Improve the Brain’s Emotional Responses with Mindfulness

September 3, 2016 psyjdc Leave a comment

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

“Meditation gives you the wherewithal to pause, observe how easily the mind can exaggerate the severity of a setback, and resist getting drawn back into the abyss.”— Richie Davidson

We’re very emotional creatures. Without emotion, life is flat and uninteresting. Emotions provide the spice of life. We are constantly having or reacting to emotions. We often go to great lengths in an attempt to create or keep positive emotions and conversely to avoid, mitigate, or get rid of negative emotions. They are so important to us that they affect mostly everything that we do and say and can even be determinants of life or death. Anger, fear, and hate can lead to murderous consequences. Anxiety and depression can lead to suicide. At the same time love, joy, and happiness can make life worth living. Our emotions also affect us physically with positive emotions associated with health, well-being, and longevity and negative emotions associated with stress, disease, and shorter life spans. The importance of emotions is only surpassed by our ignorance of them.

Emotions occur automatically and reflexively to particularly stimuli in the environment. For example, the sight of a snake almost universally evokes a fear response, or conversely the sight of a baby smiling almost universally evokes loving feelings. Psychologists have demonstrated that these reflexive emotional reactions can be transferred to other stimuli. This occurs in a process first described by Pavlov called classical conditioning. For example, seeing a snake in a flower pot can later produce fear responses to the flower pot itself. This is called emotional learning.

One of the most important effects of mindfulness training is improving emotion regulation. Research has demonstrated that people either spontaneously high in mindfulness or trained in mindfulness are better able to be completely in touch with their emotions and feel them completely, while being able to respond to them more appropriately and adaptively. In other words, mindful people are better able to experience yet control emotions. The influence of mindfulness training on emotional learning has not, however, been extensively studied.

In today’s Research News article “Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Fear Conditioning, and The Uncinate Fasciculus: A Pilot Study.” See:

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1312616582095598/?type=3&theater

or see summary below or view the full text of the study at:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4908122/

Hölzel and colleagues randomly assigned adult participants to either receive an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program or be placed on a wait-list. Prior to and after the 8-week training period, both groups were assessed for mindfulness, perceived stress, and emotion regulation ability. They were also tested with a 2-day fear conditioning emotional learning, extinction and retention of extinction procedure which occurred while the participants laid in a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanner. The conditioning occurred to red and blue lights paired with a mild electric shock. Then only one light and not the other was paired with shock so that the fear response to one would decline in strength (extinguish).

They found that the MBSR training produced significant improvements in mindfulness, emotion regulation and perceived stress. In addition, the more home practice the participants engaged in the greater the improvement. They found that the MBSR participants retained the fear conditioning from prior to, to after the conditioning while the control group did not. In addition, MBSR was found to produce a significant increase in the fiber density, axonal diameter, and myelination of the Uncinate fasciclus; in other words, it increased the size of this fiber tract that interconnects the limbic system to the frontal lobes. Aslo, the greater the increase in the size of the Uncinate, the stronger the increase in the strength of the fear conditioning.

It has been repeatedly demonstrated that mindfulness (MBSR) training increases emotion regulation and decreases stress responses. So, these results in the present study were no surprise. The increased retention of the fear conditioning found after mindfulness training is interesting and suggests that the training did what is was supposed to, increasing attentiveness to environmental stimuli and thus making the individual more responsive to them over longer periods. It is possible that mindfulness training, by improving emotion regulation and stress responding allowed for better appreciation and control of prior emotional conditioning. Hence, mindfulness training appears to make us better at being attentive to and regulating both our primary and secondary (learned) emotions.

The improved retention of the fear conditioning may also result from the increased size of the Uncinate fasciculus which connects the limbic system which is known to be involved in emotions to the frontal lobes which are known to be involved in emotion regulation. Hence, the MBSR training appears to have altered the brain to accentuate the processing and regulation of emotional signals. These kind of changes in brain structure, known as neuroplasticity, are commonly found after mindfulness training. In the case of the present study the change in the brain produced by mindfulness training appears to alter the individual’s responsiveness and control of their emotions.

So, improve the brain’s emotional responses with mindfulness.

“Mindfulness practice isn’t meant to eliminate thinking but aims rather to help us know what we’re thinking when we’re thinking it, just as we want to know what we’re feeling when we’re feeling it. Mindfulness allows us to watch our thoughts, see how one thought leads to the next, decide if we’re heading toward an unhealthy path, and if so, let go and change directions. It allows us to see that who we are is much more than a fearful or envious or angry thought. We can rest in the awareness of the thought, in the compassion we extend to ourselves if the thought makes us uncomfortable, and in the balance and good sense we summon as we decide whether and how to act on the thought.” – Sharon Salzberg

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Google+ https://plus.google.com/106784388191201299496/posts

Study Summary

Hölzel, B. K., Brunsch, V., Gard, T., Greve, D. N., Koch, K., Sorg, C., … Milad, M. R. (2016). Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Fear Conditioning, and The Uncinate Fasciculus: A Pilot Study. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 10, 124. http://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2016.00124

Abstract

Mindfulness has been suggested to impact emotional learning, but research on these processes is scarce. The classical fear conditioning/extinction/extinction retention paradigm is a well-known method for assessing emotional learning. The present study tested the impact of mindfulness training on fear conditioning and extinction memory and further investigated whether changes in white matter fiber tracts might support such changes. The uncinate fasciculus (UNC) was of particular interest in the context of emotional learning. In this pilot study, 46 healthy participants were quasi-randomized to a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR,N = 23) or waitlist control (N = 23) group and underwent a two-day fear conditioning, extinction learning, and extinction memory protocol before and after the course or control period. Skin conductance response (SCR) data served to measure the physiological response during conditioning and extinction memory phases. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data were analyzed with probabilistic tractography and analyzed for changes of fractional anisotropy in the UNC. During conditioning, participants were able to maintain a differential response to conditioned vs. not conditioned stimuli following the MBSR course (i.e., higher sensitivity to the conditioned stimuli), while controls dropped the response. Extinction memory results were not interpretable due to baseline differences. MBSR participants showed a significant increase in fractional anisotropy in the UNC, while controls did not (group by time interaction missed significance). Pre-post changes in UNC were correlated with changes in the response to the conditioned stimuli. The findings suggest effects of mindfulness practice on the maintenance of sensitivity of emotional responses and suggest underlying neural plasticity.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4908122/

