Mindfulness

Mindfulness Protects Against Depression and Psychopathology in Alzheimer’s Disease

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By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“People do not realize that Alzheimer’s is not old age. It is a progressive and fatal disease and staggering amounts of people develop Alzheimer’s every day.” – Melina Kanakaredes

 

The normal aging process involves a systematic progressive decline in every system in the body, the brain included. The elderly often have problems with attention, thinking, and memory, known as mild cognitive impairment. But sometimes the decline is rapid and results in dementia; a progressive loss of mental function produced by degenerative diseases of the brain. It is quite common with about 3% of adults ages 70 to 74, 22% of adults ages 85 to 89 and 33% of adults ages 90 and older. Between 60% to 80% of dementia cases are classified as Alzheimer’s Disease.

 

An encouraging new development is that mindfulness practices such as meditation training and mindful movement practices can significantly reduce these declines in cognitive ability and dementia. In addition, it has been found that mindfulness practices reduce the deterioration of the brain that occurs with aging restraining the loss of neural tissue. This suggests that mindfulness may help to relieve some of the symptoms and/or slow the progression of mild Alzheimer’s Disease.

 

In today’s Research News article “Mindfulness Prevents Depression and Psychopathology in Elderly People with Mild to Moderate Alzheimer’s Disease: A Randomized Clinical Trial.” (See summary below or view the full text of the study at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9881020/) Quintana-Hernández and colleagues recruited elderly patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s Disease and randomly assigned them to one of four conditions; Mindfulness-based Alzheimer’s Stimulation; CS, Cognitive Stimulation; PMR, Progressive Muscle Relaxation; or no treatment. All participants received 3 weekly sessions for 2 years combined with daily 10 mg Donepezil. They were measured for depression, geriatric depression, and neuropsychological symptoms at baseline or 6, 12, 18, and 24 months later.

 

They found that the groups did not differ at baseline but that the Mindfulness-based Alzheimer’s Stimulation group had significantly lower scores than the other 3 groups at the 6-, 12-, 18-, and 24-months for depression, insomnia, agitation, anxiety, somatic symptoms, weight loss, delusions, apathy, irritability, and night time behaviors and higher levels of appetite and insight. These measures for the mindfulness group did not differ from baseline at any follow up while the other 3 groups significantly deteriorated over time relative to baseline.

 

These findings suggest that mindfulness training prevents deterioration in depression and psychopathology while other treatments or no treatment continue to deteriorate. Hence mindfulness training would appear be beneficial in the treatment of patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s Disease.

 

“You only know yourself because of your memories.” – Andrea Gillies

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on the Contemplative Studies Blog  http://contemplative-studies.org

 

Study Summary

 

Quintana-Hernández DJ, Rojas-Hernández J, Santana-Del Pino A, Céspedes Suárez C, Pellejero Silva M, Miró-Barrachina MT, Ibáñez Fernández I, Estupiñán López JA, Borkel LF. Mindfulness Prevents Depression and Psychopathology in Elderly People with Mild to Moderate Alzheimer’s Disease: A Randomized Clinical Trial. J Alzheimers Dis. 2023;91(1):471-481. doi: 10.3233/JAD-220889. PMID: 36442199; PMCID: PMC9881020.

 

Abstract

Background:

This longitudinal study addressed whether mindfulness practice prevents psychological and behavioral symptoms, especially mood disorders, in Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

Objective:

To assess the incidence of depression in the course of AD and to determine which non-pharmacological treatment (NPT) is most effective in preventing psychopathological symptoms.

Methods:

We conducted a longitudinal, non-inferiority and equivalence randomized clinical trial, repeated-measures design, with a control group and three experimental treatments: mindfulness, cognitive stimulation, and relaxation. Each experimental group performed three weekly sessions for two years. The pharmacological treatment of all participants was donepezil (10 mg). Participants were patients with probable AD without diagnosed depression from the public neurology services of the Canary Health Service, Spain. Psychological evaluation was performed using the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), and Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI-Q). The statistical analysis included only patients who attended at least 75% of the sessions. A nonparametric, repeated-measures analysis was performed with Kruskal-Wallis H test and between-group differences with Mann-Whitney U test with Bonferroni correction (p < 0.008). Effect size was calculated with partial eta-squared.

Results:

The results showed significant differences with large effect sizes (η2p>0.14) between mindfulness and the rest of the experimental groups as well as the control in the GDS, HDRS, and NPI-Q scales.

