Mindfulness and meditation

إِنَّمَا مَثَلُ ٱلۡحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنۡيَا كَمَآءٍ أَنزَلۡنَٰهُ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ فَٱخۡتَلَطَ بِهِۦ نَبَاتُ ٱلۡأَرۡضِ مِمَّا يَأۡكُلُ ٱلنَّاسُ وَٱلۡأَنۡعَٰمُ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَآ أَخَذَتِ ٱلۡأَرۡضُ زُخۡرُفَهَا وَٱزَّيَّنَتۡ وَظَنَّ أَهۡلُهَآ أَنَّهُمۡ قَٰدِرُونَ عَلَيۡهَآ أَتَىٰهَآ أَمۡرُنَا لَيۡلًا أَوۡ نَهَارࣰ ا فَجَعَلۡنَٰهَا حَصِيدࣰ ا كَأَن لَّمۡ تَغۡنَ بِٱلۡأَمۡسِۚ كَذَٰلِكَ نُفَصِّلُ ٱلۡأٓيَٰتِ لِقَوۡمࣲ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ

The life of this world is like this: rain that We send down from the sky is absorbed by the plants of the earth, from which humans and animals eat. But when the earth has taken on its finest appearance, and adorns itself, and its people think they have power over it, then the fate We commanded comes to it, by night or by day, and We reduce it to stubble, as if it had not flourished just the day before. This is the way We explain the revelations for those who reflect

۞يَسۡـَٔلُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلۡخَمۡرِ وَٱلۡمَيۡسِرِۖ قُلۡ فِيهِمَآ إِثۡمࣱ كَبِيرࣱ وَمَنَٰفِعُ لِلنَّاسِ وَإِثۡمُهُمَآ أَكۡبَرُ مِن نَّفۡعِهِمَاۗ وَيَسۡـَٔلُونَكَ مَاذَا يُنفِقُونَۖ قُلِ ٱلۡعَفۡوَۗ كَذَٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمُ ٱلۡأٓيَٰتِ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَتَفَكَّرُونَ

They ask you [Prophet] about intoxicants and gambling: say, ‘There is great sin in both, and some benefit for people: the sin is greater than the benefit.’ They ask you what they should give: say, ‘Give what you can spare.’ In this way, God makes His messages clear to you, so that you may reflect

أَيَوَدُّ أَحَدُكُمۡ أَن تَكُونَ لَهُۥ جَنَّةࣱ مِّن نَّخِيلࣲ وَأَعۡنَابࣲ تَجۡرِي مِن تَحۡتِهَا ٱلۡأَنۡهَٰرُ لَهُۥ فِيهَا مِن كُلِّ ٱلثَّمَرَٰتِ وَأَصَابَهُ ٱلۡكِبَرُ وَلَهُۥ ذُرِّيَّةࣱ ضُعَفَآءُ فَأَصَابَهَآ إِعۡصَارࣱ فِيهِ نَارࣱ فَٱحۡتَرَقَتۡۗ كَذَٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمُ ٱلۡأٓيَٰتِ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَتَفَكَّرُونَ

Would any of you like to have a garden of palm trees and vines, graced with flowing streams and all kinds of produce, which, when you are afflicted with old age and feeble offspring, is struck by a fiery whirlwind and burnt down? In this way God makes His messages clear to you, so that you may reflect on them

ٱلَّذِينَ يَذۡكُرُونَ ٱللَّهَ قِيَٰمࣰ ا وَقُعُودࣰ ا وَعَلَىٰ جُنُوبِهِمۡ وَيَتَفَكَّرُونَ فِي خَلۡقِ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ رَبَّنَا مَا خَلَقۡتَ هَٰذَا بَٰطِلࣰ ا سُبۡحَٰنَكَ فَقِنَا عَذَابَ ٱلنَّارِ

who remember God standing, sitting, and lying down, who reflect on the creation of the heavens and earth: ‘Our Lord! You have not created all this without purpose- You are far above that!- so protect us from the torment of the Fire

قُل لَّآ أَقُولُ لَكُمۡ عِندِي خَزَآئِنُ ٱللَّهِ وَلَآ أَعۡلَمُ ٱلۡغَيۡبَ وَلَآ أَقُولُ لَكُمۡ إِنِّي مَلَكٌۖ إِنۡ أَتَّبِعُ إِلَّا مَا يُوحَىٰٓ إِلَيَّۚ قُلۡ هَلۡ يَسۡتَوِي ٱلۡأَعۡمَىٰ وَٱلۡبَصِيرُۚ أَفَلَا تَتَفَكَّرُونَ

Say, ‘I do not have the treasures of God, nor do I know the unseen, nor do I tell you that I am an angel. I only follow what is revealed to me.’ Say, ‘Is a blind person like one who can see? Why will you not reflect?’