Change your Brain for the Better with Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction

August 31, 2016 psyjdc Leave a comment

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

“Neuroscientists have also shown that practicing mindfulness affects brain areas related to perception, body awareness, pain tolerance, emotion regulation, introspection, complex thinking, and sense of self. . . When we take a seat, take a breath, and commit to being mindful, particularly when we gather with others who are doing the same, we have the potential to be changed.” – Christina Congleton

The nervous system is a dynamic entity, constantly changing and adapting to the environment. It will change size, activity, and connectivity in response to experience. For example, the brain area that controls the right index finger has been found to be larger in blind subjects who use braille than in sighted individuals. Similarly, cab drivers in London who navigate the twisting streets of the city, have a larger hippocampus, which is involved in spatial navigation, than predefined route bus drivers. These changes in the brain are called neuroplasticity. Over the last decade neuroscience has been studying the effects of contemplative practices on the brain and has identified neuroplastic changes in widespread areas. In other words, meditation practice appears to mold and change the brain, producing psychological, physical, and spiritual benefits.

The seemingly simple behavior of meditation is actually quite complex. Adding to the complexity is that there are a variety of different meditation techniques. To begin to understand exactly how meditation works to produce its benefit, it is important to determine what works best and what doesn’t. So, there is a need to test and compare the effects of a variety of techniques and variations. There has been some work investigating the neuroplastic changes resulting from a number of different types of meditation techniques. But more work is needed.

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is a practice widely used particularly to treat mental and physical conditions. It is, in fact, an amalgam of three mindfulness practice techniques; meditation, body scan, and yoga. It is not known if this combination of practices has the same effects on the nervous system as simple long-term meditation practice. In today’s Research News article “8-week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction induces brain changes similar to traditional long-term meditation practice – A systematic review.” See:

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1309864165704173/?type=3&theater

or see summary below. Gotink and colleagues review the published research literature on the effects of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) training on the brain and compare it to the effects of long-term meditation. Participants in the studies were adults who were provided an 8-week MBSR program and had their brains scanned with functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (f-MRI).

They found that the literature reported that 8 weeks of MBSR training produced changed activity and functional connectivity in the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, insula, and cingulate cortex. These are all brain structures that are involved in emotion regulation and behavioral response inhibition and control. In addition, the studies report decreased activity and size of the amygdala. This is a structure involved in activation and emotionality. These are very similar to the neural changes that have been reported for long-term meditators. So, it would appear that and 8-week MBSR training is sufficient to produce major changes in the nervous system reflecting changes in the psychological and emotional aspects of the individual. The practitioner’s brain is changed in such a way as to make them better in charge of their emotions and behavior.

So, change your brain for the better with mindfulness based stress reduction.

“Noticing the differences between sense and story, between primary experience-dependent ‘bottom-up’ input and the secondary ‘top-down’ chatter of prior learning becomes a fundamental tool of the mindfulness approach. Once this distinction, this noticing of the contents of the mind, is readily accessible through intentional practice, the capacity to alter habitual patterns is created and the possibility becomes available for relief from self-preoccupied rumination, self-defeating thought-patterns, negative autobiographical narratives and maladaptive patterns of emotional reactivity.” – Daniel J. Siegel

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Google+ https://plus.google.com/106784388191201299496/posts

Study Summary

Gotink RA, Meijboom R, Vernooij MW, Smits M, Hunink MG. 8-week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction induces brain changes similar to traditional long-term meditation practice – A systematic review. Brain Cogn. 2016 Jul 15;108:32-41. doi: 10.1016/j.bandc.2016.07.001. [Epub ahead of print]

Highlights

Literature reports that long-term meditators show altered brain activations and structure.
Post-MBSR, prefrontal cortex, insula, cingulate cortex and hippocampus show similar results to traditional meditation.
In addition, the amygdala shows earlier deactivation, less gray matter and better connectivity.
These changes indicate a neuronal working mechanism of MBSR.

Abstract: The objective of the current study was to systematically review the evidence of the effect of secular mindfulness techniques on function and structure of the brain. Based on areas known from traditional meditation neuroimaging results, we aimed to explore a neuronal explanation of the stress-reducing effects of the 8-week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) program.

Methods: We assessed the effect of MBSR and MBCT (N = 11, all MBSR), components of the programs (N = 15), and dispositional mindfulness (N = 4) on brain function and/or structure as assessed by (functional) magnetic resonance imaging. 21 fMRI studies and seven MRI studies were included (two studies performed both).

Results: The prefrontal cortex, the cingulate cortex, the insula and the hippocampus showed increased activity, connectivity and volume in stressed, anxious and healthy participants. Additionally, the amygdala showed decreased functional activity, improved functional connectivity with the prefrontal cortex, and earlier deactivation after exposure to emotional stimuli.

Conclusion: Demonstrable functional and structural changes in the prefrontal cortex, cingulate cortex, insula and hippocampus are similar to changes described in studies on traditional meditation practice. In addition, MBSR led to changes in the amygdala consistent with improved emotion regulation. These findings indicate that MBSR-induced emotional and behavioral changes are related to functional and structural changes in the brain.

Reduce Chronic Pain with Mindfulness

August 16, 2016 psyjdc Leave a comment

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

“If you move into pure awareness in the midst of pain, even for the tiniest moment, your relationship with your pain is going to shift right in that very moment. It is impossible for it not to change because the gesture of holding it, even if not sustained for long, even for a second or two, already reveals its larger dimensionality.” – Jon Kabat-Zinn

We all have to deal with pain. It’s inevitable, but hopefully mild and short lived. For many, however, pain is a constant in their lives. Chronic pain affects a wide swath of humanity. At least 100 million adult Americans have common chronic pain conditions. It affects more Americans than diabetes, heart disease and cancer combined. Chronic pain accompanies a number of conditions. The most common form is low back pain affecting between 6% to 15% of the population. Osteoarthritis is a chronic degenerative joint disease that is the most common form of arthritis. It produces pain, swelling, and stiffness of the joints. In the U.S., osteoarthritis affects 14% of adults over 25 years of age and 34% of those over 65. Fibromyalgia is a mysterious disorder whose causes are unknown. It is characterized by widespread pain, abnormal pain processing, sleep disturbance, and fatigue that lead to psychological distress. It is very common affecting over 5 million people in the U.S., about 2% of the population.