Conclusion:

Compared to the other experimental groups, only mindfulness prevented the onset of depression and other psychopathologies in early-stage AD. Based on its effectiveness in maintaining cognitive functions and preventing psychopathology, we recommend mindfulness as the first-choice NPT for mild to moderate AD.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9881020/

Improve the Cognitive, Social, and Psychological States of Mild Alzheimer’s Patients with Mindfulness

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Improve the Cognitive, Social, and Psychological States of Mild Alzheimer’s Patients with Mindfulness

 

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“You have to be patient with Alzheimer’s. Once you understand that it’s a medical condition, you become a little more compassionate. You get less frustrated.” – Kim Campbell

 

The normal aging process involves a systematic progressive decline in every system in the body, the brain included. The elderly often have problems with attention, thinking, and memory, known as mild cognitive impairment. But sometimes the decline is rapid and results in dementia; a progressive loss of mental function produced by degenerative diseases of the brain. It is quite common with about 3% of adults ages 70 to 74, 22% of adults ages 85 to 89 and 33% of adults ages 90 and older. Between 60% to 80% of dementia cases are classified as Alzheimer’s Disease.

 

An encouraging new development is that mindfulness practices such as meditation training and mindful movement practices can significantly reduce these declines in cognitive ability. In addition, it has been found that mindfulness practices reduce the deterioration of the brain that occurs with aging restraining the loss of neural tissue. This suggests that mindfulness may help to relieve some of the symptoms and/or slow the progression of mild Alzheimer’s Disease.

 

In today’s Research News article “Effects of Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs) in Patients with Early-Stage Alzheimer’s Disease: A Pilot Study.” (See summary below or view the full text of the study at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10046197/ )  Giulietti and colleagues recruited elderly (>70 years old) patients suffering from mild Alzheimer’s disease. They were randomly assigned to either receive no treatment or a once a week for 6-month mindfulness-based intervention including stress management, relaxation, and 15-minute meditations once in treatment and twice at home per week. At baseline and after 6-months the patients were measured with the Mini Mental States Inventory, and for health-related quality of life, depression, spiritual well-being, social status, everyday cognition, and neuropsychiatric symptoms.

 

In comparison to baseline the patients that received the mindfulness-based intervention had significantly greater levels of everyday cognition, spiritual well-being, and social functioning, and lower levels of depression, agitation/aggression, anxiety, apathy, euphoria, sleep, apathy, and appetite. Whereas the control patients had significantly worsening Mini Mental States Inventory, apathy, appetite, and depression.

 

Caution should be exercised in interpreting these results as it was a relatively small pilot study without an active control condition.

 

But the results suggest that mindfulness training improved the cognitive, social, and psychological states of mild Alzheimer’s disease patients while the untreated patients showed a worsening of their cognitive and psychological states.

 

 “People do not realize that Alzheimer’s is not old age. It is a progressive and fatal disease and staggering amounts of people develop Alzheimer’s every day.” – Melina Kanakaredes

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on the Contemplative Studies Blog  http://contemplative-studies.org

 

Study Summary

 

Giulietti MV, Spatuzzi R, Fabbietti P, Vespa A. Effects of Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs) in Patients with Early-Stage Alzheimer’s Disease: A Pilot Study. Brain Sci. 2023 Mar 13;13(3):484. doi: 10.3390/brainsci13030484. PMID: 36979294; PMCID: PMC10046197.

 

Abstract

Bachground In this study, we hypothesize that mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) may improve well-being and the related outcomes in Alzheimer’s dementia patients (AD-P) at an early stage. MBIs consist of the practice of consciously observing the psychic contents in the present moment (thoughts, sensations, feelings, and other events). This attention allows one to become aware of the psychic contents and integrate them, thus favoring the quality of life and an increase in the mood of practitioners. Methods The randomized controlled study enrolled 22 AD-P at an early stage (age ≥ 60 years) treated with MBIs and 22 patients without treatment (six months of MBI training). Tests (T0–T1 six months): Mini-Mental State Examination (MMPI); Spiritual Well-Being (SWB); Beck Depression Inventory (BDI); SF36. Test-Caregiver: Everyday Cognition scales (ECOG). Results AD-P with mindfulness: Improvement of ECOG (p = 0.026), quality of life (p < 0.001), spiritual well-being (p < 0.001); decrease in depression BDI (p < 0.001). The MMSE remains unchanged. The control group of untreated patients showed a significant worsening in all these dimensions. Conclusions MBI training is effective in increasing quality of life and preventing worsening in patients with early-stage Alzheimer’s dementia.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10046197/

 

Prevent Depression and Dementia-Related Behavioral Symptoms in Alzheimer’s Disease with Mindfulness

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Prevent Depression and Dementia-Related Behavioral Symptoms in Alzheimer’s Disease with Mindfulness

 

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“Alzheimer’s is not about the past—the successes, the accolades, the accomplishments… Alzheimer’s is about the present and the struggle, the scrappy brawl, the fight to live with a disease. It’s being in the present, the relationships, the experiences, which is the core of life, the courage to live in the soul”. – Greg O’Brien

 

The normal aging process involves a systematic progressive decline in every system in the body, the brain included. The elderly frequently have problems with attention, thinking, and memory, known as mild cognitive impairment. But sometimes the decline is rapid and results in dementia; a progressive loss of mental function produced by degenerative diseases of the brain. It is quite common with about 3% of adults ages 70 to 74, 22% of adults ages 85 to 89 and 33% of adults ages 90 and older. Between 60% to 80% of dementia cases are classified as Alzheimer’s Disease. Depression is a common symptom.

