Psychological Effects of a 1-Month Meditation Retreat on Experienced Meditators: The Role of Non-attachment Cultivating mindfulness: effects on well-being. Experienced Mindfulness Meditators Exhibit Higher Parietal-Occipital EEG Gamma Activity during NREM Sleep Meditation and vacation effects have an impact on disease-associated molecular phenotypes From a state to a trait: Trajectories of state mindfulness in meditation during intervention predict changes in trait mindfulness. Mindfulness practice leads to increases in regional brain gray matter density Facing the Challenges of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation With Mindfulness Meditation: A Pilot Study Effect of compassion meditation on neuroendocrine, innate immune and behavioral responses to psychosocial stress Mindfulness meditation improves cognition: Evidence of brief mental training A pilot study of yogic meditation for family dementia caregivers with depressive symptoms: effects on mental health, cognition, and telomerase activity. A Randomized Controlled Trial Examining the Effect of Mindfulness Meditation on Working Memory Capacity in Adolescents. Group vs. single mindfulness meditation: exploring avoidance, impulsivity, and weight management in two separate mindfulness meditation settings. Meditation can reduce habitual responding. Autonomic and EEG patterns distinguish transcending from other experiences during Transcendental Meditation practice. Tinnitus rehabilitation: a mindfulness meditation cognitive behavioural therapy approach. Stress and Anxiety Management in Nursing Students: Biofeedback and Mindfulness Meditation. A Yoga and Compassion Meditation Program Reduces Stress in Familial Caregivers of Alzheimer's Disease Patients Evaluation of a biofeedback-assisted meditation program as a stress management tool for hospital nurses: a pilot study. Dispositional Mindfulness, Meditation, and Conditional Goal Setting A randomized controlled trial of meditation and massage effects on quality of life in people with late-stage disease: a pilot study. Heart rate variability is enhanced in controls but not maladaptive perfectionists during brief mindfulness meditation following stress-induction: A stratified-randomized trial. Yoga Ameliorates Performance Anxiety and Mood Disturbance in Young Professional Musicians Effect of transcendental meditation on employee stress, depression, and burnout: a randomized controlled study.
Background : There are few studies devoted to assessing the impact of meditation-intensive retreats  on the well-being , positive psychology , and personality of experienced meditators . We aim ed to assess whether a 1-month Vipassana retreat : ( a ) would increase mindfulness and well-being ; ( b ) would increase prosocial personality traits ; and ( c ) whether psychological changes would be mediated and /or moderated by non-attachment . Method : A controlled , non-r and omized , pre-post-intervention trial was used . The intervention group was a convenience sample ( n = 19 ) of experienced meditators who participated in a 1-month Vipassana meditation retreat . The control group ( n = 19 ) comprised matched experienced meditators who did not take part in the retreat .  During the retreat , the mean duration of daily practice was 8–9 h , the diet was vegetarian and silence was compulsory . The Experiences Question naire ( EQ ) , Non-attachment Scale ( NAS ) , Positive and Negative Affect Schedule ( PANAS ) , Satisfaction With Life Scale ( SWLS ) , Temperament Character Inventory Revised ( TCI-R-67 ) , Five Facets Mindfulness Question naire ( FFMQ ) , Self-Other Four Immeasurables ( SOFI ) and the MINDSENS Composite Index were administered . ANCOVAs and linear regression models were used to assess pre-post changes and mediation/moderation effects . Results : Compared to controls , retreatants showed increases in non-attachment , observing , MINDSENS , positive-affect , balance-affect , and cooperativeness ; and decreases in describing , negative-others , reward-dependence and self-directedness . Non-attachment had a mediating role in decentring , acting aware , non-reactivity , negative-affect , balance-affect and self-directedness ; and a moderating role in describing and positive others , with both mediating and moderating effects on satisfaction with life . Conclusions : A 1-month Vipassana meditation retreat seems to yield improvements in mindfulness , well-being , and personality , even in experienced meditators . Non-attachment might facilitate psychological improvements of meditation , making it possible to overcome possible ceiling effects ascribed to non-intensive practice There has been great interest in determining if mindfulness can be cultivated and if this cultivation leads to well-being . The current study offers preliminary evidence that at least one aspect of mindfulness , measured by the Mindful Attention and Awareness Scale ( MAAS ; K. W. Brown & R. M. Ryan , 2003 ) , can be cultivated and does mediate positive outcomes . Further , adherence to the practice s taught during the meditation-based interventions predicted positive outcomes . College undergraduates were r and omly allocated between training in two distinct meditation-based interventions , Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction ( MBSR ; J. Kabat-Zinn , 1990 ; n=15 ) and E. Easwaran 's ( 1978/1991 ) Eight Point Program ( EPP ; n=14 ) , or a waitlist control ( n=15 ) . Pretest , posttest , and 8-week follow-up data were gathered on self-report outcome measures . Compared to controls , participants in both treatment groups ( n=29 ) demonstrated increases in mindfulness at 8-week follow-up . Further , increases in mindfulness mediated reductions in perceived stress and rumination . These results suggest that distinct meditation-based practice s can increase mindfulness as measured by the MAAS , which may partly mediate benefits . Implication s and future directions are discussed Over the past several years meditation practice has gained increasing attention as a non-pharmacological intervention to provide health related benefits , from promoting general wellness to alleviating the symptoms of a variety of medical conditions . However , the effects of meditation training on brain activity still need to be fully characterized . Sleep provides a unique approach to explore the