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<p>OBJECTIVES: This exploratory study is the first systematic outcome evaluation to examine the effects of an 8-week meditation-based program in mindfulness in a German sample. DESIGN: Twenty-one (21) participants with chronic physical, psychologic, or psychosomatic illnesses were examined in a longitudinal pretest and post-treatment design with a 3-month follow-up. OUTCOME MEASURES: Both quantitative and qualitative data were gathered. Emotional and general physical well-being, sense of coherence, overall psychologic distress, and satisfaction with life were measured with standardized instruments. RESULTS: Overall, the interventions led to high levels of adherence to the meditation practice and satisfaction with the benefits of the course, as well as effective and lasting reductions of symptoms (especially in psychologic distress, well-being, and quality of life). Changes were of moderate-to-large effect sizes. Positive complementary effects with psychotherapy were also found. CONCLUSIONS: These findings warrant controlled studies to evaluate the efficacy and cost effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction as an intervention for chronic physical and psychosomatic disorders in Germany.</p>
<p>The authors perform a comprehensive meta-analysis based on an overview of 20 previous studies on mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), a meditation technique widely practiced in clinical settings for the treatment of stress and a variety of other health related conditions. While many more than 20 studies have been conducted on MBSR, the authors limited their meta-analysis to only the select few which met specific criteria (as described in the abstract. See link to the URL lower on this page). Results show that MBSR seems to be effective for a wide variety of conditions both for long term and short term periods. (Zach Rowinski 2005-03-05)</p>