 

An encouraging new development is that mindfulness practices such as meditation training and mindful movement practices can significantly reduce these declines in cognitive ability. In addition, it has been found that mindfulness practices reduce the deterioration of the brain that occurs with aging restraining the loss of neural tissue. This suggests that mindfulness may also help to relieve some of the psychological symptoms of the disease; particularly mindfulness practices ability to prevent the development of depression in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s Disease.

 

In today’s Research News article “Mindfulness Prevents Depression and Psychopathology in Elderly People with Mild to Moderate Alzheimer’s Disease: A Randomized Clinical Trial” (See summary below or view the full text of the study at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9881020/ ) Quintana-Hernández and colleagues recruited patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s Disease who were not showing depressive symptoms and randomly assigned them to receive either no treatment, mindfulness practice (Mindfulness-based Alzheimer’s Stimulation), cognitive stimulation, or progressive muscle relaxation. They were provided with three weekly sessions over 2 years. Mindfulness-based Alzheimer’s Stimulation involves caregiver and patient joint activities emphasizing present moment awareness.

 

The participants were measured at baseline and every 6 months thereafter for depression, and caregiver rated dementia-related behavioral symptoms, including delusions, hallucinations, agitation/aggression, dysphoria, anxiety, euphoria, apathy, disinhibition, irritability/lability, aberrant motor activity, night-time behavioral disturbances and appetite and eating abnormalities.

 

They found that, over the 2-year study period, mindfulness training and practice prevented the onset of depression and dementia-related behavioral symptoms in these patients while these symptoms increased progressively and significantly in all other groups.

 

These findings are remarkable and demonstrate that mindfulness training can prevent the development of depression and neuropsychiatric symptoms in early-stage Alzheimer’s Disease patients over a substantial period of time. This suggests that mindfulness training should be incorporated into the routine treatment of patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s Disease.

 

“You have to be patient with Alzheimer’s. Once you understand that it’s a medical condition, you become a little more compassionate. You get less frustrated.” – Kim Campbell

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on the Contemplative Studies Blog  http://contemplative-studies.org

 

Study Summary

 

Quintana-Hernández DJ, Rojas-Hernández J, Santana-Del Pino A, Céspedes Suárez C, Pellejero Silva M, Miró-Barrachina MT, Ibáñez Fernández I, Estupiñán López JA, Borkel LF. Mindfulness Prevents Depression and Psychopathology in Elderly People with Mild to Moderate Alzheimer’s Disease: A Randomized Clinical Trial. J Alzheimers Dis. 2023;91(1):471-481. doi: 10.3233/JAD-220889. PMID: 36442199; PMCID: PMC9881020.

 

Background:

This longitudinal study addressed whether mindfulness practice prevents psychological and behavioral symptoms, especially mood disorders, in Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

Objective:

To assess the incidence of depression in the course of AD and to determine which non-pharmacological treatment (NPT) is most effective in preventing psychopathological symptoms.

Methods:

We conducted a longitudinal, non-inferiority and equivalence randomized clinical trial, repeated-measures design, with a control group and three experimental treatments: mindfulness, cognitive stimulation, and relaxation. Each experimental group performed three weekly sessions for two years. The pharmacological treatment of all participants was donepezil (10 mg). Participants were patients with probable AD without diagnosed depression from the public neurology services of the Canary Health Service, Spain. Psychological evaluation was performed using the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), and Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI-Q). The statistical analysis included only patients who attended at least 75% of the sessions. A nonparametric, repeated-measures analysis was performed with Kruskal-Wallis H test and between-group differences with Mann-Whitney U test with Bonferroni correction (p < 0.008). Effect size was calculated with partial eta-squared.

Results:

The results showed significant differences with large effect sizes (η2p>0.14) between mindfulness and the rest of the experimental groups as well as the control in the GDS, HDRS, and NPI-Q scales.

Conclusion:

Compared to the other experimental groups, only mindfulness prevented the onset of depression and other psychopathologies in early-stage AD. Based on its effectiveness in maintaining cognitive functions and preventing psychopathology, we recommend mindfulness as the first-choice NPT for mild to moderate AD.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9881020/

Mindfulness is Associated with Less Self-Talk and Greater Self-Compassion

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Mindfulness is Associated with Less Self-Talk and Greater Self-Compassion

 

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“You’ve been criticising yourself for years and it hasn’t worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens.”— Louise L. Hay

 

One of the more remarkable aspects of Western culture is that in general people do not like themselves. We are constantly comparing ourselves to others and since there can only one best, virtually everyone falls short. So, we constantly criticize ourselves for not being the smartest, the swiftest, the strongest, the most liked, the most handsome or beautiful. If there wasn’t something wrong with us, then we would be the best. As a result, we become focused and obsessed with our flaws. This can lead to anxiety and worry impairing well-being.

