Improve Blood Glucose Control with Mindfulness

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Improve Blood Glucose Control with Mindfulness

 

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“In addition to helping people with diabetes learn how to recognize and accept negative emotions, mindfulness therapies include meditation and yoga to help ease stress and depression.” – Lauren Cox

 

Diabetes is a major health issue. It is estimated that 30 million people in the United States have diabetes and the numbers are growing. Type 2 diabetes is a common and increasingly prevalent illness that is largely preventable. Although this has been called adult-onset diabetes it is increasingly being diagnosed in children. One of the reasons for the increasing incidence of Type 2 Diabetes is its association with overweight and obesity which is becoming epidemic in the industrialized world.

 

Diabetes is the 7th leading cause of death in the United States. In addition, diabetes is heavily associated with other diseases such as cardiovascular disease, heart attacks, stroke, blindness, kidney disease, and circulatory problems leading to amputations. As a result, diabetes doubles the risk of death of any cause compared to individuals of the same age without diabetes. Type 2 Diabetes results from a resistance of tissues, especially fat tissues, to the ability of insulin to promote the uptake of glucose from the blood. As a result, blood sugar levels rise producing hyperglycemia.

 

It is clear that methods need to be found to reduce the likelihood of the development of Type II diabetes. One promising avenue is mindfulness. It has been shown to be effective in treating Type II diabetes. In today’s Research News article “Associations of Mindfulness with Glucose Regulation and Diabetes.” See summary below or view the full text of the study at:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4928637/

Loucks and colleagues investigate the correlation between mindfulness and indicators and predictors of Type II diabetes and blood glucose levels. They recruited a sample of adults (average age of 47 years) and measured their levels of mindfulness, blood glucose level, the presence of Type II diabetes, body mass, perceived stress, sense of control, blood pressure, lipids, physical activity, smoking, depression, and socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and family history of diabetes.

 

They found that the higher the level of mindfulness the greater the likelihood of having a normal blood glucose level and the lower the likelihood of having type II diabetes and the lower the likelihood of being obese. A further analysis revealed that the relationship between high mindfulness and normal blood glucose level was mediated by obesity. That is, high mindfulness was associated with lower obesity which was then associated with more normal blood glucose levels. Hence the present findings suggest that mindfulness tends to be associated with lower incidence of Type II diabetes and normal blood glucose levels at least in part because highly mindful people tend to have less obesity.

 

These are interesting results, but, the study is correlation and as such causation cannot be established. But, the results fit with prior manipulative studies and as such tend to support a causal connection such that high mindfulness prevents overweight and obesity, lowering the risk of Type II diabetes.

 

So, improve blood glucose control with mindfulness.

 

“Mindfulness has been shown to help with reducing stress, regulating emotions and coping with anxious states and low moods. Research has also shown that a regular mindfulness practice is associated with reduced blood pressure, reduced insulin resistance and a lower HbA1C.” – Centre for Mindfulness Studies

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

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

 

Study Summary

Loucks, E. B., Gilman, S. E., Britton, W. B., Gutman, R., Eaton, C. B., & Buka, S. L. (2016). Associations of Mindfulness with Glucose Regulation and Diabetes. American Journal of Health Behavior, 40(2), 258–267. http://doi.org/10.5993/AJHB.40.2.11

 

Abstract

Objective

To evaluate whether dispositional mindfulness is associated with glucose regulation and type 2 diabetes.

Methods

Study participants (N = 399) were from the New England Family Study, a prospective birth cohort, with median age 47 years. Dispositional mindfulness was assessed using the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS). Type 2 diabetes and “normal plasma glucose” were defined using American Diabetes Association criteria.

Results

Multivariable-adjusted regression analyses demonstrated that participants with high versus low MAAS scores were significantly more likely to have normal plasma glucose levels (prevalence ratio = 1.35 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.08,1.87)), and were not significantly associated with type 2 diabetes (prevalence ratio = 0.83, 95% CI: 0.38,1.79), adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, family history of diabetes and childhood socioeconomic status. Mediation analyses provided evidence of mediation via obesity and sense of control, where indirect effects were prevalence ratios (95% CI) of 1.03 (1.00,1.10) and 1.08 (1.00,1.21), respectively.

Conclusions

Dispositional mindfulness may be associated with better glucose regulation, in part because of a lower likelihood of obesity and greater sense of control among participants with higher levels of mindfulness. These findings need to be replicated by prospective studies to establish causality and to evaluate potential implications for mindfulness-based interventions to reduce risk of type 2 diabetes.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4928637/

 

Focus in Meditation for Cognitive Effects but Open Monitor in Meditation for Physical Effects

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Focus in Meditation for Cognitive Effects but Open Monitor in Meditation for Physical Effects

 

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“In focused attention meditation, the focus of the mind is placed only on one thing. This implies that you have to stop everything you are doing and designate time for this type of meditation. On the other hand, in open monitoring meditation, your focus is neutral and receptive to anything that becomes present to you in the moment.” – Mind Body Vortex

 

Meditation training has been shown to improve health and well-being. It 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, meditation training has been called the third wave of therapies. One problem with understanding meditation effects is that there are, a wide variety of meditation techniques and it is not known which work best for improving different conditions.

 

Two types of meditation are the most commonly used practices for research purposes In focused attention meditation, the individual practices paying attention to a single meditation object, frequently the breath or a mantra, and learns to filter out distracting stimuli, including thoughts, to stay focused on the present moment, filtering out thoughts centered around the past or future. On the other hand, in open monitoring meditation, the individual opens up awareness to everything that’s being experienced regardless of its origin. These include bodily sensations, external stimuli, and even thoughts. The meditator just observes these stimuli and lets them arise, and fall away without paying them any further attention.

 

These techniques have common properties of restful attention on the present moment, but there are large differences. These differences are likely to produce different effects on the practitioner. In today’s Research News article “A selective review of dharana and dhyana in healthy participants.” See summary below or view the full text of the study at:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5192286/

Telles and colleagues review the published literature (eight studies) on the differences in the effects of focused attention meditation and open monitoring meditation.

 

They found quite interesting differences. Focused attention meditation tended to produce greater improvements in attentional ability while open monitoring meditation tended to produce larger changes in the physiology, specifically decreased activity in the sympathetic division and increased activity in the parasympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system. The sympathetic division tends to produce greater physiological arousal, including heart rate and blood pressure increases while the parasympathetic division tends to produce greater physiological relaxation, including heart rate and blood pressure reductions.