وَلَوۡ شِئۡنَا لَرَفَعۡنَٰهُ بِهَا وَلَٰكِنَّهُۥٓ أَخۡلَدَ إِلَى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَٱتَّبَعَ هَوَىٰهُۚ فَمَثَلُهُۥ كَمَثَلِ ٱلۡكَلۡبِ إِن تَحۡمِلۡ عَلَيۡهِ يَلۡهَثۡ أَوۡ تَتۡرُكۡهُ يَلۡهَثۚ ذَّٰلِكَ مَثَلُ ٱلۡقَوۡمِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَذَّبُواْ بِـَٔايَٰتِنَاۚ فَٱقۡصُصِ ٱلۡقَصَصَ لَعَلَّهُمۡ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ

if it had been Our will, We could have used these signs to raise him high, but instead he clung to the earth and followed his own desires- he was like a dog that pants with a lolling tongue whether you drive it away or leave it alone. Such is the image of those who reject Our signs. Tell them the story so that they may reflect

They ask thee about wine and gambling.... And they ask thee what they should expend. God has servants on the earth who drink the wine of recognition and are drunk from the cup of love. There is no more than a whiff of this wine's reality in this world, and nothing but a show of that drunkenness, for this world is a prison, and what can a prison put up with? Today there is no more than that. Nonetheless, wait until tomorrow, the assembly of repose and ease [56:89], the arena of union with the Beloved, when the servants will be gazing on the Real. Hope for union with you has added to my life. What can union itself be, when hope does that!? A man in turmoil entered the shop of a wine merchant with one dirham. He said, “Give me wine for this dirham.” The merchant replied, “There's no wine left.” The man said, “I'm already in turmoil. I can't tolerate wine's reality. Show me a drop so I may s

Who remember God, standing and sitting and on their sides, and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth. Those who remember are three: One remembers God with the tongue and is heedless with the heart. This is the remembrance of the wrongdoer, who is aware neither of the remembrance nor of the Remembered. Another remembers Him with the tongue and is present with the heart. This is the remem- brance of the moderate and the state of the wage-earner. He is seeking reward and excused in his seeking. The third remembers Him with the heart; the heart is filled with Him, and his tongue is silent in remembrance. “When someone recognizes God, his tongue is mute.” This is the remembrance of the preceder. His tongue is lost in the remembrance, and the remembrance is lost in the Remem- bered. The heart is lost in love, and love in the Light. The spirit is lost in face-to-face vision, and

They ask you about wine and divinatory arrows gambling and what the ruling is regarding them. Say to them ‘In both that is in the partaking of both is great sin a variant reading for kabīr ‘great’ has kathīr ‘much’ because of the fighting cursing and swearing that ensue from it; and profit for men by way of delight and enjoyment in wine and acquiring money effortlessly from gambling; but the sin in them that is the degenerate behaviour in which they result is greater graver than the usefulness’. When this verse was revealed some gave up drinking while others persisted until the verse of sūrat al-Mā’ida Q. 590-91 finally made it illicit. And they will ask you what that is to say how much they should expend. Say expend ‘Comfortably’ al-‘afwa in the accusative is also read in the nominative al-‘afwu implying a preceding huwa that is the surplus of your need and do not expend what you need r

Would any of you wish to have a garden an orchard of date-palms and vines with rivers flowing beneath it for him there is in it all manner of fruit then old age smites him and makes him too weak to profit from it and he has seed but they are weak young children who cannot manage it; then a whirlwind i‘sār are violent winds with fire smites it and it is consumed? so that he loses what he is most in need of and now he and his children have become incapacitated confused without any resources. This is a similitude of how the expenditure of the one expending for show or the one who reproaches after having expended vanishes and how it is of no avail when he will be most in need of it in the Hereafter the interrogative a-yawaddu ‘would any wish’ is intended as a denial. According to Ibn ‘Abbās this is the person who performs deeds of obedience but when Satan comes to him he begins to work disob

Those who alladhīna an adjectival qualification of the preceding li-ūlī l-albāb ‘for people of pith’ or a substitution for it remember God standing and sitting and on their sides reclining that is to say in all states it is reported from Ibn ‘Abbās that they perform prayer in these ways each according to his own capacity; and reflect upon the creation of the heavens and the earth to deduce therefrom the power of their Creator saying ‘Our Lord You have not created this creation that we see in vain bātilan a circumstantial qualifier frivolously but as a proof of the totality of Your power. Glory be to You! exalted above any frivolity. So guard us against the chastisement of the Fire.