 

Mindfulness promotes experiencing and accepting ourselves as we are, which is a direct antidote to seeing ourselves in comparison to others and as we wish to be. In other words, mindfulness promotes self-compassion. Self-compassion is “treating oneself with kindness and understanding when facing suffering, seeing one’s failures as part of the human condition, and having a balanced awareness of painful thoughts and emotions” (Kristin Neff). Because self-compassion is so lacking and yet necessary for well-being, it is important to study the relationship of mindfulness and self-compassion.

 

In today’s Research News article “Trait Mindfulness, Self-Compassion, and Self-Talk: A Correlational Analysis of Young Adults.” (See summary below or view the full text of the study at:  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9495966/)  Grzybowski and colleagues recruited undergraduate students and had them complete measures of mindfulness, self-talk, positive and negative automatic self-statements, and self-compassion.

 

They found that the higher the levels of mindfulness the higher the levels of positive self-talk and the lower the levels of negative self-talk. In addition, the higher the levels of positive self-talk the greater the levels of self-compassion.

 

These findings are correlative and as such caution must be exercised in reaching conclusions regarding causation. Regardless, the findings suggest that mindfulness and self-compassion are associated with positive internal speech, self-talk. This suggests that mindfulness may promote positive internal self-statements that are in turn associated with self-compassion which is very important for the individual’s psychological well-being.

 

”It is a beautiful experience being with ourselves at a level of complete acceptance. When that begins to happen, when you give up resistance and needing to be perfect, a peace will come over you as you have never known.”— Ruth Fishel

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Twitter @MindfulResearch

 

Study Summary

 

Grzybowski J, Brinthaupt TM. Trait Mindfulness, Self-Compassion, and Self-Talk: A Correlational Analysis of Young Adults. Behav Sci (Basel). 2022 Aug 23;12(9):300. doi: 10.3390/bs12090300. PMID: 36135104; PMCID: PMC9495966.

 

Abstract

This research explores the relationships between trait mindfulness, self-compassion, self-talk frequency, and experience with mindful practice. We expected to find that positive self-talk would be positively related to mindfulness and self-compassion, and negative self-talk would be negatively related to these variables. Participants (N = 342) were recruited through a university research pool, as well as via social media posting. The participants completed two measures of trait mindfulness (the 15-item Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire and the Trait Toronto Mindfulness Scale), two measures of self-talk (the Self-Talk Scale and the Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire—Revised), and the Self-Compassion Scale short form. The results showed moderate positive correlations between (1) positive self-talk and trait mindfulness and (2) positive self-talk and self-compassion. A significant negative correlation also emerged between negative self-talk and trait mindfulness. Additional analyses indicated no moderating effects of mindfulness experience on self-talk or self-compassion in predicting trait mindfulness. We discuss implications for the significance of the relationship between self-talk and mindfulness for the effective implementation in future treatment methodologies.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9495966/

 

Mindfulness is Associated with Greater Psychological Well-Being

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Mindfulness is Associated with Greater Psychological Well-Being

 

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment, live in the breath.”  ― Amit Ray

 

The primary focus of the majority of research on mindfulness has been on its ability to treat negative emotional states such as anxiety, depression, and perceived stress. As such, it has been found to be effective for a large array of medical and psychiatric conditions, either stand-alone or in combination with more traditional therapies. But mindfulness training has also been shown to improve health and well-being in healthy individuals. Indeed, it is possible that the effectiveness of mindfulness training in relieving mental and physical illness may result from its ability to improve positive psychological states.

 

In today’s Research News article “Could mindfulness diminish mental health disorders? The serial mediating role of self-compassion and psychological well-being.” (See summary below or view the full text of the study at:  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9362435/ )  Tran and colleagues, during the Covid-19 pandemic, sent an online survey to university students and again after 15 days measuring mindfulness, self-compassion, anxiety, depression, stress, and psychological well-being. Students who practiced mindfulness were followed up with structured qualitative reports.

 

They found that the higher the levels of mindfulness the lower the levels of stress, anxiety, and depression, and the higher the levels of self-compassion, and psychological well-being. They also report that mindfulness has direct relationships with lower levels of stress, anxiety, and depression and also indirect relationships. Mindfulness was associated with higher levels of self-compassion which in turn was associated with higher levels of psychological well-being which in turn was associated with lower levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. The qualitative results corroborated these findiings.

 

These results suggest that the anxiety, depression, and stress that occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic are less in mindful students and suggests that these relationships are partially mediated by mindful people having higher levels of self-compassion and psychological well-being.

