MindfulnessGroup percussion is one of many mindful practices that combines physical, mental, and emotional engagement; mindful activity has been demonstrated to make positive changes in our emotional and physical health.
|
|
Mindfulness practice leads to increases in regional brain gray matter density
Britta K. Hölzel, et al.
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), one of the most widely used mindfulness training programs, has been reported to produce positive effects on psychological well-being and to ameliorate symptoms of a number of disorders. Here, we report a controlled longitudinal study to investigate pre-post changes in brain gray matter concentration attributable to participation in an MBSR program.
Effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) on emotion regulation in social anxiety disorder
Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) is an established program shown to reduce symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression. MBSR is believed to alter emotional responding by modifying cognitive–affective processes. Given that social anxiety disorder (SAD) is characterized by emotional and attentional biases as well as distorted negative self-beliefs, we examined MBSR-related changes in the brain–behavior indices of emotional reactivity and regulation of negative self-beliefs in patients with SAD.
One year pre–post intervention follow-up of psychological, immune, endocrine and blood pressure outcomes of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) in breast and prostate cancer outpatients
Linda E. Carlson, Michael Speca, Peter Faris, Kamala D. Patel
Mindful Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program participation was associated with enhanced quality of life and decreased stress symptoms, altered cortisol and immune patterns consistent with less stress and mood disturbance, and decreased blood pressure. These pilot data represent a preliminary investigation of the longer-term relationships between MBSR program participation and a range of potentially important biomarkers
Intensive meditation training, immune cell telomerase activity, and psychological mediators
Tonya L. Jacobs, et al.
This is the first study to link meditation and positive psychological change with telomerase activity. Although we did not measure baseline telomerase activity, the data suggest that increases in perceived control and decreases in negative affectivity contributed to an increase in telomerase activity, with implications for telomere length and immune cell longevity. Further, Purpose in Life is influenced by meditative practice and directly affects both perceived control and negative emotionality, affecting telomerase activity directly as well as indirectly.
A pilot study of yogic meditation for family dementia caregivers with depressive symptoms: effects on mental health, cognition, and telomerase activity
Lavretsky et al.
This pilot study found that brief daily meditation practices by family dementia caregivers can lead to improved mental and cognitive functioning and lower levels of depressive symptoms. This improvement is accompanied by an increase in telomerase activity suggesting improvement in stress‐induced cellular aging. These results need to be confirmed in a larger sample.
A meta-analytic review of the effects of mindfulness meditation on telomerase activity
Nicola S. Schutte, John M. Malouff
The enzyme telomerase, through its influence on telomere length, is associated with health and mortality. Four pioneering randomized control trials, including a total of 190 participants, provided information on the effect of mindfulness meditation on telomerase. A meta-analytic effect size of d = 0.46 indicated that mindfulness meditation leads to increased telomerase activity in peripheral blood mononuclear cells.
Alterations in Resting-State Functional Connectivity Link Mindfulness Meditation With Reduced Interleukin-6: A Randomized Controlled Trial
David Creswell, et al.
These findings provide the first evidence that mindfulness meditation training functionally couples the DMN with a region known to be important in top-down executive control at rest, which, in turn, is associated with improvements in a marker of inflammatory disease risk
Loving-Kindness Meditation practice associated with longer telomeres in women
Elizabeth Hoge
Relative telomere length was longer in Loving-Kindness meditators vs. controls, suggesting that this practice may alter a biomarker associated with longevity.
Mindfulness-based stress reduction: a non-pharmacological approach for chronic illnesses
Asfandyar Khan
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) therapy is a meditation therapy, though originally designed for stress management, it is being used for treating a variety of illnesses such as depression, anxiety, chronic pain, cancer, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, skin and immune disorders.
Modified African Ngoma Healing Ceremony for Stress Reduction: A Pilot Study
Ava LaVonne Vinesett, Riitta Rutanen Whaley, Cheryl Woods-Giscombe, Paul Dennis, Medina Johnson,Yin Li, Pline Mounzeo, Mabiba Baegne, and Kenneth H. Wilson, MD,
In this pilot study, Ngoma drum and dance practice showed significant and durable beneficial effects comparable to MBSR. The effects of Ngoma and other indigenous rhythm-dance ceremonies on distress and health status in western culture should be investigated in larger clinical studies.