 

The published research, then, reflects considerable difference in the effects of these two meditation types. It should not be surprising that practicing focusing attention results in improved attentional ability. But, the difficulty in actually focusing attention may be somewhat stressful. Simply allowing whatever arises to come into consciousness, on the other hand may be much more relaxing. The differences in the effects of these meditation techniques suggest that focused attention meditation may be more appropriate for enhancing attention and thought for perhaps the treatment of attention deficit disorder or aging produced reductions in cognition. On the other hand open monitoring meditation may be more appropriate for the treatment of stress related disorders.

 

So, focus in meditation for cognitive effects but open monitor in meditation for physical effects.

 

“Focused attention and open monitoring — these are the two flavors meditation comes in. Mix and match as you like; add whatever extra toppings you desire; you’ll still be left with focused attention and open monitoring. Sure, people claim that it is best — maybe even essential — to concentrate on this or that in order to benefit the most from meditation. Others would have us believe that open awareness/monitoring needs to be done in a certain fashion, which obviously seems to belie the point of being open to whatever.“ – Brian Hines

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

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

 

Study Summary

Telles, S., Singh, N., Gupta, R. K., & Balkrishna, A. (2016). A selective review of dharana and dhyana in healthy participants. Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine, 7(4), 255–260. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaim.2016.09.004

 

Abstract

Attention is an important part of the process of meditation. Traditional Yoga texts describe two stages of meditation which follow each other in sequence. These are meditative focusing (dharana in Sanskrit) and effortless meditation (dhyana in Sanskrit). This review evaluated eight experimental studies conducted on participants in normal health, who practiced dharana and dhyana. The studies included evaluation of autonomic and respiratory variables, eLORETA and sLORETA assessments of the EEG, evoked potentials, functional magnetic resonance imaging, cancellation task performance and emotional intelligence. The studies differed in their sample size, design and the method of practicing dharana and dhyana. These factors have been detailed. The results revealed differences between dharana and dhyana, which would have been missed if the two stages of meditation had not been studied separately.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5192286/

Reduce Marital Conflict with Mindfulness and Emotion Regulation

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Reduce Marital Conflict with Mindfulness and Emotion Regulation

 

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“Even in healthy relationships, conflict is inevitable—it’s how you cope with conflict that matters. Coping badly increases stress, and research has shown that too much stress in romantic relationships can put people at risk for mental and physical health problems. According to two new studies, cultivating non-judgmental, moment-to-moment awareness—or mindfulness—might help people feel less stress when conflict arises with their significant other.” – Emily Nauman

 

Relationships can be difficult as two individuals can and do frequently disagree or misunderstand one another. This is amplified in marriage where the couple interacts daily and frequently have to resolve difficult issues. These conflicts can produce strong emotions and it is important to be able to regulate these emotions in order to keep them from interfering with rational solutions to the conflict. The success of marriage can often depend upon how well the couple handles these conflicts. In fact, it has been asserted that the inability to resolve conflicts underlies the majority of divorces.

 

Mindfulness may be helpful in navigating marital disputes, as it has been shown to improve the emotion regulation. The great sage Thich Nhat Hahn stated that “If you love someone, the greatest gift you can give them is your presence.” This is a beautiful thought and suggests that we should be in the present moment and completely attentive to our loved ones when we are with them. When any two people interact paying real-time attention to the other is rare. This lack of “presence” can make it difficult to resolve conflict. To successfully negotiate disagreement, it is imperative that each individual truly hears the other perspective. Mindfulness is a prerequisite for deep listening and consequently to resolving conflict. Indeed, mindfulness has been shown to improve relationships. So, mindfulness training may improve couple’s ability to resolve conflict in marriage.

 

In today’s Research News article “Comparing the effectiveness of mindfulness and emotion regulation training in reduction of marital conflicts.” See summary below or view the full text of the study at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5327703/

Molajafar and colleagues investigated the effectiveness of mindfulness training and emotion regulation training in assisting couples in dealing with marital conflict. They recruited couples who were referred for treatment due to marital problems and divided them into a mindfulness training (Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy, MBCT), an emotion regulation training, and a no-treatment control condition. Both treatments were delivered in 8 weekly 90-minute sessions. Before and after the 8-week treatment period all three groups were measured for marital conflicts including the reduction of the couple’s cooperation, reduction of sexual relationships, increase of emotional reactions, increase of asking for children’s support, increase of personal relationships with their own relatives, reduction of personal relationships with the partners’ relatives and friends and separation of financial issues.

 

They found that in comparison to the no-treatment control both treatments produced a significant decrease in marital conflicts, but the emotion regulation treatment was significantly superior to the mindfulness training in reducing marital conflict. These results suggest that emotion regulation is the most important skill needed to effectively manage marital conflict. Mindfulness training is also effective but may be so as a result of improving emotion regulation. These are interesting and potentially important findings that treatment for marital problems should focus on emotion regulation. It remains for future research to study whether emotion regulation training and mindfulness training may have additive effects such that the two in combination have a greater impact on the couple’s ability to resolve conflict than either alone.

 

The ubiquitous nature of marital conflicts and the high rate of marital failure and divorce suggests that there is a great need for discovering methods to help couples effectively navigate conflicts. Effective emotion regulation ability appears to be crucial. It involves fully experiencing emotions but reacting to them in a productive and adaptive way. The results of this study suggest that mindfulness and emotion regulation training may be an effective way to do this.

 

So, reduce marital conflict with mindfulness and emotion regulation.

 

“Many marriages run into problems because each partner wrongly believes the following:
“if only my husband (wife) were more (less)…, then I would be happy.”  Or, simply put, “fix him (her)”.  Recognizing and giving up this false belief is one of the most important steps you can take towards improving your marriage.” – Suzanne Burger

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

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

 

Study Summary

Molajafar, H., Mousavi, S., Lotfi, R., Seyedeh Madineh Ghasemnejad, & Falah, M. (2015). Comparing the effectiveness of mindfulness and emotion regulation training in reduction of marital conflicts. Journal of Medicine and Life, 8(Spec Iss 2), 111–116.

 

Abstract

Introduction:this study aimed to compare the effectiveness of mindfulness and emotion regulation training in the reduction of marital conflicts.