 

“The way to live in the present is to remember that ‘This too shall pass.’ When you experience joy, remembering that ‘This too shall pass’ helps you savor the here and now. When you experience pain and sorrow, remembering that ‘This too shall pass’ reminds you that grief, like joy, is only temporary.” – Joey Green

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Twitter @MindfulResearch

 

Study Summary

 

Tran MAQ, Vo-Thanh T, Soliman M, Ha AT, Van Pham M. Could mindfulness diminish mental health disorders? The serial mediating role of self-compassion and psychological well-being. Curr Psychol. 2022 Aug 3:1-14. doi: 10.1007/s12144-022-03421-3. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35967505; PMCID: PMC9362435.

 

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic clearly has various detrimental psychological effects on people’s mental health, emphasizing the importance of mindfulness in overcoming such repercussions. This is in line with the growing number of studies that have been conducted to assess the effects of mindfulness in diverse settings. However, the role of mindfulness in reducing mental health issues among university students has received little attention. Therefore, the current work seeks to investigate how mindfulness could reduce the anxiety, depression, and stress of university students and how self-compassion and psychological well-being could mediate the links between mindfulness and these mental health disorders. To that end, an explanatory sequential mixed-method design was adopted. Quantitative data collected, through a two-wave survey, from 560 Vietnamese students having an average age of 18.7 years were used to test the hypotheses. To measure the six variables in the research models, we opted for the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), Self-Compassion Scale (SCS-26), Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21–7 items for each subscale), and World Health Organization-Five Well-Being Index (WHO-5). Additionally, qualitative data from 19 in-depth interviews were utilized to explain the quantitative findings and explore students’ experiences in practicing mindfulness and self-compassion to decrease stress, depression, and anxiety. The results elucidated that self-compassion and psychological well-being serially mediated the relationships between mindfulness (as a predictor) and anxiety, stress, and depression (as outcome variables). The findings demonstrated the key role of mindfulness in increasing students’ self-compassion and psychological well-being as well as reducing anxiety, depression, and stress. This research holds substantial contributions by providing universities and psychotherapists with recommendations to deal with negative psychological consequences caused by COVID-19.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9362435/

 

Improve Asthma Symptoms with Mindfulness

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Improve Asthma Symptoms with Mindfulness

 

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“Asthma is treatable and well can be controlled.” —Cathy Freeman

 

Asthma is a chronic disease of the lungs that involves a persistent inflammation of the airways. When the inflammation worsens, it makes it more difficult for air to move in and out of the lungs provoking coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath and chest tightness. It is estimated that 300 million people worldwide and 30 million people in the U.S. suffer from asthma and the incidence appears to be growing. Asthma is not fatal and those with moderate asthma have an equivalent life expectancy to those that don’t. There is no cure for asthma. So, it is a chronic disease that must be coped with throughout the lifetime. Treatments are aimed at symptomatic relief. Most frequently drugs, anti-inflammatory hormones, and inhalers are used to help control the inflammation. Mindfulness training has been shown to improve the symptoms of Asthma.

 

In today’s Research News article “Clinically relevant effects of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in individuals with asthma.” (See summary below or view the full text of the study at:  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9513112/ ) Higgins and colleagues recruited asthma patients and randomly assigned them to either a wait-list control condition or to receive an 8-weekly 2.5 hour sessions of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)  consisting of meditation, yoga, body scan, and group discussion. The participants were measured before, midpoint, after and every month for 6 months for asthma control, asthma severity, airway inflammation, anxiety, depression, perceived stress, symptoms and severity, and mindfulness.

 

They found that in comparison to baseline and the control group, the MBSR had significantly improved mindfulness and asthma control and significantly reduced symptom distress and airway inflammation. Hence, MBSR produced significant improvements in asthma symptoms and the patients ability to control the symptoms.

 

So, improve asthma with mindfulness.

 

“Asthma would not keep me from enjoying life.I beat asthma everyday.” —Unknown

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Twitter @MindfulResearch

 

Study Summary

 

Higgins ET, Davidson RJ, Busse WW, Klaus DR, Bednarek GT, Goldman RI, Sachs J, Rosenkranz MA. Clinically relevant effects of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in individuals with asthma. Brain Behav Immun Health. 2022 Sep 14;25:100509. doi: 10.1016/j.bbih.2022.100509. PMID: 36177306; PMCID: PMC9513112.

 

Abstract

Background

Psychological distress and comorbid psychopathology contribute to exacerbation risk in patients with asthma. Thus, interventions designed to reduce stress and improve emotion regulation, such as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), may augment standard care. Few studies have addressed this question and a paucity of data exists to determine the ability of MBSR to impact clinical outcomes in asthma.

Methods

This randomized controlled trial investigated effects of MBSR training on asthma control and airway inflammation, in relation to psychological symptoms, in adults with asthma. Participants were randomized to an 8-week MBSR training (n = 35) or wait-list control group (n = 34). Clinically relevant asthma assessments, including Asthma Control Questionnaire and inflammatory biomarkers, were collected at baseline and six approximately-monthly follow-ups. Self-reported mindfulness, distress, depression, and anxiety symptoms were assessed at baseline, post-intervention, and study completion. Chronic stress level was determined at baseline only.

