STRESS REDUCTION THROUGH MINDFULNESS MEDITATION - EFFECTS ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMATOLOGY, SENSE OF CONTROL, AND SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCES

Background: This study examined the effects of an 8-week stress reduct ion program based on training in mindfulness meditation. Previous rese arch efforts suggesting this program may be beneficial in terms of red ucing stress-related symptomatology and helping patients cope with chr onic pain have been limited by a lack of adequate comparison control g roups. Methods: Twenty-eight individuals who volunteered to participat e in the present study were randomized into either an experimental gro up or a nonintervention control group. Results: Following participatio n, experimental subjects, when compared with controls, evidenced signi ficantly greater changes in terms of: (1) reductions in overall psycho logical symptomatology; (2) increases in overall domain-specific sense of control and utilization of an accepting or yielding mode of contro l in their lives, and (3) higher scores on a measure of spiritual expe riences. Conclusions: The techniques of mindfulness meditation, with t heir emphasis on developing detached observation and awareness of the contents of consciousness, may represent a powerful cognitive behavior al coping strategy for transforming the ways in which we respond to Li fe events. They may also have potential for relapse prevention in affe ctive disorders.