Would any of you wish to have a garden with date palms and vines, with rivers flowing underneath, and all kinds of fruits for him therein, while he is striken with old age, and his children are weak (not able to look after themselves), then it is struck with a fiery whirlwind, so that it is burnt? Thus does Allah make clear His Ayat to you that you may give thought (266) The Example of Evil Deeds Nullifying Good Deeds Al-Bukhari recorded that Ibn 'Abbas and 'Ubayd bin 'Umayr said that 'Umar bin Al-Khattab asked the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, "According to your opinion, about whom was this Ayah revealed, أَيَوَدُّ أَحَدُكُمْ أَن تَكُونَ لَهُ جَنَّةٌ مِّن نَّخِيلٍ وَأَعْنَابٍ (Would any of you wish to have a garden with date palms and vines…?)." They said, "Allah knows best." 'Umar became angry and said, "Say we know or we do not know." Ibn 'Abbas said, "O Leader of the Fai

حَدَّثَنَا عَبَّاسُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْعَظِيمِ الْعَنْبَرِيُّ، وَغَيْرُ، وَاحِدٍ، قَالُوا حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو دَاوُدَ الطَّيَالِسِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا عِمْرَانُ الْقَطَّانُ، عَنْ قَتَادَةَ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ أَبِي الْحَسَنِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، رضى الله عنه عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏ "‏ لَيْسَ شَيْءٌ أَكْرَمَ عَلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى مِنَ الدُّعَاءِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ غَرِيبٌ لاَ نَعْرِفُهُ مَرْفُوعًا إِلاَّ مِنْ حَدِيثِ عِمْرَانَ الْقَطَّانِ وَعِمْرَانُ الْقَطَّانُ هُوَ ابْنُ دَاوَرَ وَيُكْنَى أَبَا الْعَوَّامِ ‏.‏ حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَشَّارٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ مَهْدِيٍّ، عَنْ عِمْرَانَ الْقَطَّانِ، بِهَذَا الإِسْنَادِ نَحْوَهُ ‏.‏

Abu Hurairah narrated that:The Prophet said: “There is nothing more honorable with Allah [Most High] than supplication.”

حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ مَنِيعٍ، حَدَّثَنَا مَرْوَانُ بْنُ مُعَاوِيَةَ، عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، عَنْ ذَرٍّ، عَنْ يُسَيْعٍ، عَنِ النُّعْمَانِ بْنِ بَشِيرٍ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏"‏ الدُّعَاءُ هُوَ الْعِبَادَةُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ ثُمَّ قَرَأََ ‏:‏ ‏(‏وقالَ رَبُّكُمُ ادْعُونِي أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِي سَيَدْخُلُونَ جَهَنَّمَ دَاخِرِينَ ‏)‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ ‏.‏ وَقَدْ رَوَاهُ مَنْصُورٌ وَالأَعْمَشُ عَنْ ذَرٍّ وَلاَ نَعْرِفُهُ إِلاَّ مِنْ حَدِيثِ ذَرٍّ ‏.‏ هُوَ ذَرُّ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْهَمْدَانِيُّ ثِقَةٌ وَالِدُ عُمَرَ بْنِ ذَرٍّ ‏.‏

An-Nu`man bin Bashir narrated that:The Prophet said: “The supplication, is worship.” Then he recited: And Your Lord said: “Call upon me, I will respond to you. Verily, those who scorn My worship, they will surely enter Hell humiliated

وأما ربع المنجيات فيشتمل على عشرة كتب كتاب التوبة وكتاب الصبر والشكر وكتاب الخوف والرجاء وكتاب الفقر والزهد وكتاب التوحيد والتوكل وكتاب المحبة والشوق والأنس والرضا وكتاب النية والصدق والإخلاص وكتاب المراقبة والمحاسبة وكتاب التفكر وكتاب ذكر الموت

ويعينه على هذه المراقبة والمحاسبة : معرفته أنه كلما اجتهد فيها اليوم استراح منها غدا إذا صار الحساب إلى غيره وكلما أهملها اليوم اشتد عليه الحساب غدا