Results

Asthma control improved significantly in individuals randomized to MBSR, relative to wait-list controls (p = .01; effect size d = 0.76), which was maintained at 4mo post-intervention. 32% of MBSR participants achieved a clinically significant improvement, based on the ACQ6 Minimally Important Difference, relative to 12% of wait-list participants. Moreover, MBSR-related improvement in asthma control was associated with a reduction in distress (p = .043) and the intervention was most efficacious for those with the highest baseline depressive symptoms (p = .023). Importantly, MBSR also reduced levels of exhaled nitric oxide, a biomarker of airway inflammation, relative to wait-list controls (p < .05).

Conclusion

Supporting and extending extant evidence of mind-body relationships in asthma and the benefits of stress reduction for these patients, this is, to the best of our knowledge, the first RCT to demonstrate that training in MBSR improves clinically relevant asthma outcomes. MBSR may thus be a valuable addition to optimal asthma management, particularly for those with comorbid psychopathology.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9513112/

Increase Hopefulness and Well-Being with Gratitude and Mindfulness

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By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“Gratitude for the present moment and the fullness of life now is the true prosperity.” – Eckhart Tolle

 

Gratitude involves an appreciation of the positive facets of our lives. It is important for well-being as it underlines the good that is in our lives, which are often forgotten or missed. Gratitude also makes us more hopeful. Mindfulness is also important for well-being and would help to amplify gratitude and hopefulness. Gratitude, mindfulness, and hopefulness all work to promote positive emotional states which can improve well-being. There has, however, been little research on the interactions of mindfulness, gratitude, and hopefulness on well-being.

 

In today’s Research News article “Exploring the Nexus Between Mindfulness, Gratitude, and Wellbeing Among Youth With the Mediating Role of Hopefulness: A South Asian Perspective.” (See summary below or view the full text of the study at:  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9346554/ ) Ali and colleagues recruited adults and had them complete measures of gratitude, mindfulness, well-being, and hopefulness. The data were subjected to analysis with structural equation modelling.

 

They found that when both mindfulness and gratitude were high, so was hopefulness. But only gratitude and not mindfulness was positively associated with well-being. But, they found that both mindfulness and gratitude were related positively to well-being indirectly by being associated with higher hopefulness which in turn was associated with higher well-being.

 

These findings are correlative and as such caution must be exercised in interpreting causation. But it would seem that people who are mindful and have gratitude have greater well-being.

 

“I don’t have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness – it’s right in front of me if I’m paying attention and practicing gratitude.” – Brene Brown

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Twitter @MindfulResearch

 

Study Summary

 

Ali SB, Ahmad MJ, Ramzan I, Ali M, Khan K. Exploring the Nexus Between Mindfulness, Gratitude, and Wellbeing Among Youth With the Mediating Role of Hopefulness: A South Asian Perspective. Front Psychol. 2022 Jul 19;13:915667. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.915667. PMID: 35936309; PMCID: PMC9346554.

 

Abstract

This study investigates the relationship between mindfulness, gratitude, and psychological wellbeing of young individuals in Pakistan with the potential role of hopefulness as a mediator between mindfulness, gratitude, and wellbeing. Data were collected from young individuals (18–40 years old) from Pakistan. A total sample of 500 participants was collected by employing the online survey questionnaire, and 374 questionnaires were duly filled and returned. The PLS-SEM technique was used to test the proposed hypotheses. The results of the study found that there is a strong direct relationship between gratitude, mindfulness, and hopefulness, and mindfulness is also strongly correlated with wellbeing. However, the relationship between gratitude and wellbeing was not statistically significant. Moreover, the mediation results reveal that the relationship between mindfulness, gratitude, and wellbeing is significantly mediated by hopefulness. This shows that gratitude and mindfulness are crucial in enhancing wellbeing through hopefulness. This study is an important contribution to validating the broaden-and-build theory, which suggests that hopelessness is a significant factor of a depressive state. It can be indicated that inducing hopefulness could be a significant element of the treatment plan of professional clinical psychologists.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9346554/

 

Reduce Dementia Caregiver Grief with Mindfulness and Compassion

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Reduce Dementia Caregiver Grief with Mindfulness and Compassion

 

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“Grief is not as heavy as guilt, but it takes more away from you.” – Veronica Roth

 

Dementia is a progressive loss of mental function produced by degenerative diseases of the brain. Dementia patients require caregiving particularly in the later stages of the disease. Caregiving for dementia patients is a daunting intense experience that can go on for four to eight years with increasing responsibilities as the loved one deteriorates. This places tremendous psychological and financial stress on the caregiver. Hence, there is a need to care for caregivers. Mindfulness practice for caregivers has been shown to help them cope with the physical and psychological demands of caregiving.