meditation-related plastic changes in brain function . In this study we performed sleep high-density electroencephalographic ( hdEEG ) recordings in  long-term meditators ( LTM ) of Buddhist meditation practice s ( approximately 8700 mean hours of life practice ) and meditation naive individuals . We found that LTM had increased parietal-occipital EEG gamma power during NREM sleep . This increase was specific for the gamma range ( 25–40 Hz ) , was not related to the level of spontaneous arousal during NREM and was positively correlated with the length of lifetime daily meditation practice . Altogether , these findings indicate that meditation practice produces measurable changes in spontaneous brain activity , and suggest that EEG gamma activity during sleep represents a sensitive measure of the long-lasting , plastic effects of meditative training on brain function Meditation is becoming increasingly practice d , especially for stress-related medical conditions .  Meditation may improve cellular health ; however , studies have not separated out effects of meditation from vacation-like effects in a residential r and omized controlled trial . We recruited healthy women non-meditators to live at a resort for 6 days and r and omized to either meditation retreat or relaxing on-site , with both groups compared with ‘ regular meditators ’ already enrolled in the retreat . Blood drawn at baseline and post intervention was assessed for transcriptome-wide expression patterns and aging-related biomarkers . Highly significant gene expression changes were detected across all groups ( the ‘ vacation effect ’ ) that could accurately predict ( 96 % accuracy ) between baseline and post-intervention states and were characterized by improved regulation of stress response , immune function and amyloid beta ( Aβ ) metabolism . Although a smaller set of genes was affected , regular meditators showed post-intervention differences in a gene network characterized by lower regulation of protein synthesis and viral genome activity . Changes in well-being were assessed post intervention relative to baseline , as well as 1 and 10 months later . All groups showed equivalently large immediate post-intervention improvements in well-being , but novice meditators showed greater maintenance of lower distress over time compared with those in the vacation arm . Regular meditators showed a trend toward increased telomerase activity compared with r and omized women , who showed increased plasma Aβ42/Aβ40 ratios and tumor necrosis factor alpha ( TNF-α ) levels . This highly controlled residential study showed large salutary changes in gene expression networks due to the vacation effect , common to all groups . For those already trained in the practice of meditation , a retreat appears to provide additional benefits to cellular health beyond the vacation effect Theory suggests that heightening state mindfulness in meditation practice over time increases trait mindfulness , which benefits psychological health . We prospect ively examined individual trajectories of state mindfulness in meditation during a mindfulness-based intervention in relation to changes in trait mindfulness and psychological distress . Each week during the eight-week intervention , participants reported their state mindfulness in meditation after a brief mindfulness meditation .  Participants also completed pre- and post-intervention measures of trait mindfulness and psychological symptoms . Tests of combined latent growth and path models suggested that individuals varied significantly in their rates of change in state mindfulness in meditation during the intervention , and that these individual trajectories predicted pre-post intervention changes in trait mindfulness and distress . These findings support that increasing state mindfulness over repeated meditation sessions may contribute to a more mindful and less distressed disposition . However , individuals ' trajectories of change may vary and warrant further investigation 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 . Analyses in a priori regions of interest confirmed increases in gray matter concentration within the left hippocampus . Whole brain analyses identified increases in the posterior cingulate cortex , the temporo-parietal junction , and the cerebellum in the MBSR group compared with the controls . The results suggest that participation in MBSR is associated with changes in gray matter concentration in brain regions involved in learning and memory processes , emotion regulation , self-referential processing , and perspective taking The hematopoietic stem cell transplant ( HSCT ) experience is emotionally and physically stressful for cancer patients who undergo this procedure .  Mindfulness-based interventions have been studied in patients with various diagnoses , including cancer , although minimal work has applied this intervention to hospitalized patients . Use of mindfulness meditation has potential to provide HSCT patients with coping skills to deal with unpleasant symptoms and an uncertain future . This exploratory study examined feasibility , physiological arousal , and psychological and physical symptoms in HSCT patients participating in a mindfulness meditation intervention that begins before and continues throughout hospitalization and involves one-on-one guided sessions and daily practice using a 17-minute meditation CD .  Of the 20 participants , 78.9 % completed the intervention . Statistically significant decreases in heart and respiratory rates and improvements in symptoms immediately before and after each session were found . These findings demonstrate feasibility and preliminary support of a mindfulness meditation intervention with symptomatic , hospitalized cancer patients Meditation practice s may impact physiological pathways that are modulated by stress and relevant to disease . While much attention has been paid to meditation practice s that emphasize calming the mind , improving focused attention , or developing mindfulness , less is known about meditation practice s that foster compassion . Accordingly , the current study examined the effect of compassion meditation on innate immune , neuroendocrine and behavioral responses to psychosocial stress and evaluated the degree to which engagement in meditation practice influenced stress reactivity .  