تم كتاب الصدق والإخلاص يتلوه كتاب المراقبة والمحاسبة والحمد لله

| كتاب المراقبة والمحاسبة وهو الكتاب الثامن من ربع المنجيات من كتاب

وقال إبراهيم الخواص : المراقبة خلوص السر والعلانية لله عز وجل وقيل : أفضل ما يلزم الإنسان نفسه في هذه الطريق : المحاسبة والمراقبة وسياسة عمله بالعلم

# ### | 15 باب في المحاسبة والمراقبة

An Exploratory Study of the Effects of Mind-Body Interventions Targeting Sleep on Salivary Oxytocin Levels in Cancer Survivors.: Cancer survivors experience high levels of distress, associated with a host of negative psychological states, including anxiety, depression, and fear of recurrence, which often lead to sleep problems and reduction in quality of life (QOL) and well-being. As a neuropeptide hormone associated with affiliation, calmness, and well-being, oxytocin may be a useful biological measure of changes in health outcomes in cancer survivors. In this exploratory study, which comprised a subset of participants f

Effects of Mindfulness Training and Exercise on Cognitive Function in Older Adults: A Randomized Clinical Trial.: Importance: Episodic memory and executive function are essential aspects of cognitive functioning that decline with aging. This decline may be ameliorable with lifestyle interventions. Objective: To determine whether mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), exercise, or a combination of both improve cognitive function in older adults. Design, setting, and participants: This 2 × 2 factorial randomized clinical trial was conducted at 2 US sites (Washington University in St Louis and University o

Mindfulness meditation as an intervention for binge eating, emotional eating, and weight loss: a systematic review.: Mindfulness-based approaches are growing in popularity as interventions for disordered eating and weight loss. Initial research suggests that mindfulness meditation may be an effective intervention for binge eating; however, no systematic review has examined interventions where mindfulness meditation was the primary intervention and no review has examined its effect on subclinical disordered eating or weight. Using the PRISMA method for systematic reviews, we reviewed 14 studies that investigate

Do workplace-based mindfulness meditation programs improve physiological indices of stress? A systematic review and meta-analysis.: Objective: Mindfulness-based interventions (MBI) have been related with improved job satisfaction, wellbeing, health, and reduced workplace stress with employees. However, until now, synthesis of the evidence of the effect of MBIs on physiological indices associated with stress and ill-health has been lacking. Therefore the current systematic review aimed to synthesise the literature from employee samples to provide guidance for future investigations in terms of which physiological indicators an

Differential effects of mindfulness meditation conditions on repetitive negative thinking and subjective time perspective: a randomized active-controlled study.: ObjectivePreliminary findings suggest that different kinds of meditation could work on diverse cognitive and psychological processes. The present study aimed at disentangling the effects of three mindfulness techniques on mental rumination and subjective time perspective. Design: 75 young healthy participants were randomly assigned to one of four conditions: mindful breathing, body scan, observing-thoughts meditation and an active control condition. The meditation groups practiced mindfulness da

Mechanisms of Mindfulness Meditation, Cognitive Therapy, and Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy for Chronic Low Back Pain.: Objectives: This study evaluated theoretically derived mechanisms and common therapeutic factors to test their role in accounting for pain-related outcome change during group-delivered cognitive therapy, mindfulness meditation, and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for chronic low back pain. Methods: A secondary analysis of a pilot randomized controlled trial was used to explore the primary mechanisms of pretreatment to posttreatment changes in pain control beliefs, mindful observing, and pain

Third-wave therapies and adults with intellectual disabilities: A systematic review.

Background: Third-wave therapies appear to produce positive outcomes for people without intellectual disabilities. This systematic review aimed to establish which third-wave therapies have been adapted for adults with intellectual disabilities and whether they produced positive outcomes. Method: Four databases were searched systematically (PsycINFO, Web of Science, MEDLINE and PubMed), yielding 1,395 results. Twenty studies (N = 109) met the present review's inclusion/exclusion criteria. Results: Included studies used mindfulness-based approaches, dialectical behaviour therapy, compassion focused therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy. Due to considerable heterogeneity in the designs and outcome measures used, a meta-analysis was not possible. Conclusions: Evidence indicated that third-wave therapies improved mental health symptoms for some and improved challenging/offending behav…

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Effects of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction on employees' mental health: A systematic review.