Methodology:the present evaluation was a quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design and a control group. The population consisted of all clients who referred to Moein Counseling Center in Alborz province (Spring 2014) due to marital problems. Using the simple random sampling method, 45 married people were selected as the sample and divided into two experimental groups (15 participants in each) and a control group (15 participants). Mindfulness training sessions were held for the first experimental group and emotion regulation training sessions were held for the second experimental group while, the participants in the control group did not receive any training. The Marital Conflicts Questionnaire was used for data collection and the obtained data were analyzed through descriptive statistics and analysis of covariance.

Results: the results confirmed the main hypothesis of this study regarding the effectiveness of mindfulness and emotion regulation training in reduction of marital conflicts (p<0.001, F=43.41).

Discussion and conclusion: there was a significant difference between mindfulness training and emotion regulation training in the reduction of marital conflicts; thus, compared to the mindfulness training, emotion regulation training can be considered a more effective treatment of marital conflicts.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5327703/

 

Improve Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms with Tai Chi

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Improve Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms with Tai Chi

 

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“The slow, repetitive weight-shifting movements and emphasis on maintaining an erect spine in tai chi help improve balance. People with multiple sclerosis (MS) tend to compensate for dysfunctional body systems by relying heavily on other systems. It’s therefore important to strengthen joint position sense — the sense of how your joints are positioned — and gain muscle control.” – Elizabeth Bowers

 

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a progressive demyelinating disease which attacks the coating on the neural axons which send messages throughout the body and nervous system. It affects about 2 million people worldwide and about 400,000 in the U.S. It is most commonly diagnosed in people between the ages of 20 and 50 years.  Unfortunately, there is no cure for multiple sclerosis. There are a number of approved medications that are used to treat MS but are designed to lessen frequency of relapses and slow the progression of the disease, but they don’t address individual symptoms.

 

Although there is a progressive deterioration, MS is not fatal with MS patients having about the same life expectancy as the general population. Hence, most MS sufferers have to live with the disease for many years. So, quality of life becomes a major issue. Quality of life with MS is affected by fatigue, cognitive decrements, physical impairment, depression, and poor sleep quality. There is a thus a critical need for safe and effective methods to help relieve the symptoms of MS and improve quality of life. Mindfulness has been previously shown to improve depression, sleep quality, cognitive impairments, emotion regulation, and fatigue. Tai Chi is a mindfulness practice that is also a gentle exercise. It is gentle enough that it doesn’t increase body temperature which can exacerbate MS symptoms. In addition, Tai Chi  has been shown to reduce pain and improve balance, reducing falls. So, it would seem likely that Tai Chi might be effective in improving the quality of life and lessening fatigue in patients with multiple sclerosis.

 

In today’s Research News article “Tai chi for health benefits in patients with multiple sclerosis: A systematic review.” See summary below or view the full text of the study at:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5300172/

Zou and colleagues reviewed the published research literature (10 studies) investigating the effectiveness of Tai Chi practice for patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). They found that the published studies provided evidence that Tai Chi practice is safe and beneficial in improving the symptoms of MS. In particular, the literature suggests that Tai Chi practice improves flexibility, leg strength, gait, balance, and quality of life, and reduces pain. Although some evidence exists that it also reduces fatigue, the findings are inconsistent.

 

The research to date appears to support the use of Tai Chi practice to help improve the symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis. An important characteristic of Tai Chi practice is that it is safe, rarely having any adverse consequences. Once learned, it can also be practiced without professional supervision at home or in social groups. This makes it inexpensive and convenient, and perhaps even fun, improving the likelihood of long-term engagement in practice. This is particularly important as MS is a life-long non-fatal disease. Hence, Tai Chi practice would appear to be an excellent mindfulness practice for the improvement of the quality of life of patients with MS.

 

So, improve multiple sclerosis symptoms with tai chi.

 

“Tai Chi posture, has recently been shown in a number of random controlled trials to improve balance, posture, vigour and general well-being in a variety of client groups. These are problems commonly encountered by people with Multiple Sclerosis.  Some studies have suggested that Tai Chi is also beneficial towards managing spasticity.” – MS Unites

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

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

 

Study Summary

Zou, L., Wang, H., Xiao, Z., Fang, Q., Zhang, M., Li, T., … Liu, Y. (2017). Tai chi for health benefits in patients with multiple sclerosis: A systematic review. PLoS ONE, 12(2), e0170212. http://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0170212

 

Abstract

The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the existing evidence on the effectiveness and safety of Tai chi, which is critical to provide guidelines for clinicians to improve symptomatic management in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). After performing electronic and manual searches of many sources, ten relevant peer-reviewed studies that met the inclusion criteria were retrieved. The existing evidence supports the effectiveness of Tai chi on improving quality of life (QOL) and functional balance in MS patients. A small number of these studies also reported the positive effect of Tai chi on flexibility, leg strength, gait, and pain. The effect of Tai chi on fatigue is inconsistent across studies. Although the findings demonstrate beneficial effects on improving outcome measures, especially for functional balance and QOL improvements, a conclusive claim should be made carefully for reasons such as methodological flaws, small sample size, lack of specific-disease instruments, unclear description of Tai chi protocol, unreported safety of Tai chi, and insufficient follow-up as documented by the existing literature. Future research should recruit a larger number of participants and utilize the experimental design with a long-term follow-up to ascertain the benefits of Tai chi for MS patients.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5300172/

 

Improve the Quality of Life of Parents of Children with Chronic Diseases with Mindfulness

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Improve the Quality of Life of Parents of Children with Chronic Diseases with Mindfulness

 

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“mindfulness meditation is extremely good at relieving anxiety, stress, depression, exhaustion and irritability. Memory improves, reaction times become faster and mental and physical stamina increase. In short, regular meditators are happier and more contented than average, while being far less likely to suffer from psychological distress.” – Danny Penman

 

There is a tremendous demand for caregiving in the US. It is estimated that over 65 million (29% of the adult population) provides care to someone who is ill, disabled or aged, averaging 20 hours per week spent caring for their loved ones. This caregiving comes at a cost to the caregiver. It exacts a toll on caregivers’ health and well-being and their quality of life. Caregiving has been associated with increased levels of depression and anxiety as well as higher use of psychoactive medications, poorer self-reported physical and mental health, compromised immune function, and increased mortality.