The most common treatment for chronic pain is drugs. These include over-the-counter analgesics and opioids. But opioids are dangerous and prescription opioid overdoses kill more than 14,000 people annually. Fortunately, there are alternative treatments. Mindfulness and Yoga have been shown to specifically improve back pain and mind-body practices in general have been shown to reduce the gene expressions that underlie the inflammatory response which contribute to arthritis. So, it would seem reasonable to look further into the effectiveness of alternative and complementary practices in treating chronic pain.

In today’s Research News article “Does mindfulness improve outcomes in patients with chronic pain? Systematic review and meta-analysis.” See:

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1296780620345861/?type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1296780620345861/?type=3&theateror see summary below or view the full text of the study at:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4439829/

Bawa and colleagues review the published research literature on the use of mindfulness training to treat chronic pain. Most of the studies reviewed used either Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) or Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) programs. They found that the published literature reported that mindfulness practices in general produced a small but significant reduction in pain, depression, and anxiety and an increase in sleep quality. They also found moderate significant improvements in physical functioning, physical and psychological quality of life. Large significant effects of mindfulness training were reported for pain acceptance and perceived pain. Hence, the published literature reports many beneficial effects of mindfulness training for chronic pain. The largest effects were for the psychological aspects of pain, but, also for the physical aspects of pain, albeit smaller effects.

There are a number of effects of mindfulness training that might underlie these improvements in chronic pain. The stress, fear, and anxiety produced by pain tends to elicit responses that actually amplify the pain. So, reducing the emotional reactions to pain may be helpful in pain management. Mindfulness practices have been shown to reduce stress responses and anxiety, and to improve emotion regulation producing more adaptive and less maladaptive responses to emotions. So, it would seem reasonable that mindfulness practices would be helpful in pain management. In addition, pain is accompanied by, and frequently caused by, inflammation and mindfulness training has been shown to reduce the inflammatory response. This may account for the mindfulness’ effects on the physical aspects of chronic pain.

These are exciting findings that non-drug treatments can be effective for chronic pain. They are effective and importantly, safe. So, reduce chronic pain with mindfulness.

“a regular meditation practice is the best ongoing foundation for working with pain. Mindfulness practice is a wonderful opportunity to do just that. It helps to shift the locus of control from the outside (“this is happening to me and there is nothing I can do about it”) to the inside (“this is happening to me but I can choose how I relate to it”).” – Christiane Wolf

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Google+ https://plus.google.com/106784388191201299496/posts

Study Summary

Bawa, F. L. M., Mercer, S. W., Atherton, R. J., Clague, F., Keen, A., Scott, N. W., & Bond, C. M. (2015). Does mindfulness improve outcomes in patients with chronic pain? Systematic review and meta-analysis. The British Journal of General Practice, 65(635), e387–e400. http://doi.org/10.3399/bjgp15X685297

Abstract

Background: Chronic pain and its associated distress and disability are common reasons for seeking medical help. Patients with chronic pain use primary healthcare services five times more than the rest of the population. Mindfulness has become an increasingly popular self-management technique.

Aim: To assess the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions for patients with chronic pain.

Design and setting: Systematic review and meta-analysis including randomised controlled trials of mindfulness-based interventions for chronic pain. There was no restriction to study site or setting.

Method: The databases MEDLINE®, Embase, AMED, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Index to Theses were searched. Titles, abstracts, and full texts were screened iteratively against inclusion criteria of: randomised controlled trials of mindfulness-based intervention; patients with non-malignant chronic pain; and economic, clinical, or humanistic outcome reported. Included studies were assessed with the Yates Quality Rating Scale. Meta-analysis was conducted.

Results: Eleven studies were included. Chronic pain conditions included: fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic musculoskeletal pain, failed back surgery syndrome, and mixed aetiology. Papers were of mixed methodological quality. Main outcomes reported were pain intensity, depression, physical functioning, quality of life, pain acceptance, and mindfulness. Economic outcomes were rarely reported. Meta-analysis effect sizes for clinical outcomes ranged from 0.12 (95% confidence interval [CI] = −0.05 to 0.30) (depression) to 1.32 (95% CI = −1.19 to 3.82) (sleep quality), and for humanistic outcomes 0.03 (95% CI = −0.66 to 0.72) (mindfulness) to 1.58 (95% CI = −0.57 to 3.74) (pain acceptance). Studies with active, compared with inactive, control groups showed smaller effects.

Conclusion: There is limited evidence for effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions for patients with chronic pain. Better-quality studies are required.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4439829/

Increase Overall Mindfulness and Mental Health with Mindfulness Practice

August 10, 2016 psyjdc Leave a comment

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

“Studies show that the ways we intentionally shape our internal focus of attention in mindfulness practice induces a state of brain activation during the practice. With repetition, an intentionally created state can become an enduring trait of the individual as reflected in long-term changes in brain function and structure.” – Daniel Siegel

“Mindfulness is awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgementally. It’s about knowing what is on your mind.” (Jon Kabat-Zinn). It has been shown to be highly related to the health and well-being of the individual. Mindfulness training has also been found to be effective for a large array of medical and psychiatric conditions, either stand-alone or in combination with more traditional therapies. As a result, mindfulness training has been called the third wave of therapies. In fact, though, little is known about how training improves mindfulness.

It is amazing that so little is known about the development of mindfulness, given its effectiveness and increasing popularity. It is important to understand how it develops and what affects that development in order to optimize its use. In today’s Research News article “From a state to a trait: Trajectories of state mindfulness in meditation during intervention predict changes in trait mindfulness.” See:

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1291374517553138/?type=3&theater

or below or view the full text of the study at:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4404745/

Kiken and colleagues study the development of mindfulness during 8-weeks of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) training. MBSR includes meditation, body scan, and yoga training. They measured the enduring tendency toward being mindful, called trait mindfulness, and also psychological distress before and after the 8-weeks of training. They also measured the individuals’ immediate states of mindfulness each week.

They found that mindfulness significantly increased in a linear fashion over the 8-weeks of training and simultaneously psychological distress decreased. In addition, trait mindfulness increased from the beginning to the end of training indicating that the training increased the enduring tendency to be mindful. This is important as it indicates that MBSR training doesn’t just produce momentary changes in mindfulness but produces lasting changes. Individual participants differed in how rapidly they increased mindfulness during training. Kiken and colleagues used a sophisticated statistical technique called Latent Growth Curve Analysis to investigate if these differences were responsible for differences in the change in trait mindfulness. They found that participants who increased in state mindfulness fastest over the 8-weeks ended up having the greatest increase in trait mindfulness and decrease in psychological distress.