Objectives: The purpose of this exploratory study was to obtain greater insight into the effects of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) on the mental health of employees. Methods: Using PsycINFO, PubMed, and CINAHL, we performed a systematic review in October 2015 of studies investigating the effects of MBSR and MBCT on various aspects of employees' mental health. Studies with a pre-post design (i.e. without a control group) were excluded. Results: 24 articles were identified, describing 23 studies: 22 on the effects of MBSR and 1 on the effects of MBSR in combination with some aspects of MBCT. Since no study focused exclusively on MBCT, its effects are not described in this systematic review. Of the 23 studies, 2 were of high methodological quality, 15 were of medium quality and 6 were of low quality. A meta-analysis was not performed…

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Mechanisms of action in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) and mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) in people with physical and/or psychological conditions: A systematic review.

Background: Recently, there has been an increased interest in studying the effects of mindfulness-based interventions for people with psychological and physical problems. However, the mechanisms of action in these interventions that lead to beneficial physical and psychological outcomes have yet to be clearly identified. Purpose: The aim of this paper is to review, systematically, the evidence to date on the mechanisms of action in mindfulness interventions in populations with physical and/or psychological conditions. Method: Searches of seven databases (PsycINFO, Medline (Ovid), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, EMBASE, CINAHL, AMED, ClinicalTrials.gov) were undertaken in June 2014 and July 2015. We evaluated to what extent the studies we identified met the criteria suggested by Kazdin for establishing mechanisms of action within a psychological treatment (2007, 2009). Res…

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Web-Based Mindfulness Interventions for People With Physical Health Conditions: Systematic Review.

Background: Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) are becoming increasingly popular for helping people with physical health conditions. Expanding from traditional face-to-face program delivery, there is growing interest in Web-based application of MBIs, though Web-based MBIs for people with physical health conditions specifically have not been thoroughly reviewed to date. Objective: The objective of this paper was to review Web-based MBIs for people with physical health conditions and to examine all outcomes reported (eg, efficacy or effectiveness for physical changes or psychological changes; feasibility). Methods: Databases PubMed, PsycINFO, Science Direct, CINAHL Plus, and Web of Science were searched. Full-text English papers that described any Web-based MBI, examining any outcome, for people with chronic physical health conditions were included. Randomized, nonrandomized, controlle…

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A review of primary care interventions to improve health outcomes in adult survivors of adverse childhood experiences.

Research has consistently demonstrated a link between the experience of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and adult health conditions, including mental and physical health problems. While a focus on the prevention or mitigation of adversity in childhood is an important direction of many programs, many individuals do not access support services until adulthood, when health problems may be fairly engrained. It is not clear which interventions have the strongest evidence base to support the many adults who present to services with a history of ACEs. The current review examines the evidence base for psychosocial interventions for adults with a history of ACEs. The review focuses on interventions that may be provided in primary care, as that is the setting where most patients will first present and are most likely to receive treatment. A systematic review of the literature was completed us…

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A systematic review of mechanisms of change in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in the treatment of recurrent major depressive disorder.

Background: The investigation of treatment mechanisms in randomized controlled trials has considerable clinical and theoretical relevance. Despite the empirical support for the effect of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) in the treatment of recurrent major depressive disorder (MDD), the specific mechanisms by which MBCT leads to therapeutic change remain unclear. Objective: By means of a systematic review we evaluate how the field is progressing in its empirical investigation of mechanisms of change in MBCT for recurrent MDD. Method: To identify relevant studies, a systematic search was conducted. Studies were coded and ranked for quality. Results: The search produced 476 articles, of which 23 were included. In line with the theoretical premise, 12 studies found that alterations in mindfulness, rumination, worry, compassion, or meta-awareness were associated with, predicted or m…

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Positive psychology interventions in breast cancer. A systematic review.

Objective: Positive psychology is an emerging area of empirical study, not only in clinical, but also in health psychology. The present systematic review aims to synthesize the evidence about the positive psychology interventions utilized in breast cancer. Methods: Relevant studies were identified via Pubmed, PsycINFO, Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane, CINAHL, Wiley Online Library, TDX, and DIALNET databases (up to April 2013). Only those papers focused on interventions related to positive psychology and carried out on breast cancer patients were included. Results: Of the 7266 articles found through databases, 16 studies were finally included in this review. Five groups of therapies were found: mindfulness-based approaches, expression of positive emotions, spiritual interventions, hope therapy, and meaning-making interventions. These specific interventions promoted positive changes in br…

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Assessing treatments used to reduce rumination and/or worry: a systematic review.

Perseverative cognitions such as rumination and worry are key components of mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety. Given the frequent comorbidity of conditions in which rumination and worry are present, it is possible that they are underpinned by the same cognitive process. Furthermore, rumination and worry appear to be part of a causal chain that can lead to long-term health consequences, including cardiovascular disease and other chronic conditions. It is important therefore to understand what interventions may be useful in reducing their incidence. This systematic review aimed to assess treatments used to reduce worry and/or rumination. As we were interested in understanding the current treatment landscape, we limited our search from 2002 to 2012. Nineteen studies were included in the review and were assessed for methodological quality and treatment integrity. Results sugges…

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A systematic review of stress-management programs for medical students.