 

Providing care for a child with a chronic illness can be particularly challenging. About 27% of children in the U.S. has a chronic illness. Caring for the child requires that the parent be able to deal with stress, to regulate their own emotions, and to be sensitive and attentive to their child. These skills are exactly those that are developed in mindfulness training. It improves the psychological and physiological responses to stress. It improves emotion regulation. And it improves the ability to maintain attention and focus in the face of high levels of distraction. The application of mindfulness skills to the parents of children with a chronic illness is relatively new. So, it would seem reasonable to investigate this further.

 

In today’s Research News article “Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Mindfulness for Health-Related Quality of Life: Comparing Treatments for Parents of Children with Chronic Conditions – A Pilot Feasibility Study.” See summary below or view the full text of the study at:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5301303/

Anclair and colleagues perform a pilot feasibility study of the application of Mindfulness training and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to improve the health-related quality of life of parents with children with chronic diseases. They recruited parents of children with chronic diseases, obtained baseline measures and then randomly assigned them to receive either a group based, 8 week, once a week for 2 hours, Mindfulness training or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. They were measured before and after treatment for satisfaction with life, including spare time, relation to child, relation to partner, relation to friends, and satisfaction with work, and health-related quality of life, including physical functioning, role functioning – physical causes, bodily pain, general health, vitality, social functioning, role functioning – emotional causes and mental health. These were summarized in two categories, physical component summary and mental component summary.

 

They found that both treatments produced significant improvements in the mental components but not the physical components of health-related quality of life. Significant improvements in the mental health components of vitality, social functioning, role functioning – emotional causes and mental health were apparent. In addition, both groups demonstrated significant improvements in life satisfaction, including spare time, relation to child, and relation to partner. There were no significant differences between the improvements produced by mindfulness training or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Hence both treatments appeared to be effective in improving the health-related quality of life and life satisfaction of parents with children with chronic diseases.

 

It should be noted that this was a pilot feasibility study and did not contain a no-treatment control. So, caution must be exercised in reaching conclusions. But the results suggest that both types of therapy improve life satisfaction and the mental and social components of health-related quality of life while not affecting the physical dimensions. The results are interesting and important enough to justify implementing a large-scale randomized clinical trial. Since the numbers of children with chronic diseases is huge, finding ways to help ease the burden on their parents may have major mental health consequences.

 

So, improve the quality of life of parents of children with chronic diseases with mindfulness.

 

“Overall, results from existing studies suggest that mindfulness interventions may be beneficial for reducing symptoms and associated problems through relaxation for many chronic illnesses, including epilepsy, fibromyalgia, headaches or migraines, cancer, and asthma.” – Cynthia Riccio

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

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

 

Study Summary

Anclair, M., Hjärthag, F., & Hiltunen, A. J. (2017). Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Mindfulness for Health-Related Quality of Life: Comparing Treatments for Parents of Children with Chronic Conditions – A Pilot Feasibility Study. Clinical Practice and Epidemiology in Mental Health : CP & EMH, 13, 1–9. http://doi.org/10.2174/1745017901713010001

 

Abstract

Background:

Research on parents of children with chronic conditions has shown that this parent group frequently suffers from psychological problems such as deteriorating life quality and stress-related disorders.

Objective:

The present feasibility study focuses on Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) and life satisfaction of parents of children with chronic conditions.

Method:

The study was conducted using a repeated measures design and applied either group-based cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT; n = 10) or a group-based mindfulness programme (MF; n = 9). The study participants were wait-listed for six months.

Results:

The results indicate improvements for participants in both treatment groups regarding certain areas of HRQOL and life satisfaction. After eight group therapy sessions, parents in the two treatment groups significantly improved their Mental Component Summary (MCS) scores as well as their scores on the mental subscales Vitality, Social functioning, Role emotional and Mental health. In addition, some of the physical subscales, Role physical, Bodily pain and General health, showed considerable improvement for the MF group. When testing for clinical significance by comparing the samples with mean values of a norm population, the MCS scores were significantly lower at pre-measurements, but no significant differences were observed post-measurement. For the Physical component summary (PCS) scores, a significantly higher score was observed at post-measurement when compared to the norm population. Moreover, the results indicate improvement in life satisfaction regarding Spare time, Relation to child and Relation to partner.

Conclusion:

The study concludes that CBT and mindfulness may have a positive effect on areas of HRQOL and life satisfaction.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5301303/

 

Improve Adolescents Psychological Health Self-Compassion and Mindfulness

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Improve Adolescents Psychological Health Self-Compassion and Mindfulness

 

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“mindfulness increases empathy and compassion for others and for oneself, and that such attitudes are good for you. To me, that affirms that when we practice mindfulness, we are simultaneously strengthening our skills of compassion—evidence that mindfulness isn’t simply about sharpening attention.” – Shauna Shapiro

 

There is a widespread problem in the west that many people don’t seem to like themselves. The self-dislike sometimes means that the individual dislikes every aspect of themselves; but most frequently people only don’t like certain aspects of themselves. Often it is there physical appearance, their school achievement, their career, their social behavior, etc. Making matters worse, they tend to overlook their strengths and discount them, focusing instead in the parts that they find problematic. This self-dislike is characteristic of depression. The antidote to self-dislike is 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. Self-compassion has been demonstrated to be associated with better mental health.

 

These issues of self-dislike can be magnified during adolescence, which is often fraught with challenges. During this time the child transitions to young adulthood; including the development of intellectual, psychological, physical, and social abilities and characteristics. There are so many changes occurring during this time that the child can feel overwhelmed and unable to cope with all that is required. This can produce problems with the adolescents’ self-concepts as they find that they are unable to measure up to their own and society’s unrealistic demands. Under these conditions, self-compassion is greatly needed, but sorely lacking. Methods that could help to improve the development of self-compassion could be very helpful for the child in navigating the difficult adolescent years.

 

Mindfulness training has been shown to help to develop self-compassion. So, perhaps mindfulness training combined with self-compassion training could be helpful to adolescents in navigating this difficult period. In today’s Research News article “Making Friends with Yourself: A Mixed Methods Pilot Study of a Mindful Self-Compassion Program for Adolescents.” See summary below or view the full text of the study at:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4838201/

Bluth and colleagues perform a pilot study examining the effectiveness of a mindful self-compassion program to promote well-being in adolescents. They recruited a diverse group of 14-17-year old adolescents and randomly assigned them to either receive a weekly 90-minute mindful self-compassion program for 6 weeks or a wait-list control condition. The program consisted of a set of exercises designed to promote self-discovery of mindfulness and self-compassion and incorporated homework. They were measured before and after the program on mindfulness, positive and negative emotions, self-compassion, life satisfaction, perceived stress, anxiety, depression, and social connectedness. In addition, each of the 6 training sessions were recorded for qualitative analysis. Following the completion of the program the wait-list controls were provided the 6-week mindful self-compassion program and measured afterward.