These results are significant and interesting. They clearly show that Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) training increases mindfulness weekly over the program and these increases are significantly related to increases in the enduring tendency to be mindful, trait mindfulness, and to decreases in psychological distress. In other words, the momentary changes in mindfulness are translated over time into more permanent changes in mindfulness and psychological health.

So, increase overall mindfulness and mental health with mindfulness practice.

“There is more than one way to practice mindfulness, but the goal of any mindfulness technique is to achieve a state of alert, focused relaxation by deliberately paying attention to thoughts and sensations without judgment. This allows the mind to refocus on the present moment. All mindfulness techniques are a form of meditation.” – Harvard Health Guide

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Google+ https://plus.google.com/106784388191201299496/posts

Study Summary

Kiken, L. G., Garland, E. L., Bluth, K., Palsson, O. S., & Gaylord, S. A. (2015). From a state to a trait: Trajectories of state mindfulness in meditation during intervention predict changes in trait mindfulness. Personality and Individual Differences, 81, 41–46. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2014.12.044

Abstract

Theory suggests that heightening state mindfulness in meditation practice over time increases trait mindfulness, which benefits psychological health. We prospectively examined individual trajectories of state mindfulness in meditation during a mindfulness-based intervention in relation to changes in trait mindfulness and psychological distress. Each week during the eight-week intervention, participants reported their state mindfulness in meditation after a brief mindfulness meditation. Participants also completed pre- and post-intervention measures of trait mindfulness and psychological symptoms. Tests of combined latent growth and path models suggested that individuals varied significantly in their rates of change in state mindfulness in meditation during the intervention, and that these individual trajectories predicted pre-post intervention changes in trait mindfulness and distress. These findings support that increasing state mindfulness over repeated meditation sessions may contribute to a more mindful and less distressed disposition. However, individuals’ trajectories of change may vary and warrant further investigation.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4404745/

Build a Cooperative Brain with Mindfulness

July 28, 2016 psyjdc Leave a comment

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

“With mindfulness, we learn to truly stand in our own shoes. From this perspective, mindfulness is a practice of self–empathy. This kind of self-awareness allows us to develop empathic connections to others. As we experience the landscape of our inner life with more detail and richness, our ability to understand the inner lives of others expands.” – Matthew Brensilver

Humans are social animals. This is a great asset for the species as the effort of the individual is amplified by cooperation. In primitive times, this cooperation was essential for survival. But in modern times it is also essential, not for survival but rather for making a living and for the happiness of the individual. This ability to cooperate is so essential to human flourishing that it is built deep into our DNA and is reflected in the structure of the human nervous system.

This cooperation is reflected in the modern workplace where the enterprise is founded on a large number of employees each playing their individual role in the totality of the business. Complex organizations such as modern corporations produce interpersonal challenges and stresses on the individual. Fortunately, the human has considerable social skills including the abilities to be compassionate and understanding of others, helping to cope with these challenges. This involves a considerable ability to regulate emotions, to not react to the individual’s momentary emotions to consider the greater good.

Mindfulness may be of great assistance. It is known to produce better emotion regulation and to promote compassion and empathy. Hence, mindfulness improves the individual’s ability to work cooperatively with others. As a result, mindfulness training has been shown to improve performance and satisfaction in the workplace. In today’s Research News article “Mindfulness training increases cooperative decision making in economic exchanges: Evidence from fMRI.” See:

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1281180551905868/?type=3&theater

or below, Kirk and colleagues explore the effects of mindfulness training on economic cooperation and the underlying neural systems. They recruited adults to participate in a stress reduction program. They were randomly assigned either to an 8-week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program or an 8-week progressive muscle relaxation program. All participants were measured before and after training for mindfulness and mood states. They also played an “Ultimatum Game” in which they were asked to accept or reject offers of splits of $20 all of which produced a gain for participants but varied in fairness of the split. Surprisingly participants frequently reject unfair offers even when it is in their best interest to accept all non-zero offers. Finally, participants’ brains were scanned with functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) while playing the game.

They found that mindfulness training significantly increased the acceptance of splits particularly with the most unfair but profitable splits, increasing from 24% to 44% after training. This resulted in a significant increase in the total distribution of money to both the participant and their supposed partner. Hence, mindfulness training produced greater profit for both. There was no change for the relaxation group. Both groups increased in mindfulness and the greater the increase in mindfulness, the greater the acceptance rates of the offers. In terms of the nervous system activity they found that pre-training unfair offers led to increased activity of the Insula, but this activity was lower after mindfulness training. In addition, in the mindfulness trained participants, cooperation led to increased activity of the Septum. Mindfulness training was also found to increase the functional connectivity between the Insula and the Septum.

These results suggest that mindfulness training produces greater cooperation to the benefit of all participants and that these changes are reflected in changes in neural processing. Why would mindfulness training increase cooperation in the “Ultimatum Game.” Rejecting any off in the game actually reduces the gain for everyone including the participant. So, it is an irrational action. The offers that are rejected are those that are seen to gain more for another than the participant, to be unfair. So, it is this emotional reaction to the perceived unfairness that prompts the counterproductive action of rejecting the offer. Mindfulness training is known to improve emotion regulation, making the individual better able to respond adaptively to emotions. This is probably what made the mindfulness trained group better at cooperation in the face of perceived unfairness, responding rationally and adaptively, increasing profit for all. These effects of mindfulness training are reflected in changes in the brain.

So, build a cooperative brain with mindfulness.