Objective: Because medical students experience a considerable amount of stress during training, academic leaders have recognized the importance of developing stress-management programs for medical students. The authors set out to identify all controlled trials of stress-management interventions and determine the efficacy of those interventions. Method: The authors searched the published English-language articles on PsycINFO and PubMed, using a combination of the following search terms: stress-management, distress, burnout, coping, medical student, wellness. Both randomized, controlled trials and controlled, non-randomized trials of stress-management programs were selected and critically appraised. Results: A total of 13 randomized, controlled trials or controlled, non-randomized trials were identified. Interventions included self-hypnosis, meditation, mindfulness-based stress-reduction, …

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The Relationship between Mindfulness and Emotional Intelligence as a Protective Factor for Healthcare Professionals: Systematic Review.

Emotional intelligence is an essential trait and skill for healthcare professionals. Mindfulness meditation has proved to be effective in increasing the wellbeing of those who practice it, leading to better mental health, self-care and job satisfaction. This paper aims to identify the recent evidence on the relationship between mindfulness and emotional intelligence among healthcare professionals and students. A systematic review was conducted including the databases PubMed, Cinhal, PsycINFO and Web of Science. The main variables were emotional intelligence skills and mindfulness practice. Data were extracted according to the following outcomes: authors, year of publication, country, study design, participants, mindfulness training intervention, tools used in data collection and main results. The following inclusion criteria were applied: peer-reviewed articles; published in English or S…

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The Effects of Meditation, Yoga, and Mindfulness on Depression, Anxiety, and Stress in Tertiary Education Students: A Meta-Analysis.

Background: Meditation, yoga, and mindfulness are popular interventions at universities and tertiary education institutes to improve mental health. However, the effects on depression, anxiety, and stress are unclear. This study assessed the effectiveness of meditation, yoga, and mindfulness on symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress in tertiary education students. Methods: We searched Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), PubMed, PsycINFO and identified 11,936 articles. After retrieving 181 papers for full-text screening, 24 randomized controlled trials were included in the qualitative analysis. We conducted a random-effects meta-analysis amongst 23 studies with 1,373 participants. Results: At post-test, after exclusion of outliers, effect sizes for depression, g = 0.42 (95% CI: 0.16-0.69), anxiety g = 0.46 (95% CI: 0.34-0.59), stress g = 0.42 (95% CI: 0.27-0.57) …

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Cognitive effects of MBSR/MBCT: A systematic review of neuropsychological outcomes.

Mindfulness is theorised to improve attention regulation and other cognitive processes. This systematic review examines whether 8-week standardised and manualised mindfulness training programs such as Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) and Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) enhances attention, memory and executive function abilities measured by objective neuropsychological tests. Seven databases were searched resulting in 18 studies meeting inclusion criteria for review. Overall studies did not support attention or executive function improvements. We found preliminary evidence for improvements in working memory and autobiographical memory as well as cognitive flexibility and meta-awareness. Short-term mindfulness meditation training did not enhance theorised attentional pathways. Results call into question the theoretical underpinnings of mindfulness, further highlighting …

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Does mindfulness training improve cognitive abilities? A systematic review of neuropsychological findings.

Mindfulness meditation practices (MMPs) are a subgroup of meditation practices which are receiving growing attention. The present paper reviews current evidence about the effects of MMPs on objective measures of cognitive functions. Five databases were searched. Twenty three studies providing measures of attention, memory, executive functions and further miscellaneous measures of cognition were included. Fifteen were controlled or randomized controlled studies and 8 were case-control studies. Overall, reviewed studies suggested that early phases of mindfulness training, which are more concerned with the development of focused attention, could be associated with significant improvements in selective and executive attention whereas the following phases, which are characterized by an open monitoring of internal and external stimuli, could be mainly associated with improved unfocused sustain…

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Mindfulness meditation for substance use disorders: a systematic review.