 

They found from qualitative analysis of the recordings that the program was feasible and acceptable with good attendance and compliance with homework assignments and the program produced significant improvements in self-compassion and mindfulness. Importantly they found that after completion of the program there were significant decreases in anxiety, depression, perceived stress, and negative emotions with moderate effect sizes. In addition, they found that the higher the levels of self-compassion produced by the program the lower the levels of anxiety and perceived stress and the higher the levels of life satisfaction. They also found that the higher the levels of mindfulness produced by the program the lower the levels of depression and anxiety. These are impressive and exciting pilot results. The study should be repeated in a larger randomized controlled trial with active control groups to firm up the conclusions as the pilot study makes a strong case for the need for such a trial.

 

The results suggest that a mindful self-compassion program is an effective means to raise self-compassion and mindfulness in adolescents and as a result improve the psychological well-being of the teens. Mindfulness training has been previously shown to reduce anxiety, depression, and perceived stress and improve emotion regulation and self-compassion in adults. This study demonstrates that mindfulness training is also effective in adolescents. These benefits of mindfulness training may greatly facilitate the positive growth and development of the adolescents, steering them away from many of the traps in the teen years and toward a healthy transition into adulthood.

 

So, improve adolescents’ psychological health self-compassion and mindfulness.

 

“With self-compassion, research points to increased life satisfaction and optimism, social connectivity, personal responsibility, and emotional resilience. It also lowers risk of depression, anxiety, thought suppression (or, conversely, thought rumination), and perfectionism.” – Lee Suckling

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

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

 

Study Summary

Bluth, K., Gaylord, S. A., Campo, R. A., Mullarkey, M. C., & Hobbs, L. (2016). Making Friends With Yourself: A Mixed Methods Pilot Study of a Mindful Self-Compassion Program for Adolescents. Mindfulness, 7(2), 479–492. http://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-015-0476-6

 

Abstract

The aims of this mixed-method pilot study were to determine the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary psychosocial outcomes of “Making Friends with Yourself: A Mindful Self-Compassion Program for Teens” (MFY), an adaptation of the adult Mindful Self-Compassion program. Thirty-four students age 14–17 enrolled in this waitlist controlled crossover study. Participants were randomized to either the waitlist or intervention group and administered online surveys at baseline, after the first cohort participated in the intervention, and after the waitlist crossovers participated in the intervention. Attendance and retention data were collected to determine feasibility, and audio recordings of the 6-week class were analyzed to determine acceptability of the program. Findings indicated that MFY is a feasible and acceptable program for adolescents. Compared to the waitlist control, the intervention group had significantly greater self-compassion and life satisfaction and significantly lower depression than the waitlist control, with trends for greater mindfulness, greater social connectedness and lower anxiety. When waitlist crossovers results were combined with that of the first intervention group, findings indicated significantly greater mindfulness and self-compassion, and significantly less anxiety, depression, perceived stress and negative affect post-intervention. Additionally, regression results demonstrated that self-compassion and mindfulness predicted decreases in anxiety, depression, perceived stress, and increases in life satisfaction post-intervention. MFY shows promise as a program to increase psychosocial wellbeing in adolescents through increasing mindfulness and self-compassion. Further testing is needed to substantiate the findings.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4838201/

 

Improve Knee Osteoarthritis with Traditional Chinese Exercise

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Improve Knee Osteoarthritis with Traditional Chinese Exercise

 

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“For the uninitiated, tai chi may be a little daunting. The ancient Chinese exercise is hardly as mainstream as aerobics or the treadmill, but with its gentle, fluid movements and proven health benefits, it’s a natural arthritis workout.” – Mary Jo DiLonardo

 

Osteoarthritis is a chronic degenerative joint disease that is the most common form of arthritis. It produces pain, swelling, and stiffness of the joints. It is the leading cause of disability in the U.S., with about 43% of arthritis sufferers limited in mobility and about a third having limitations that affect their ability to perform their work. In the U.S., osteoarthritis affects 14% of adults over 25 years of age and 34% of those over 65.

 

Knee osteoarthritis effects 5% of adults over 25 years of age and 12% of those over 65. It involves the whole joint, including articular cartilage, meniscus, ligament, and peri-articular muscle. It is painful and disabling. Its causes are varied including, hereditary, injury including sports injuries, repetitive stress injuries, infection, or from being overweight.  There are no cures for knee osteoarthritis. Treatments are primarily symptomatic, including weight loss, exercise, braces, pain relievers and anti-inflammatory drugs, corticosteroids, arthroscopic knee surgery, or even knee replacement.

 

Gentle movements of the joints with exercise appears to be helpful in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis. This suggests that alternative and complementary practices that involve gentle knee movements may be useful in for treatment. Indeed, yoga practice has been shown to be effective in treating arthritis and mind-body practices in general have been shown to reduce the gene expressions that underlie the inflammatory response which contribute to arthritis. This suggests that various forms of traditional Chinese exercises, such as Tai Chi, Qigong, and Baduanjin would be perfect treatments as they involve slow gentle movements of the limbs and mindfulness. Indeed, Tai Chi has been shown to reduce the physical symptoms of knee osteoarthritis. So, it would seem reasonable to look further into the effectiveness of traditional Chinese exercises in treating knee osteoarthritis.

 

In today’s Research News article “The Effects of Traditional Chinese Exercise in Treating Knee Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” See summary below or view the full text of the study at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5266306/

Zhang and colleagues review the published research literature on the effectiveness of traditional Chinese exercises on the symptoms of knee osteoarthritis. They found 8 published randomized controlled trials 7 of which employed Tai Chi and 1 employed Baduanjin as the exercise. Treatment varied in duration from 8 to 24 weeks with 12 weeks the most common duration. They found that the studies demonstrated that the traditional Chinese exercises produced significant short-term improvements of moderate effect sizes in knee pain, physical function, and joint stiffness.