 

In today’s Research News article “Effects of a compassion-based program on the grief experienced by caregivers of people suffering from dementia: a randomized controlled clinical trial.” (See summary below or view the full text of the study at:  ) Jahani and colleagues recruited family caregivers of dementia patients and assigned them to either no treatment or do receive 5 weekly online sessions of mindfulness and compassion training. Before and after training the participants completed measures of grief.

 

They found that compared to baseline and the control group the participants who received mindfulness and compassion training had significantly lower levels of grief, personal sacrifice burden, heartfelt sadness and worry, worry and felt isolation, Hence, mindfulness and compassion training produced significant reductions in overall grief and all three fields of the grief experience in family caregivers of dementia patients.

 

“Many caregivers share that they often feel alone, isolated, and unappreciated. Mindfulness can offer renewed hope for finding support and value for your role as a caregiver…It is an approach that everyone can use. It can help slow you down some so you can make the best possible decisions for your care recipient. It also helps bring more balance and ease while navigating the caregiving journey.”― Nancy L. Kriseman

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Twitter @MindfulResearch

 

Study Summary

 

Jahani L, Abolhassani S, Babaee S, Omranifard V. Effects of a compassion-based program on the grief experienced by caregivers of people suffering from dementia: a randomized controlled clinical trial. BMC Nurs. 2022 Jul 25;21(1):198. doi: 10.1186/s12912-022-00980-5. PMID: 35879751; PMCID: PMC9316726.

 

Abstract

Background

Dementia is a syndrome that reduces the cognitive and functional abilities of the brain increasing the need for care. The caregivers of these patients are mostly their family members. The great care burden causes devastating effects on the health of family caregivers and the grief experienced by these family caregivers is considerable. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of a compassion-based program on the grief experienced by caregivers of people suffering from dementia.

Method

The present study was a randomized controlled clinical trial in which 70 family caregivers of people suffering from dementia were sampled through the block method and they were divided into experimental and control groups. The data collection tools included demographic information questionnaire and grief inventory that was completed before, a week and a month after the implementation of the compassion-based program in five sessions virtually by sending offline content to the experimental group. The obtained data were analyzed by SPSS 22 software using the repeated measures analysis of variance.

Results

The mean comparison of scores of the grief experienced in the experimental group between pretest and posttest and follow-up, unlike the control group, showed a significant difference (p < 0.001). The mean scores of the experimental and the control groups were significantly different in terms of experiencing mourning and all of its fields (p < 0.001). The mean comparison of post-test and follow-up showed that the effect of a compassion-based program at the follow-up stage has been mitigated.

Conclusions

According to the study results, the compassion-based program reduced the grief experienced by the family caregivers of people suffering from dementia. Nevertheless, the effect of a compassion-based program has been reduced over time. This program can be a good guide for providing society-oriented services to the health team.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9316726/

Improve Long-Covid Symptoms with Mindfulness

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Improve Long-Covid Symptoms with Mindfulness

 

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“Everything is created twice, first in the mind and then in reality.” ~Robin S. Sharma

 

Mindfulness training has been shown to improve health and well-being in healthy individuals. They have 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. The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged the mental and physical health of the population. It has created intense stress both for frontline workers but also for people simply isolating at home. Mindfulness is known to decrease the psychological and physical responses to stress  Long COVID-19 symptoms have emerged as a major problem. The evidence that mindfulness practices are effective in treating these long covid symptoms has been accumulating. So, it makes sense to summarize what has been learned.

 

In today’s Research News article “Mindfulness Meditation Interventions for Long COVID: Biobehavioral Gene Expression and Neuroimmune Functioning.” (See summary below or view the full text of the study at:  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9653042/ ) Porter and Jason review and summarize the published research on the effectiveness of mindfulness practices for the treatment of long covid symptoms of Covid-19.

 

They report that the published studies found that mindfulness practices reduce fatigue, anxiety, and depression, and improve physical and mental functioning in long covid. They further postulate that these improvements may be mediated by the effect of mindfulness practices on the immunological and inflammatory systems. These include altering pro-inflammatory and immune function gene expressions.

 

So, the published studies suggest that mindfulness practices improve the mental and physical symptoms of long covid.

 

“Remember the blue sky. It may at times be obscured by clouds, but it is always there.” — Andy Puddicombe

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Twitter @MindfulResearch

 

Study Summary

 

Porter N, Jason LA. Mindfulness Meditation Interventions for Long COVID: Biobehavioral Gene Expression and Neuroimmune Functioning. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2022 Nov 8;18:2599-2626. doi: 10.2147/NDT.S379653. PMID: 36387947; PMCID: PMC9653042.