“We are emotional beings and we can’t help but be affected by the varying moods and interactions we have with others. Life is always changing and this constant change can create difficult thoughts and emotions, which can flow into the workplace. The silver lining is that if we can meet suffering at work with concern and care, compassion naturally arises. Work environments that cultivate compassion create a much more positive and productive place to work.” – Carley Hauck

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Google+ https://plus.google.com/106784388191201299496/posts

Study Summary

Kirk U, Gu X, Sharp C, Hula A, Fonagy P, Montague PR. Mindfulness training increases cooperative decision making in economic exchanges: Evidence from fMRI. Neuroimage. 2016 Jun 4. pii: S1053-8119(16)30189-6. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.05.075

Abstract

Emotions have been shown to exert influences on decision making during economic exchanges. Here we investigate the underlying neural mechanisms of a training regimen which is hypothesized to promote emotional awareness, specifically mindfulness training (MT). We test the hypothesis that MT increases cooperative economic decision making using fMRI in a randomized longitudinal design involving 8 weeks of either MT or active control training (CT). We find that MT results in an increased willingness to cooperate indexed by higher acceptance rates to unfair monetary offers in the Ultimatum Game. While controlling for acceptance rates of monetary offers between intervention groups, subjects in the MT and CT groups show differential brain activation patterns. Specifically, a subset of more cooperative MT subjects displays increased activation in the septal region, an area linked to social attachment, which may drive the increased willingness to express cooperative behavior in the MT cohort. Furthermore, MT resulted in attenuated activity in anterior insula compared with the CT group in response to unfair monetary offers post-training, which may suggest that MT enables greater ability to effectively regulate the anterior insula and thereby promotes social cooperation. Finally, functional connectivity analyses show a coupling between the septal region and posterior insula in the MT group, suggesting an integration of interoceptive inputs. Together, these results highlight that MT may be employed in contexts where emotional regulation is required to promote social cooperation.

Recover from Sexual Abuse with Mindfulness

July 14, 2016 psyjdc 4 Comments

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

“Our unwanted and self-destructive habits often were formed as children to help us survive. Childhood abuse, whether physical, emotional, verbal, sexual, or the covert traumas of neglect, oppression, and isolation, demands that if the child is to survive, she must create coping skills to deal with the abuse and the inherent messages about who she is. Mindfulness offers the possibility of relating differently to what’s already here by understanding that there’s nothing to get rid of and everything to accept.” – Char Wilkins

Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is a horrific crime. The trauma created in the victim changes them forever. It changes the trusting innocence of childhood to a confused, guilt ridden, frightening, and traumatized existence. It not only produces short-term trauma which includes both psychological and physical injury, it has long-term consequences. It damages the victim’s self-esteem and creates difficulties entering into intimate relationship in adulthood. It can create post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) complete with painful flashbacks, nightmares, severe anxiety, and uncontrollable thoughts about the event. Victims often experience depression and sometimes become suicidal. It is a heinous crime that haunts the victims for the rest of their lives.

Unfortunately, childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is shockingly common. It is estimated that 20% of girls and 10% of boys have experienced childhood sexual abuse and half of these were forcefully assaulted. Children between the ages of 7 and 13 are the most vulnerable but abuse is also prevalent in adolescence with 16% of children between 14 to 17 having been sexually victimized. Compounding the problem disclosure of sexual abuse is often delayed; children often avoid telling because they are either afraid of a negative reaction from their parents or of being harmed by the abuser. As such, they often delay disclosure until adulthood. This makes it unlikely that they’ll seek help and instead suffer in silence.

Mindfulness training has been shown to be effective in treating victims of trauma and PTSD. So, it would make sense that mindfulness training may be helpful for the treatment of adult CSA survivors. In today’s Research News article “Mindfulness Intervention for Child Abuse Survivors: A 2.5-Year Follow-Up.” See:

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1271288269561763/?type=3&theater

or below, Earley and colleagues performed a long-term (2.5 year) follow-up of adult survivors of CSA who had received treatment with an 8-week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program. MBSR involves meditation, body scan, and yoga practices. In the original study participants reported significant decreases in levels of depression, PTSD symptoms, and anxiety at treatment’s end (8 weeks), and at follow-up (24 weeks). In the present study, the participants from this original study were invited back and re-measured two and a half years after the completion of the original study.

Earley and colleagues found that the decreases in depression, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms and the increases in mindfulness were sustained. Improvements in PTSD symptoms of re-experiencing, avoidance/numbing/, and hyperarousal were all sustained. Hence, MBSR treatment produced significant improvements in the psychological health of the CSA survivors and these benefits were still present 2.5 years later. It is very unusual for a research study to be followed up this long after completion. But, it is very important. It demonstrates that treatment effects are are not fleeting. These results conclusively demonstrate that the benefits of MBSR treatment for CSA survivors are very long lasting.

Mindfulness training is known to improve all of the key symptoms of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) including depression, anxiety, self-esteem, and PTSD symptoms. It may do so by improving emotion regulation allowing the survivors to honestly feel their emotions but respond to them in an adaptive way. It may also do so by focusing the individual on the present moment and thereby reducing the rumination about the past that is so characteristic of CSA survivors. Regardless of the mechanism, the fact that the symptom relief is so long lasting supports use of MBSR training to treat adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse.

So, get over sexual abuse with mindfulness.

“Each person’s healing journey, while it will partake of some common elements, will be unique. For professionals, it’s important not to force survivors into a practice that might not work for them. For survivors, it’s important to not get discouraged if we don’t find the right practice at first. There are endless ways to practice being mindful and, sooner or later, something will resonate.” – Christopher Anderson

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Google+ https://plus.google.com/106784388191201299496/posts

Study Summary

Earley, M. D., Chesney, M. A., Frye, J., Greene, P. A., Berman, B., & Kimbrough, E. (2014). Mindfulness Intervention for Child Abuse Survivors: A 2.5-Year Follow-Up. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 70(10), 933-941. doi:10.1002/jclp.22102.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The present study reports on the long-term effects of a mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program for adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse.

METHOD: Of the study participants, 73% returned to the clinic for a single-session follow-up assessment of depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and mindfulness at 2.5 years.

RESULTS: Repeated measures mixed regression analyses revealed significant long-term improvements in depression, PTSD, anxiety symptoms, and mindfulness scores. The magnitude of intervention effects at 128 weeks ranged from d = .5 to d = 1.1.

CONCLUSION: MBSR may be an effective long-term treatment for adults who have experienced childhood sexual abuse. Further investigation of MBSR with this population is warranted given the durability of treatment effects described here.

Reduce Inflammation and Depression with Mindfulness

July 13, 2016 psyjdc Leave a comment

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

“Mindfulness is a valuable practice for improving the cognitive symptoms of depression, such as distorted thinking and distractibility. It helps individuals recognize these more subtle symptoms, realize that thoughts are not facts and refocus their attention to the present.” – Margarita Tartakovsky

Major depression is one of the most common mental disorders. In 2014, an estimated 15.7 million adults aged 18 or older in the United States had at least one major depressive episode in the past year. This number represented 6.7% of all adults. In addition, major depression carries the heaviest burden of disability among mental and behavioral disorders. It is most frequently treated with anti-depressive drugs. But, these frequently do not work or lose effectiveness over time and have many troublesome side effects. So, there is a need for better treatment methods.

