anxiety in a Chinese cultural context. Participants comprised 508 Chinese undergraduate students, who completed the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and Interaction Anxiousness Scale. Results showed that social anxiety was negatively correlated with mindfulness and...
The activities of the brain and the heart are dynamic, chaotic, and possibly intrinsically coordinated. This study aims to investigate the effect of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program on the chaoticity of electronic activities of the brain and the heart, and to explore their potential correlation. Electroencephalogram (EEG) and electrocardiogram (ECG) were recorded at the...
Meditation improves executive functions such as attention and working memory processes. However, it remains unclear to what extent contextual effects contribute to these improvements, since the role of meditation-associated expectations has not been investigated so far. In a randomized, single-blind, deceptive, between-subject design we compared the impact of short-term meditation (MG) on...
Background Older adults are at risk for greater chronic stress and cognitive decline. Mindfulness meditation training may help reduce stress and thus cognitive decline in older adults, but little research has explored this. Objective The primary aim was to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of an internet mindfulness meditation intervention and an internet health and wellness education...
Caregiver stress is a growing problem with an aging population, and many spouses are cast in the caregiver role for extended periods. Preexisting anxiety disorders commonly recur in the face of caregiver stress. This article narrates the case of a 71-year-old retired professional woman serving as caregiver for a husband with dementia. The stress of the caregiver role served to trigger a...
This thesis discusses the possibility of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) as an alternative therapy for chronic pain in contrast to traditional medical care. It examines 18 peer-reviewed scholarly articles and identifies benefits for chronic pain patients in terms of pain severity, quality of life, psychological distress, and duration of benefits. This thesis also identifies practical...
K-12 teachers encounter numerous occupational stressors as part of their profession, and these stressors place them at risk of job-related stress and burnout (Maslach & Jackson, 1981; Maslach, Schaufeli, & Leiter, 2001). Given the prevalence of stress and burnout among school personnel, concrete interventions designed to address the unique demands of teaching are necessary (Jennings &...
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a prevalent psychiatric disorder associated with substantial impairment and poor treatment response. Yoga influences processes that are linked to the maintenance of GAD including mindfulness, anxiety, and heart rate variability, but has yet to be evaluated among people with the disorder. The present study is a first step toward documenting the efficacy of...
Abstract: There is growing evidence regarding the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions offered to diagnostically diverse groups of participants. This study examined the feasibility and effectiveness of adapted Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) groups offered to NHS patients in a secondary-care Psychology and Psychotherapy Service. The group was run as an adjunct to...
ABSTRACT: Informed choice is an expectation of today’s parents. Concern is evident around whether education models are evolving to ensure flexibility for parents to access options perceived as meeting their needs. Historical and current evidence around childbirth education models including the introduction of mindfulness to parent education will be presented. The aim of this article is to...
Perinatal mental health difficulties are associated with adverse consequences for parents and infants. However, the potential risks associated with the use of psychotropic medication for pregnant and breastfeeding women and the preferences expressed by women for non-pharmacological interventions mean it is important to ensure that effective psychological interventions are available. It has been...
Mindfulness and meditation (MM) are increasingly used in trauma treatment, yet there is little research about therapist qualifications and clinical applications of these practices. We surveyed trauma therapists (N = 116) about their clinical uses, training, and personal practice of MM. Most respondents reported use of MM in trauma therapy, primarily MM-related imagery and breathing exercises...