 

Abstract

Some individuals infected with SARS CoV-2 have developed Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS CoV-2 infection (PASC) or what has been referred to as Long COVID. Efforts are underway to find effective treatment strategies for those with Long COVID. One possible approach involves alternative medical interventions, which have been widely used to treat and manage symptoms of a variety of medical problems including post-viral infections. Meditation has been found to reduce fatigue and unrefreshing sleep, and for those with post-viral infections, it has enhanced immunity, and reduced inflammatory-driven pathogenesis. Our article summarizes the literature on what is known about mindfulness meditation interventions, and reviews evidence on how it may apply to those with Long COVID and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). Evidence is reviewed suggesting effective and sustainable outcomes may be achieved for symptomatology and underlying pathology of post-viral fatigue (PASC and ME/CFS).

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9653042/

Mindfulness Increases Self-Forgiveness in Prisoners

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Mindfulness Increases Self-Forgiveness in Prisoners

 

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love,” – Martin Luther King Jr.

 

Around 2 ¼ million people are incarcerated in the United States. Even though prisons are euphemistically labelled correctional facilities very little correction actually occurs. This is supported by the rates of recidivism. About three quarters of prisoners who are released commit crimes and are sent back to prison within 5-years. The lack of actual treatment for the prisoners leaves them ill equipped to engage positively in society either inside or outside of prison. Hence, there is a need for effective treatment programs that help the prisoners while in prison and prepares them for life outside the prison.

 

Forgiveness is important to happiness and psychological well-being. It allows one to move beyond anger and resentment. It is an adaptive ability to move beyond a perceived transgression by another, not by ignoring or denying it, but by reframing it so the response moves away from negativity. This is true not only of others but also the self. Self-forgiveness is essential for psychological well-being. This may be particularly important for prisoners. There is emerging research on forgiveness but much has yet to be explored regarding the processes that lead to and improve forgiveness. Mindfulness has been found to be associated with higher levels of forgiveness. So, it makes sense to explore the processes by which mindfulness is associated with forgiveness in prisoners.

 

In today’s Research News article “The relationship between self-forgiveness and psychological wellbeing in prison inmates: The mediating role of mindfulness.” (See summary below or view the full text of the study at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9826273/  ) Paleari and colleagues recruited male prisoners and had them complete measures of years in prison, mindfulness, self-forgiveness for the crime committed, well-being, and severity of the crime committed.

 

They found that self-forgiveness had an indirect effect on well-being in the prisoners mediated by mindfulness such that self-forgiveness was positively associated with mindfulness which was in turn positively associated with well-being. This was particularly true for prisoners who had spent years in prison.

 

So, the ability of self-forgiveness to improve the psychological well-being of prisoners was mediated by mindfulness. Perhaps mindfulness training might amplify this effect.

 

“It’s not an easy journey, to get to a place where you forgive people. But it is such a powerful place, because it frees you.” – Tyler Perry

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Twitter @MindfulResearch

 

Study Summary

 

Paleari GF, Danioni F, Pelucchi S, Lombrano MR, Lumera D, Regalia C. The relationship between self-forgiveness and psychological wellbeing in prison inmates: The mediating role of mindfulness. Crim Behav Ment Health. 2022 Oct;32(5):337-349. doi: 10.1002/cbm.2260. Epub 2022 Sep 2. PMID: 36056526; PMCID: PMC9826273.

 

Abstract

Background

Previous research with general population samples has consistently shown that forgiveness and mindfulness facilitate coping with distressing experiences and significantly promote mental health. No study, however, has examined their unique contribution to prisoners’ psychological wellbeing nor has considered the different forms of self‐forgiveness among prisoners.

Aims

Our aim was to investigate the role of mindfulness in mediating any association between prisoners’ self‐forgiveness and psychological wellbeing and to test whether any such links are moderated by years spent in prison. In this study self‐forgiveness was conceptualised as a multidimensional construct, including presence of genuine self‐forgiveness, absence of pseudo self‐forgiveness and/or absence of self‐punitiveness.

Methods

Participants were recruited from a prison in Northern Italy. Consenting men were asked to complete an anonymous self‐report questionnaire with only a researcher present.

Results

104 male prisoners (mean age 46.63 years, SD 11.38) took part. Findings were that self‐punitiveness was inversely related to well‐being, with mindfulness mediating this relationship, this while controlling for the other dimensions of self‐forgiveness and the perceived severity of the crime committed. Contrary to expectation, we found no direct relationship between genuine self‐forgiveness and well‐being, but the moderated mediation models showed that genuine self‐forgiveness was positively associated with mindfulness and, through this, had an indirect association with wellbeing, significant only for prisoners who had already spent several years in prison.

Conclusions

Our findings confirm that self‐forgiveness is a complex construct, worthy of further investigation among offenders. They suggest that forgiveness interventions for prisoners should include modules aimed at primarily reducing self‐punitive attitudes. Promotion of genuine self‐forgiveness should be tried only with awareness that this is likely to take a very long time. In such circumstances, interventions may promote energy to be invested in mindful processes with a consequent improvement in psychological wellbeing.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9826273/