Depression has been linked to chronic inflammation. Patients with major depressive disorder exhibit all of the cardinal features of an inflammatory response, including increased expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and their receptors. In addition, administration of inflammatory cytokines to otherwise non-depressed individuals cause symptoms of depression. This suggests that chronic inflammation may be a contributing factor to the development, promotion, or maintenance of depression.

Mindfulness practice has been shown to be effective in the treatment of chronic depression. It has also been shown to reduce inflammation and the inflammatory cytokines. So, it would make sense to study the relationship of mindfulness training to depression and the inflammatory response in depressed individuals. In today’s Research News article “Brief Mindfulness Training Reduces Salivary IL-6 and TNF-α in Young Women with Depressive Symptomatology.” See:

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1270480726309184/?type=3&theater

or below,

Walsh and colleagues do just that. They recruited female college students who had mild to moderate depression and assigned them to either a mindfulness training group or a contact control group. Mindfulness training was modelled after a Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program and included meditation, body scan, and yoga, but the program was conducted over only 4 weeks rather than the customary 8 weeks. The contact control group met in a group on a similar schedule but simple filled out questionnaires. The participants were measured for salivary inflammatory cytokine levels, depression, and other mental issues both before and training and 3 months later.

They found that mindfulness training decreased the levels of the inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNF-α between 59% to 76% and this decrease was maintained at the 3 month follow up. There was also a significant decrease in depression but this was true for both the mindfulness and contact groups. The higher the levels of baseline depression the greater the effect of mindfulness training on reducing inflammatory cytokines. These results suggest that mindfulness training is effective in reducing the inflammatory response and that the more depressed the individual is the greater the benefit.

These are exciting findings. They suggest that mindfulness training reduces chronic inflammation in depressed women. The fact that the depression levels were low to start with may have produced a floor effect making it impossible to detect a benefit of mindfulness training on the levels of depression. This prohibits and analysis of the relationship of the reduction in the inflammatory cytokines to the reduction in depression. But, the results are suggestive of a potential effect in that the most depressed women showed the greatest reductions in the inflammatory response. It will require further work with women exhibiting higher levels of depression and perhaps with a longer treatment period to conclusively demonstrate whether there’s a causal connection between the two.

Mindfulness training has a number of known effects that may underlie its ability to reduce depression and inflammation. In particular mindfulness training has been shown to reduce the psychological and physiological responses to stress. This decreased stress response may be responsible for the reduction in inflammation. In addition, mindfulness training is known to improve focus on the present moment and thereby reduce rumination about the past or worry about the future, both of which are characteristic of depression. This may well underlie the ability of mindfulness training to reduce depression.

So, reduce inflammation and depression with mindfulness.

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

“Everyone can benefit from mindfulness meditation, but some can more than others. There are no negative side effects of mindfulness, and there are the positive benefits of stress reduction and relaxation. Reducing inflammation and boosting immune health can help fight a broad range of ailments, from a stubbed toe to chronic inflammatory conditions.” – Amanda Page

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Google+ https://plus.google.com/106784388191201299496/posts

Study Summary

Walsh, E., Eisenlohr-Moul, T., & Baer, R. (2016). Brief Mindfulness Training Reduces Salivary IL-6 and TNF-α in Young Women with Depressive Symptomatology. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, doi:10.1037/ccp0000122

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Pro-inflammatory cytokines have been implicated in the pathophysiology and maintenance of depression. This study investigated the effects of a brief mindfulness intervention on salivary pro-inflammatory correlates of depression (IL-6, TNF-α) and self-reported symptoms of depression in college women.

METHODS: Sixty-four females with a cut score of ≥16 on the Center for Epidemiological Studies for Depression Scale (CES-D) were assigned to a 4-week mindfulness-based intervention (MBI; N = 31) or a contact-control group (N = 33). For both groups, salivary cytokines and depressive symptoms were assessed at baseline and posttreatment. For the mindfulness group only, salivary cytokines were also assessed at a 3-month follow-up.

RESULTS: Both groups showed similar reductions in depression. However, MBI (vs. control) predicted greater reductions in IL-6 and TNF-α; changes in IL-6 were sustained at 3-month follow-up. Higher baseline depressive symptoms predicted greater reductions in inflammation in the mindfulness group.

CONCLUSION: MBIs may reduce inflammatory immune markers commonly implicated in depression. Individuals with greater depressive symptoms may benefit more from mindfulness training. Although reductions in salivary cytokines in the mindfulness condition were not attributable to changes in depressive symptoms, future work should examine the possibility that such reductions are protective against the development of future depressive episodes.

http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.shsu.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=5&sid=911f511a-9143-4771-8f7c-e876dcfe165f%40sessionmgr4005&hid=4208

Relieve Test Anxiety with Mindfulness

July 9, 2016 psyjdc 2 Comments

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

“In mindfulness-based therapy, the person focuses on the bodily sensations that arise when he or she is anxious. Instead of avoiding or withdrawing from these feelings, he or she remains present and fully experiences the symptoms of anxiety. Instead of avoiding distressing thoughts, he or she opens up to them in an effort to realize and acknowledge that they are not literally true. Although it may seem counter-intuitive, fully realizing the experience of anxiety enables anxious people to release their over identification with negative thoughts. The person practices responding to disruptive thoughts, and letting these thoughts go.” – George Hofmann

It’s a normal human response to become anxious while being evaluated by others. In fact, the vast majority of students report that the stress and anxiety associated with being evaluated is greater than that produced by anything else in their lives. The majority of students are able to cope with the anxiety and perform on tests in spite of it. But, for a minority of students, somewhere around 16%-20%, the anxiety level is so high that it causes them to “freeze” on tests and markedly impair their performance. It is estimated that they perform 12 points lower, more than one letter grade, on average than students lower in anxiety. Counselling centers in colleges and universities report that evaluation anxiety is the most common complaint that they treat among students.

