May 14, 2008 – Mindful meditation and cognitive behavioral psychotherapy sessions are also said to be beneficial in reducing stress. However, the positive effects of mindfulness meditation are more numerous, according to the results of a preliminary trial1.
In addition to the level of stress, the American researchers evaluated the level of energy and depression of the participants as well as their psychological well-being and their ability to concentrate.
The two methods had comparable beneficial results for participants in both groups on the level of perceived stress, depression and general psychological well-being. However, only the subjects in the meditation group felt beneficial effects on their attention span and their energy level.
Among the 50 participants, 36 underwent, for eight weeks, weekly mindfulness meditation sessions (mindfulness-based stress reduction) and 14 participated in eight cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy sessions aimed at reducing their stress levels.
The meditation sessions used techniques of visualization, breathing, yoga and body awareness. The psychotherapy meetings aimed to modify the way of thinking of the participants in order to reduce their psycho-bodily distress.
Pierre Lefrançois – PasseportSanté.net
According to Natural Standard.
1. Smith BW, Shelley BM, et al. A pilot study comparing the effects of mindfulness-based and cognitive-behavioral stress reduction. J Altern Complement Med. 2008 Apr; 14 (3): 251-8.