Relapse is common in substance use disorders (SUDs), even among treated individuals. The goal of this article was to systematically review the existing evidence on mindfulness meditation-based interventions (MM) for SUDs. The comprehensive search for and review of literature found over 2000 abstracts and resulted in 25 eligible manuscripts (22 published, 3 unpublished: 8 randomized controlled trials, 7 controlled nonrandomized, 6 noncontrolled prospective, and 2 qualitative studies, and 1 case report). When appropriate, methodological quality, absolute risk reduction, number needed to treat, and effect size were assessed. Overall, although preliminary evidence suggests MM efficacy and safety, conclusive data for MM as a treatment of SUDs are lacking. Significant methodological limitations exist in most studies. Further, it is unclear which persons with SUDs might benefit most from MM. Fu…

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Investigating efficacy of two brief mind-body intervention programs for managing sleep disturbance in cancer survivors: a pilot randomized controlled trial.

Purpose: After completing treatment, cancer survivors may suffer from a multitude of physical and mental health impairments, resulting in compromised quality of life. This exploratory study investigated whether two mind-body interventions, i.e., Mind-Body Bridging (MBB) and Mindfulness Meditation (MM), could improve posttreatment cancer survivors' self-reported sleep disturbance and comorbid symptoms, as compared to sleep hygiene education (SHE) as an active control. Methods: This randomized controlled trial examined 57 cancer survivors with clinically significant self-reported sleep disturbance, randomly assigned to receive MBB, MM, or SHE. All interventions were conducted in three sessions, once per week. Patient-reported outcomes were assessed via the Medical Outcomes Study Sleep Scale and other indicators of psychosocial functioning relevant to quality of life, stress, depression, mi…

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Effects of brief and sham mindfulness meditation on mood and cardiovascular variables.

Objectives: Although long-term meditation has been found to reduce negative mood and cardiovascular variables, the effects of a brief mindfulness meditation intervention when compared to a sham mindfulness meditation intervention are relatively unknown. This experiment examined whether a 3-day (1-hour total) mindfulness or sham mindfulness meditation intervention would improve mood and cardiovascular variables when compared to a control group. Methods: Eighty-two (82) undergraduate students (34 males, 48 females), with no prior meditation experience, participated in three sessions that involved training in either mindfulness meditation, sham mindfulness meditation, or a control group. Heart rate, blood pressure, and psychologic variables (Profile of Mood States, State Anxiety Inventory) were assessed before and after the intervention. Results: The meditation intervention was more effecti…

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Effectiveness of a Mindfulness-Based Childbirth Education pilot study on maternal self-efficacy and fear of childbirth.

Introduction: This pilot study tested the feasibility and effectiveness of using Mindfulness-Based Childbirth Education (MBCE), a novel integration of mindfulness meditation and skills-based childbirth education, for mental health promotion with pregnant women. The MBCE protocol aimed to reduce fear of birth, anxiety, and stress and improve maternal self-efficacy. This pilot study also aimed to determine the acceptability and feasibility of the MBCE protocol. Methods: A single-arm pilot study of the MBCE intervention using a repeated-measures design was used to analyze data before and after the MBCE intervention to determine change trends with key outcome variables: mindfulness; depression, anxiety, and stress; childbirth self-efficacy; and fear of childbirth. Pregnant women (18-28 weeks' gestation) and their support companions attended weekly MBCE group sessions over 8 weeks in an Austr…

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Mindfulness and motivational interviewing: two candidate methods for promoting self-management.

There is no conclusive evidence about the way to a promote behavior change in self-management programs for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The latter is a significant knowledge gap as there is a need to promote a sustained effect in interventions like Pulmonary Rehabilitation or Supporting Programs. Embracing patient's values seems to be a key ingredient to ignite genuine motivation for behavior change. This manuscript describes two pilot qualitative studies carried out in patients with severe COPD aimed to engage the patient inner experience and promote self-management: a trial testing motivational interviewing (MI) as one style of helping patients with severe COPD make changes in their behavior and second a trial testing a mindfulness-based intervention. The MI study consisted of a 3-month program of weekly coaching phone calls after one face-to-face visit. …

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Mindfulness practice leads to increases in regional brain gray matter density.

Therapeutic interventions that incorporate training in mindfulness meditation have become increasingly popular, but to date little is known about neural mechanisms associated with these interventions. 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. Anatomical magnetic resonance (MR) images from 16 healthy, meditation-naïve participants were obtained before and after they underwent the 8-week program. Changes in gray matter concentration were investigated using voxel-based morphometry, and compared with a waiting list control group of 17 individuals…

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Effects of mindfulness training on body awareness to sexual stimuli: implications for female sexual dysfunction.