 

These are interesting results that suggest that traditional Chinese exercises are safe and effective treatments for knee osteoarthritis. There is a need for more studies of the long-term effectiveness of these practices. Since, these ancient gentle practices are completely safe, can be used with the elderly and sickly, and are inexpensive to administer, can be performed in groups or alone, at home or in a facility or even public park, it would appear to be an excellent treatment for knee osteoarthritis sufferers.

 

So, improve knee osteoarthritis with traditional Chinese exercise.

 

“Today, the vast majority of people in the U.S. who practice tai chi do it for health reasons, not just intellectual curiosity. It’s low-impact, so your knees, ankles, and other joints don’t get overly stressed. “Almost everyone can do tai chi.” – Gene Nelson

 

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

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

 

Study Summary

Zhang, Y., Huang, L., Su, Y., Zhan, Z., Li, Y., & Lai, X. (2017). The Effects of Traditional Chinese Exercise in Treating Knee Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. PLoS ONE, 12(1), e0170237. http://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0170237

 

Abstract

Background and Aims

Traditional Chinese exercise (TCE) includes a variety of exercise, which is being accepted by more and more people in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis (OA) from different countries. With the attendant, many clinical reports focus on it. Our meta-analysis aimed to systematically assess the effects of traditional Chinese exercise on pain, stiffness, physical function, quality of life, mental health and adverse events in people with knee osteoarthritis.

Methods

PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), the Web of Science, and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM) were searched from the time of their inception through April 2016 and risk of bias was independently assessed by two authors. Outcome measures included pain, physical functional, joint stiffness, quality of life, mental health and safety. For pooled outcomes, standardized mean differences (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated.

Results

Eight randomized controlled trials with a sample size of 375 cases met the criteria to be included in the study indicating that high quality literature is lacking in this field. Results of the meta-analysis showed that short-term TCE could relieve pain (SMD: -0.77;95% CI: -1.13 to -0.41; P<0.0001), improve physical function (SMD -0.75; 95% CI: -0.98 to -0.52; P<0.00001), and alleviate stiffness (SMD: -0.56; 95%: CI -0.96 to -0.16; P<0.006), but had no significant effect on quality of life (SMD: 0.57; 95% CI: 0.17 to 0.97; P = 0.005), and mental health (SMD 4.12; 95% CI: -0.50 to 8.73; P = 0.08). Moreover, TCE was not associated with serious adverse events.

Conclusions

Our systematic review revealed that short-term TCE was potentially beneficial in terms of reducing pain, improving physical function and alleviating stiffness. These results may suggest that TCE could prove useful as an adjuvant treatment for patients with knee OA. Further studies are urgently needed to confirm these results.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5266306/

Improve Quality of Life and Performance with Multiple Sclerosis with Yoga

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Improve Quality of Life and Performance with Multiple Sclerosis with Yoga

 

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“Studies in multiple sclerosis, these have shown that mindfulness can improve quality of life and help people cope better with their MS. The studies also found that it decreased stress, anxiety and depression.” – Multiple Sclerosis Trust

 

MS is a progressive demyelinating disease which attacks the coating on the neural axons which send messages throughout the body and nervous system. It affects about 2 million people worldwide and about 400,000 in the U.S. It is most commonly diagnosed in people between the ages of 20 and 50 years.  Unfortunately, there is no cure for multiple sclerosis. There are a number of approved medications that are used to treat MS but are designed to lessen frequency of relapses and slow the progression of the disease, but they don’t address individual symptoms.

 

Although there is a progressive deterioration, MS is not fatal with MS patients having about the same life expectancy as the general population. Hence, most MS sufferers have to live with the disease for many years. So, quality of life becomes a major issue. Quality of life with MS is affected by fatigue, cognitive decrements, physical impairment, depression, and poor sleep quality. There is a thus a critical need for safe and effective methods to help relieve the symptoms of MS and improve quality of life. Mindfulness has been previously shown to improve depression, sleep quality, cognitive impairments, emotion regulation, and fatigue. Yoga is a mindfulness practice that has the added feature of exercising and stretching the muscles. It would seem likely that yoga practice might be an ideal treatment for improving the quality of life and lessening symptoms in patients with multiple sclerosis.

 

In today’s Research News article “Feasibility and Impact of an 8-Week Integrative Yoga Program in People with Moderate Multiple Sclerosis–Related Disability: A Pilot Study.” See summary below or view the full text of the study at:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5315321/

Cohen and colleagues performed a pilot, single-group study, of the effectiveness of a specially designed yoga program for treating patients with multiple sclerosis. They recruited adult patients with multiple sclerosis with moderate disability and provided them with 8 weeks of twice weekly, 90-minute yoga sessions, including breathing practices, postures, meditation, and deep relaxation. The patients were encouraged to also practice at home. They assessed the feasibility of widespread implementation of such a program with budget utilization, recruitment rates, retention rates, attendance rates, and safety. They also assessed the patients’ quality of life, walking ability, extremity function, respiration, attention, and concentration, prior to and after the 8-week program and also 8-weeks later.

 

They found that the program was feasible, as it was implemented with acceptable costs, high participation rates and low drop-out rates, no unexpected adverse effects, and all participants reported home yoga practice. Importantly they found that after the intervention the patients were significantly improved on overall health status, quality of life issues, including bladder control, perceived deficits, and fatigue, standing, walking ability, motor control of both hands, hearing, and seeing. Many of these improvements continued to be significant at the 8-week follow-up.

 

Hence, this pilot study demonstrated the feasibility and potential benefits of yoga for patients with multiple sclerosis. This study did not contain a control condition, so any conclusions must be tempered and recognized as preliminary. Any exercise program might have produced similar benefits. A randomized controlled clinical trial is needed and warranted. But, the results were impressive and suggest that yoga for patients with multiple sclerosis can improve their quality of life and physical and mental ability and well-being. Since, multiple sclerosis produces a life-long disability, and yoga was shown to be both safe and effective, can be practiced at home, and substantially improves quality of life and motor ability, it would seem to be ideal to improve the lives of these patients.

 

So, improve quality of life and performance with multiple sclerosis with yoga.

