Abstract
Objectives: Previous studies have identified different, but highly correlated variables explaining the effects of mindfulness training. Many of them are limited by tautological explanation. Under the framework of the mind-body connection, mindfulness training cultivates body awareness and promotes self-management of illness. Stagnation, a concept from Chinese medicine, may help explain the mechanism of change in mindfulness training. Methods: Individuals with depressive and anxiety symptoms (n= 82) were randomized to either a Compassion-Mindfulness Therapy (C-MT) program or a waitlist control condition. The effect of stagnation as a mediator was investigated for dependent variables including depression, anxiety, and other physical and mental health variables. Major outcome measures: Depression, anxiety, stagnation, physical distress, daily functioning, positive affect, negative affect. Results: Compared with the participants in the control group, those who completed C-MT demonstrated significant decreases in depression, F(1, 78) = 15.67, p< .001, anxiety, F(1, 78) = 7.72, p< .001, stagnation, F(1, 78) = 4.96, p< .001, and other body-mind-spirit well-being measures. After entering the change in stagnation as the mediator, the effect of treatment reduced: depression (35-22), anxiety (33-05), and same patterns in other three secondary measures. The Sobel test was administered and significant reductions between group and depression (z= 2.18, p= .029), anxiety (z= 2.21, p= .027), and three secondary other measures (p< .05) were indicated. Conclusion: The study provides initial support for the role of stagnation in mediating changes in mindfulness training. It adds evidence to body-mind nondualism and offers new possibilities in studying treatment process and change mechanism.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 348-357 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Complementary Therapies in Medicine |
Volume | 21 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Aug 2013 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Mediator
- Mindfulness meditation
- Mindfulness training
- Stagnation
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Complementary and Manual Therapy
- Complementary and alternative medicine
- Advanced and Specialised Nursing