Objectives: Treatments of female sexual dysfunction have been largely unsuccessful because they do not address the psychological factors that underlie female sexuality. Negative self-evaluative processes interfere with the ability to attend and register physiological changes (interoceptive awareness). This study explores the effect of mindfulness meditation training on interoceptive awareness and the three categories of known barriers to healthy sexual functioning: attention, self-judgment, and clinical symptoms. Methods: Forty-four college students (30 women) participated in either a 12-week course containing a "meditation laboratory" or an active control course with similar content or laboratory format. Interoceptive awareness was measured by reaction time in rating physiological response to sexual stimuli. Psychological barriers were assessed with self-reported measures of mindfulness…

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Increased mindfulness--the active component of the mindfulness-based stress reduction program?

While there is growing consensus that Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is an effective program for patients with a wide range of health problems, little is known with regard to the processes underlying benefits seen following the program. Herein we examined the relationship between increases in mindfulness and improvements in patient outcomes. We sought to determine if there was a relationship between the practice of various types of meditation taught during the program and post-MBSR results. Eighty-three chronic ill patients provided pre- and post-MBSR data. An increase in mindfulness was significantly related to reductions in depressive symptoms, stress, medical symptoms and an increase in overall sense of coherence. However, the relationship between practice and outcomes was less evident. Future research is needed to identify which factors lead to an increase in mindfulness.

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Pilot study: Mindful Eating and Living (MEAL): weight, eating behavior, and psychological outcomes associated with a mindfulness-based intervention for people with obesity.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to pilot a brief (6-week) group curriculum for providing mindfulness training to obese individuals, called Mindful Eating and Living (MEAL). Setting and design: Participants were recruited through a local Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) in spring 2006. Data was collected at three time points: baseline, completion of intervention (6 weeks), and 3-month follow-up (12 weeks). Intervention: Six weekly two-hour group classes (with two monthly follow-up classes). Content included training in mindfulness meditation, mindful eating, and group discussion, with emphasis on awareness of body sensations, emotions, and triggers to overeat. Main outcome measures: Key variables assessed included changes in weight, body-mass index (BMI), eating behavior, and psychological distress. In addition, physiological markers of cardiovascular risk were evaluated…

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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.

Objectives: This study investigated the ongoing effects of participation in a mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program on quality of life (QL), symptoms of stress, mood and endocrine, immune and autonomic parameters in early stage breast and prostate cancer patients. Methods: Forty-nine patients with breast cancer and 10 with prostate cancer enrolled in an eight-week MBSR program that incorporated relaxation, meditation, gentle yoga and daily home practice. Demographic and health behaviors, QL, mood, stress symptoms, salivary cortisol levels, immune cell counts, intracellular cytokine production, blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) were assessed pre- and post-intervention, and at 6- and 12-month follow-up. Results: Fifty-nine, 51, 47 and 41 patients were assessed pre- and post-intervention and at 6- and 12-month follow-up, respectively, although not all participants provided…

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Using Mindfulness to Manage Moral Injury in Veterans: Feasibility and Satisfaction of a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective: The present study assessed program feasibility and satisfaction among recent-era veterans who participated in Mindfulness to Manage Moral Injury (MMMI), a live facilitated web-based 7-week mindfulness-based program targeting moral injury among veterans. Method: In total, 56 post-9/11 veterans were recruited with 28 randomized to the MMMI condition and 28 to the Education and Support (ES) condition. Most participants identified as being White (71.4%), male (66.1%), and had a reported mean age of 41.50 years (Median = 39.50, SD = 9.26). Results: Among the 56 participants, 82.1% attended at least one treatment session and 44.6% completed all seven sessions. There were no significant differences in the average number of sessions attended between the MMMI (M = 4.79, SD = 2.70) and the ES (M = 4.68, SD = 2.84) conditions, t(54) = 0.145, p = 0.87. Regarding randomization, there were …

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Effectiveness of behavioral activation and mindfulness in increasing reward sensitivity and reducing depressive symptoms - A randomized controlled trial.

Reward insensitivity is a potential key mechanism regarding the maintenance of depression. However, there is a lack of research examining and comparing the effectiveness of different psychological interventions in modifying reward insensitivity. This four-arm randomized controlled trial (RCT) investigated a two-week online intervention. After screening for eligibility, a total of 336 participants were randomized, and 224 participated per-protocol. Participants were assigned to either a) behavioral activation, b) mindfulness and gratitude, c) a combination of both, or d) a waitlist control condition. They received videos and implemented daily exercises. Reward sensitivity and depressive symptoms served as primary outcomes. Behavioral activation and mindfulness significantly improved depressive symptoms and reward sensitivity. However, the effects of behavioral activation were not superior…

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