 

“Mind-body therapies like yoga are also a practical therapeutic approach in MS because of their low risk of physical or emotional stress. The exercise of yoga also allows people with MS to engage in their treatment in a very active and engaged manner. there appears to be benefit in MS from participation in any regular physical activity like yoga. yoga may additionally improve cognitive ability by exercising one’s attention on focused breathing and positioning techniques and by generally improving mood and reducing stress.” – Edward Kim

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

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

 

Study Summary

Cohen, E. T., Kietrys, D., Fogerite, S. G., Silva, M., Logan, K., Barone, D. A., & Parrott, J. S. (2017). Feasibility and Impact of an 8-Week Integrative Yoga Program in People with Moderate Multiple Sclerosis–Related Disability: A Pilot Study. International Journal of MS Care, 19(1), 30–39. http://doi.org/10.7224/1537-2073.2015-046

 

Abstract

Background:

This pilot study determined the feasibility of a specifically designed 8-week yoga program for people with moderate multiple sclerosis (MS)–related disability. We explored the program’s effect on quality of life (QOL) and physical and mental performance.

Methods:

We used a single-group design with repeated measurements at baseline, postintervention, and 8-week follow-up. Feasibility was examined through cost, recruitment, retention, attendance, and safety. Outcomes included the Multiple Sclerosis Quality of Life Inventory (MSQLI), 12-item Multiple Sclerosis Walking Scale (MSWS-12), Timed 25-Foot Walk test (T25FW), 6-Minute Walk Test (6MWT), Nine-Hole Peg Test (NHPT), Five-Times Sit-to-Stand Test (FTSTS), Multidirectional Reach Test (MDRT), maximum expiratory pressure, and Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test-3″ (PASAT-3″).

Results:

Fourteen participants completed the study. The program was feasible. There were significant main effects on the 36-item Short Form Health Status Survey Mental Component Summary (SF-36 MCS), Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS), Bladder Control Scale (BLCS), Perceived Deficits Questionnaire (PDQ), Mental Health Inventory (MHI), MSWS-12, T25FW, NHPT, PASAT-3″, 6MWT, FTSTS, and MDRT-Back. Improvements were found on the SF-36 MCS, MFIS, BLCS, PDQ, MHI, and MSWS-12 between baseline and postintervention. The effect on PDQ persisted at follow-up. Improvements were found on the T25FW, NHPT, 6MWT, FTSTS, and MDRT-Back between baseline and postintervention that persisted at follow-up. The PASAT-3″ did not change between baseline and postintervention but did between postintervention and follow-up.

Conclusions:

The yoga program was safe and feasible. Improvements in certain measures of QOL and performance were seen at postintervention and follow-up.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5315321/

 

Improve the Brains Attentional and Relaxation Abilities with Qigong

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Improve the Brains Attentional and Relaxation Abilities with Qigong

 

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“Qigong is generally practiced in two major categories, “still” and “moving.” “Still” qigong emphasis is on quiet meditation, using methods of internal focus and regulation of breathing. It can be practiced in motionless postures such as the lying, sitting or standing positions. “Moving” qigong involves moving the body under the conscious direction of the mind, and since the movement is expressed externally, it is also known as external qigong.” –  Stacey Nemour

 

Qigong and Tai Chi have been practiced for thousands of years with benefits for health and longevity. Qigong and Tai Chi training are designed to enhance function and regulate the activities of the body through regulated breathing, mindful concentration, and gentle movements. Only recently though have the effects of these practices been scrutinized with empirical research. This research has found that they are effective for an array of physical and psychological issues. They appear to strengthen the immune system, reduce inflammation and increase the number of cancer killing cells in the bloodstream, improve cardiovascular health, reduce arthritis pain, improve balance and reduce falls. They also appear to improve attentional ability and relieve depression.

 

Qigong and Tai Chi are complex practices and research has not begun to address what components of these practices are responsible for which effects. They contain both physical exercise, albeit gentle, and mental mindfulness practice.  In today’s Research News article “EEG Brain Activity in Dynamic Health Qigong Training: Same Effects for Mental Practice and Physical Training?” See summary below or view the full text of the study at:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5293832/

Henz and Schöllhorn separate the physical and mental practices of Qigong and observe their effects on brain electrical activity.

 

They recruited experienced Qigong practitioners and measured their brain activity, electroencephalogram (EEG), for 2 minutes with eyes open and 2 minutes with eyes closed. They then had the participants perform a 30-minute Qigong exercise which was followed immediately with a second EEG measurement. Each participant was measured 3 times with 3 different practices administered in a randomized within-subjects order. They performed only the physical movements of Qigong in one condition, visualized the Qigong movements without actually moving in another, and watched a video of a Qigong practice in the third without movement or visualization.

 

They found that in comparison to baseline and the video conditions, both the visualization and physical movement Qigong practices, increased brain activity in the theta frequency region, 4-7 cycles per second, Hz. and in the Alpha-1 frequency region, 8-10 cycles per second, Hz. and the Alpha-2 frequency region, 10-12.5 cycles per second, Hz. The theta rhythm has been shown to occur when attention is focused and mind wandering is minimized. The alpha rhythm has been shown to occur when relaxation occurs. These results suggest that both the visualization and physical movement Qigong practices increase the activity of focused attentional systems in the brain. This should not be surprising as both the visualization and physical movement Qigong practices require focused attention. They also increase the activity of the brain’s relaxation systems.

 

Hence, the EEG results reflect Qigong’s ability to focus the individual’s attention and relax the individual. It is interesting that there was very little EEG difference between the visualization and physical movement Qigong practices. This suggests that engagement in Qigong practice either physically, mentally, or both have essentially equivalent effects. But, just watching Qigong practice is insufficient.

 

So, improve the brains attentional and relaxation abilities with qigong.