It has been demonstrated repeatedly that mindfulness counteracts anxiety and mindfulness training is an effective treatment for a variety of forms of anxiety. In today’s Research News article “Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction for Academic Evaluation Anxiety: A Naturalistic Longitudinal Study.” See:

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1267815219909068/?type=3&theater

or below or view the full text of the study at:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4867855/

Dundas and colleagues examine the effectiveness of an 8-week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program for the treatment of test anxiety in college students. MBSR involves training in three mindfulness practices; meditation, body scan, and yoga. Students were tested for anxiety levels, self-esteem, and self-efficacy before, during, and after MBSR training and before their first test after training and later follow-up. The students’ anxiety levels were compared to a group of untreated students.

They found significant improvements with moderate effect sizes in evaluation, state, and trait anxiety levels, self-esteem, and self-efficacy following MBSR treatment. The students showed improvements in both the cognitive and emotional components of evaluation anxiety. The improvement in anxiety levels continued following the end of treatment such that at the long-term follow-up point, as much as two years later, evaluation anxiety levels were significantly lower than they were after the completion of treatment. Hence, MBSR treatment significantly reduced evaluation anxiety and improved self-esteem and self-efficacy in college students and the students continued improving afterwards.

These are impressive results. But, given the demonstrated efficacy of MBSR for the treatment of anxiety and the reduction of stress, they are not surprising. Mindfulness training and MBSR in particular have been shown to significantly reduce the psychological and physiological responses to stress. A reduction in the students’ responses to the stress of evaluation should reduce anxiety. Since this would be expected, in turn, to improve performance, this may result in further improvement as confidence levels rise. The fact that the students reported improved self-efficacy after MBSR supports the idea that they also improved in confidence. So, mindfulness treatment might well produce an upward spiral of improved anxiety levels and performance.

So, relieve test anxiety with mindfulness.

“”Mindfulness also allows us to become more aware of the stream of thoughts and feelings that we experience and to see how we can become entangled in that stream in ways that are not helpful. Most of us have issues that we find hard to let go and mindfulness can help us deal with them more productively. We can ask: ‘Is trying to solve this by brooding about it helpful, or am I just getting caught up in my thoughts?’” – Marc Williams

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are aalso available on Google+ https://plus.google.com/106784388191201299496/posts

Study Summary

Dundas, I., Thorsheim, T., Hjeltnes, A., & Binder, P. E. (2016). Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction for Academic Evaluation Anxiety: A Naturalistic Longitudinal Study. Journal of College Student Psychotherapy, 30(2), 114–131. http://doi.org/10.1080/87568225.2016.1140988

ABSTRACT

Mindfulness based stress reduction (MBSR) for academic evaluation anxiety and self-confidence in 70 help-seeking bachelor’s and master’s students was examined. A repeated measures analysis of covariance on the 46 students who completed pretreatment and posttreatment measures (median age = 24 years, 83% women) showed that evaluation anxiety and self-confidence improved. A growth curve analysis with all 70 original participants showed reductions in both cognitive and emotional components of evaluation anxiety, and that reduction continued postintervention. Although more research is needed, this study indicates that MBSR may reduce evaluation anxiety.

Improve Reading with Dyslexia and ADHD with Mindfulness

July 7, 2016April 28, 2020 psyjdc Leave a comment

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

“Mindfulness has its roots in meditation and blends numerous approaches such as yoga. Meditation enables the individual to reprocess internal experiences with more awareness, neutrality and acceptance. It focuses on the breath to develop concentration and take control of attention. This is particularly helpful for people with specific learning difficulties who often report difficulties with concentration and attention.”

Reading skills have always been important but in the modern world they are essential. So, difficulties with reading can be a major obstacle in school, work, and life in general. Unfortunately, difficulties with reading are all too common. It has been estimated that 20% of the children in school struggle with reading. There are a number of problems that are responsible for these struggles, but the most common ones are dyslexia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Dyslexia is the most common form of language based disability. It literally means “poor language” and affects around 15% of the population. “Dyslexia is a neurological learning disability, characterized by difficulties with word recognition, by poor spelling, and limited decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction. Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede the growth of vocabulary and background knowledge.” – (International Dyslexia Association)

ADHD, on the other hand, also produces reading difficulties but in an entirely different way. It is a brain disorder marked by an ongoing pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that interferes with functioning or development. About 6% of school aged children exhibit ADHD with about 25% of these students have other serious learning problems with oral expression, listening skills, reading comprehension, and/or math and about 50% have listening comprehension problems. Hence, ADHD appears to affect reading primarily by inattention and impulsivity.

Mindfulness training may be helpful with the reading problems of children with dyslexia and ADHD. It has been shown to affect many of the symptoms of these disorders, improving attention and cognitive processes, reducing impulsivity, and generally improving ADHD symptoms. So, it would be expected that mindfulness training might be helpful with the reading problems of students with dyslexia and ADHD. In today’s Research News article “Mindful Reading: Mindfulness Meditation Helps Keep Readers with Dyslexia and ADHD on the Lexical Track.” See:

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1266348443389079/?type=3&theater

or below or view the full text of the study at:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4862243/

Tarrasch and colleagues recruited adult college students with either dyslexia or ADHD and measured their reading, attention, mindfulness, emotional well-being, and sleep disturbance. They were then provided with an 8-week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program which involves meditation, body scan, and yoga practices. They were re-measured at the conclusion of MBSR training.

They found that following the MBSR training there was a 19% decrease in reading errors and a significant improvement in sustained attention. There was an increase in lexical reading, indicating a greater reliance after MBSR on previously learned words and a reduction in reliance on phonetic reading, sounding out words. They also found significant decreases in impulsivity, perceived-stress, rumination, depression, state-anxiety, and sleep-disturbances and an increase in mindfulness. In addition, they found that the greater the increase in mindfulness the greater the improvement in reading and the greater the decrease in impulsivity the greater the improvement in reading.

Hence it appears that MBSR training improves reading, emotional well-being, and sleep disturbance in students. It appears that the training improves mindfulness which improves attention and reduces impulsivity and these in turn, improve reading. These are exciting results that mindfulness training can be of assistance with dyslexia and ADHD produced reading problems in college students. This suggests that mindfulness training earlier in schools may not only help students overall, but also help students with dyslexia and ADHD in their academic progress. This is a ripe area for future research.

So, improve reading with dyslexia and ADHD with mindfulness.