 

 “Yes, you can rewire your brain with Qigong. You can so alter your mental and emotional makeup that you’ll experience a profound tranquility.” – Longevity Sage

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

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

 

Study Summary

Henz, D., & Schöllhorn, W. I. (2017). EEG Brain Activity in Dynamic Health Qigong Training: Same Effects for Mental Practice and Physical Training? Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 154. http://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00154

 

Abstract

In recent years, there has been significant uptake of meditation and related relaxation techniques, as a means of alleviating stress and fostering an attentive mind. Several electroencephalogram (EEG) studies have reported changes in spectral band frequencies during Qigong meditation indicating a relaxed state. Much less is reported on effects of brain activation patterns induced by Qigong techniques involving bodily movement. In this study, we tested whether (1) physical Qigong training alters EEG theta and alpha activation, and (2) mental practice induces the same effect as a physical Qigong training. Subjects performed the dynamic Health Qigong technique Wu Qin Xi (five animals) physically and by mental practice in a within-subjects design. Experimental conditions were randomized. Two 2-min (eyes-open, eyes-closed) EEG sequences under resting conditions were recorded before and immediately after each 15-min exercise. Analyses of variance were performed for spectral power density data. Increased alpha power was found in posterior regions in mental practice and physical training for eyes-open and eyes-closed conditions. Theta power was increased after mental practice in central areas in eyes-open conditions, decreased in fronto-central areas in eyes-closed conditions. Results suggest that mental, as well as physical Qigong training, increases alpha activity and therefore induces a relaxed state of mind. The observed differences in theta activity indicate different attentional processes in physical and mental Qigong training. No difference in theta activity was obtained in physical and mental Qigong training for eyes-open and eyes-closed resting state. In contrast, mental practice of Qigong entails a high degree of internalized attention that correlates with theta activity, and that is dependent on eyes-open and eyes-closed resting state.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5293832/

Change the Brain with Different Meditation Practices

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Change the Brain with Different Meditation Practices

 

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

 

“Most people tend to believe that all types of meditations are the same. It is common to hear about the benefits of “meditation,” but most people don’t know that there are different benefits to be obtained based specifically on the type of meditation practice pursued.“ – Mental Health Blog

 

Meditation training has been shown to improve health and well-being. It 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, meditation training has been called the third wave of therapies. One problem with understanding meditation effects is that there are, a wide variety of meditation techniques and it is not known which type or which component produce which effects.

 

There are a number of different types of meditation. Many can be characterized on a continuum with the degree of attentional focus. In focused attention meditation, the individual practices paying attention to a single meditation object, learns to filter out distracting stimuli, including thoughts, and learns to stay focused on the present moment, filtering out thoughts centered around the past or future. On the other hand, in open monitoring meditation, the individual opens up awareness to everything that’s being experienced regardless of its origin. These include bodily sensations, external stimuli, and even thoughts. The meditator just observes these stimuli and lets them arise, and fall away without paying them any further attention.

 

One potential method to discern the different effects of these differing meditation techniques is to observe the effects of these techniques on the nervous system. There is evidence that meditation alters the brain. It can produce relatively permanent changes to the nervous system, increasing the activity, size, and connectivity of some structures while decreasing it for others in a process known as neuroplasticity. A common method to study the activity of the nervous system is to measure the electrical signal at the scalp above brain regions. Changes in this activity are measurable with mindfulness training.

 

In today’s Research News article “Increased Gamma Brainwave Amplitude Compared to Control in Three Different Meditation Traditions.” See summary below or view the full text of the study at:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5261734/

Braboszcz and colleagues investigate the effects of three different kinds of meditation that differ on the degree of attentional focus on the electrical activity of the brain (EEG) under different mental states. They investigated the effects of a focused meditation employing mantra repetition (Himalayan Yoga), an open monitoring meditation focusing on body sensations (Vipassana) and a complete open awareness meditation technique (“Shoonya” meditation). They recruited experienced meditators who practiced one of the three techniques and also a group of comparable participants with no meditation experience. The Electroencephalogram (EEG) of the participants was measured during 20 minutes of meditation and 20 minutes of instructed mind wandering.

 

They found that regardless of the meditation or mind wandering condition the three meditation groups in comparison to the non-meditators had significantly larger amounts of high frequency waves (gamma – 60-110 cycles per second, Hz.) in the EEG. They also found that the amount of gamma activity was associated with the amount of meditative experience of the practitioners, with the more the experience, the greater the gamma activity. In addition, they found that the Vipassana meditation practitioners had significantly larger amounts of low frequency waves (alpha – 8-11 cycles per second, Hz.) than the other meditation groups or the controls regardless of condition.

 

The fact that the differences in the gamma activity in the EEG of the three groups of meditators compared to controls were present regardless of the meditation or the mind wandering condition, suggests that the increased gamma activity results from relatively permanent changes in the brain produced by the meditation training, neuroplasticity. Gamma activity is generally associated with an overall attentive state. Hence, the results suggest that meditation practice, regardless of type, strengthens attentiveness. This is compatible with the findings that meditation training improves attentional ability.

 

The fact that the differences in the alpha activity in the EEG of the Vipassana meditation practitioners compared to controls and the other two meditation groups were present regardless of the meditation or the mind wandering condition, suggests that the increased alpha activity also results from relatively permanent changes in the brain neuroplasticity. It is interesting that this group of meditators differed from the other groups in alpha activity. High levels of alpha waves have been associated with selective attention where the individual ignores most stimuli to focus on only a specific set of stimuli. Hence, this suggests that the Vipassana practice, which focuses on internal sensations of the body, may be superior to the other meditation techniques in developing selective attentional ability.

 

Regardless, the results suggest that practicing meditation produces relatively permanent changes in the brain that results in improved attentional ability and focusing on internal sensations during the meditation produces relatively permanent changes in the brain that results in improved selective attentional ability.

 

“There are many systems of meditation that widely differ from one another in their procedures, contents, objects, beliefs, and goals.  Given these differences, it is not surprising that research has shown they have different subjective and objective effects.” – David Johnson

 

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

 

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

 

Study Summary

Braboszcz, C., Cahn, B. R., Levy, J., Fernandez, M., & Delorme, A. (2017). Increased Gamma Brainwave Amplitude Compared to Control in Three Different Meditation Traditions. PLoS ONE, 12(1), e0170647. http://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0170647

 

Abstract

Despite decades of research, effects of different types of meditation on electroencephalographic (EEG) activity are still being defined. We compared practitioners of three different meditation traditions (Vipassana, Himalayan Yoga and Isha Shoonya) with a control group during a meditative and instructed mind-wandering (IMW) block. All meditators showed higher parieto-occipital 60–110 Hz gamma amplitude than control subjects as a trait effect observed during meditation and when considering meditation and IMW periods together. Moreover, this gamma power was positively correlated with participants meditation experience. Independent component analysis was used to show that gamma activity did not originate in eye or muscle artifacts. In addition, we observed higher 7–11 Hz alpha activity in the Vipassana group compared to all the other groups during both meditation and instructed mind wandering and lower 10–11 Hz activity in the Himalayan yoga group during meditation only. We showed that meditation practice is correlated to changes in the EEG gamma frequency range that are common to a variety of meditation practices.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5261734/