“Mindfulness is a skill that allows one to be less reactionary. Its primary force is teaching self regulation. Mindfulness (meditation) is a way of paying attention, “bringing one’s complete attention to the present experience on a moment-to-moment basis”. This skill gives the person with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) tools for moment to moment self regulation of emotional, cognitive and behavior responses, essential for effective Executive Functioning.” – Ann Farris

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Google+ https://plus.google.com/106784388191201299496/posts

Study Summary

Tarrasch, R., Berman, Z., & Friedmann, N. (2016). Mindful Reading: Mindfulness Meditation Helps Keep Readers with Dyslexia and ADHD on the Lexical Track. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 578. http://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00578

Abstract

This study explored the effects of a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) intervention on reading, attention, and psychological well-being among people with developmental dyslexia and/or attention deficits. Various types of dyslexia exist, characterized by different error types. We examined a question that has not been tested so far: which types of errors (and dyslexias) are affected by MBSR training. To do so, we tested, using an extensive battery of reading tests, whether each participant had dyslexia, and which errors types s/he makes, and then compared the rate of each error type before and after the MBSR workshop. We used a similar approach to attention disorders: we evaluated the participants’ sustained, selective, executive, and orienting of attention to assess whether they had attention-disorders, and if so, which functions were impaired. We then evaluated the effect of MBSR on each of the attention functions. Psychological measures including mindfulness, stress, reflection and rumination, life satisfaction, depression, anxiety, and sleep-disturbances were also evaluated. Nineteen Hebrew-readers completed a 2-month mindfulness workshop. The results showed that whereas reading errors of letter-migrations within and between words and vowelletter errors did not decrease following the workshop, most participants made fewer reading errors in general following the workshop, with a significant reduction of 19% from their original number of errors. This decrease mainly resulted from a decrease in errors that occur due to reading via the sublexical rather than the lexical route. It seems, therefore, that mindfulness helped reading by keeping the readers on the lexical route. This improvement in reading probably resulted from improved sustained attention: the reduction in sublexical reading was significant for the dyslexic participants who also had attention deficits, and there were significant correlations between reduced reading errors and decreases in impulsivity. Following the meditation workshop, the rate of commission errors decreased, indicating decreased impulsivity, and the variation in RTs in the CPT task decreased, indicating improved sustained attention. Significant improvements were obtained in participants’ mindfulness, perceived-stress, rumination, depression, state-anxiety, and sleep-disturbances. Correlations were also obtained between reading improvement and increased mindfulness following the workshop. Thus, whereas mindfulness training did not affect specific types of errors and did not improve dyslexia, it did affect the reading of adults with developmental dyslexia and ADHD, by helping them to stay on the straight path of the lexical route while reading. Thus, the reading improvement induced by mindfulness sheds light on the intricate relation between attention and reading. Mindfulness reduced impulsivity and improved sustained attention, and this, in turn, improved reading of adults with developmental dyslexia and ADHD, by helping them to read via the straight path of the lexical route.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4862243/

Relieve Depression with Mindfulness and Spirituality

July 3, 2016 psyjdc Leave a comment

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

Depression is epidemic. Major depressive disorder affects approximately 14.8 million American adults, or about 6.7 percent of the U.S. population age 18 and older in a given year. Depression is more prevalent in women than in men. It also affects children with one in 33 children and one in eight adolescents having clinical depression. It is so serious that it can be fatal as about 2/3 of suicides are caused by depression. It makes lives miserable, not only the patients but also associates and loved ones, interferes with the conduct of normal everyday activities, and can come back repeatedly. Even after complete remission, 42% have a reoccurrence.

The first line treatment is antidepressant drugs. But, depression can be difficult to treat. Of patients treated initially with drugs only about a third attained remission and even after repeated and varied treatments including drugs, therapy, exercise etc. only about two thirds of patients attain remission. This leaves a third of all patients treated still in deep depression. These patients are deemed to have treatment-resistant depression. Being depressed and not responding to treatment is a terribly difficult situation. The patients are suffering and nothing appears to work to relieve their intense depression. Suicide becomes a real possibility. So, it is imperative that other treatments be identified that can be applied when the typical treatments fail.

Mindfulness training has been shown to be effective for depression alone or in combination with drug therapy. Although there are a number of mindfulness treatments that are effective, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) has been found to be effective for a myriad of physical and psychological problems including depression. MBSR, like all mindfulness trainings has physical, psychological, emotional, and spiritual components and spirituality has been shown to be associated with reduced depression. But, MBSR is even more complex as it contains yoga and body scan in addition to meditation. Because of the complexity and the variety of effects of these practices it is difficult to know which components are effective in promoting well-being and which are not.

In today’s Research News article “Decreased Symptoms of Depression After Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction: Potential Moderating Effects of Religiosity, Spirituality, Trait Mindfulness, Sex, and Age”

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeStudiesCenter/photos/a.628903887133541.1073741828.627681673922429/1263767500313840/?type=3&theater

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4365440/

Greeson and colleagues investigate the influences of the mindfulness and spiritual aspects of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) on depression in adults. Participants completed measurement scales of anxiety, depression, mindfulness, spirituality, and religious participation both before and after 8-weeks of MBSR training. They found, as has been previously demonstrated, that following MBSR training depression was significantly reduced. They also found that the higher the level of mindfulness after treatment the lower the level of depression. This was also true for the levels of spirituality, the higher they were the lower the depression. Finally, they employed a sophisticated statistical procedure, Hierarchical multiple regression analysis, to demonstrate that mindfulness and spirituality act independently to reduce depression.

These findings are interesting and suggest that the complex and multifaceted Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program reduces depression both by increasing mindfulness and by increasing spirituality. Since there is no training in spirituality or direct effort to influence spirituality in MBSR training, it would appear to be an indirect effect of MBSR. The results suggest that it is not the result of increased mindfulness, but arises nonetheless as an added bonus of the training. MBSR is an outgrowth of ancient practices of meditation, yoga, and body scan that were initially employed for spiritual purposes. So, I guess that it should come as no surprise that even when employed in a secular practice, that they still increase spirituality. It should also come as no surprise that spirituality would be associated with reduced depression as spirituality gives meaning and purpose to life which is incompatible with depression.

So, relieve depression with mindfulness and spirituality.

“Meditation has penetrated our culture in a way that would have been inconceivable 20 years ago when I started to investigate it [as a potential treatment] for mood disorders. It resonates with people’s desires to find a way of slowing down and returning to an inner psychological reality that is not as easily perturbed.” – Zindel Segal

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Google+ https://plus.google.com/106784388191201299496/posts