Sixty-one healthy adults were r and omized to 6 weeks of training in compassion meditation ( n=33 ) or participation in a health discussion control group ( n=28 ) followed by exposure to a st and ardized laboratory stressor ( Trier social stress test [ TSST ] ) . Physiologic and behavioral responses to the TSST were determined by repeated assessment s of plasma concentrations of interleukin (IL)-6 and cortisol as well as total distress scores on the Profile of Mood States ( POMS ) . No main effect of group assignment on TSST responses was found for IL-6 , cortisol or POMS scores . However , within the meditation group , increased meditation practice was correlated with decreased TSST-induced IL-6 ( r(p)=-0.46 , p=0.008 ) and POMS distress scores ( r(p)=-0.43 , p=0.014 ) . Moreover , individuals with meditation practice times above the median exhibited lower TSST-induced IL-6 and POMS distress scores compared to individuals below the median , who did not differ from controls . These data suggest that engagement in compassion meditation may reduce stress-induced immune and behavioral responses , although future studies are required to determine whether individuals who engage in compassion meditation techniques are more likely to exhibit reduced stress reactivity Although research has found that long-term mindfulness meditation practice promotes executive functioning and the ability to sustain attention , the effects of brief mindfulness meditation training have not been fully explored . We examined whether brief meditation training affects cognition and mood when compared to an active control group . After four sessions of either meditation training or listening to a recorded book , participants with no prior meditation experience were assessed with measures of mood , verbal fluency , visual coding , and working memory . Both interventions were effective at improving mood but only brief meditation training reduced fatigue , anxiety , and increased mindfulness . Moreover , brief mindfulness training significantly improved visuo-spatial processing , working memory , and executive functioning . Our findings suggest that 4days of meditation training can enhance the ability to sustain attention ; benefits that have previously been reported with long-term meditators BACKGROUND This study examined the effects of brief daily yogic meditation on mental health , cognitive functioning , and immune cell telomerase activity in family dementia caregivers with mild depressive symptoms . METHODS Thirty-nine family dementia caregivers ( mean age 60.3 years old ( SD = 10.2 ) ) were r and omized to practicing Kirtan Kriya or listening to relaxation music for 12 min per day for 8 weeks . The severity of depressive symptoms , mental and cognitive functioning were assessed at baseline and follow-up . Telomerase activity in peripheral blood mononuclear cells ( PMBC ) was examined in peripheral P BMC pre-intervention and post-intervention . RESULTS The meditation group showed significantly lower levels of depressive symptoms and greater improvement in mental health and cognitive functioning compared with the relaxation group . In the meditation group , 65.2 % showed 50 % improvement on the Hamilton Depression Rating scale and 52 % of the participants showed 50 % improvement on the Mental Health Composite Summary score of the Short Form-36 scale compared with 31.2 % and 19 % , respectively , in the relaxation group ( p < 0.05 ) . The meditation group showed 43 % improvement in telomerase activity compared with 3.7 % in the relaxation group ( p = 0.05 ) . CONCLUSION This pilot study found that brief daily meditation practice s 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 PURPOSE To investigate the effectiveness of a mindfulness meditation intervention on working memory capacity ( WMC ) in adolescents via a r and omized controlled trial comparing mindfulness meditation to hatha yoga and a waitlist control group . METHODS Participants ( N = 198 adolescents ) were recruited from a large public middle school in southwest United States and r and omly assigned to mindfulness meditation , hatha yoga , or a waitlist control condition . Participants completed a computerized measure of WMC ( Automated Operational Span Task ) and self-report measures of perceived stress ( Perceived Stress Scale ) and anxiety ( Screen for Childhood Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders ) at preintervention and postintervention/waitlist . A series of mixed- design analyses of variance were used to examine changes in WMC , stress , and anxiety at preintervention and postintervention . RESULTS Participants in the mindfulness meditation condition showed significant improvements in WMC , whereas those in the hatha yoga and waitlist control groups did not . No statistically significant between-group differences were found for stress or anxiety . CONCLUSIONS This is the first study to provide support for the benefits of short-term mindfulness practice , specifically mindfulness meditation , in improving WMC in adolescents . Results highlight the importance of investigating the components of mindfulness-based interventions among adolescents given that such interventions may improve cognitive function . More broadly , mindfulness interventions may be delivered in an abridged format , thus increasing their potential for integration into school setting s and into existing treatment protocol Recent research has identified that mindfulness meditation in group setting s supports people who are trying to lose weight . The present research investigated mindfulness meditation in group and individual setting s , and explored the potential impact on weight loss and other factors ( i.e. mindfulness , impulsivity , and avoidance ) that may assist or hinder weight loss . Specifically , the hypotheses tested were that the group setting assisted dieters more than the individual setting by reducing weight , cognitive-behavioral avoidance , and impulsivity and by increasing mindfulness . Participants ( n = 170 ) who were trying to lose weight were r and omly assigned to practice meditation for 6 weeks within a group or independently . Measurements in mindfulness , cognitive-behavioral avoidance , impulsivity , and weight occurred twice ( pre- and post-intervention ) . Results indicated that participants in the group setting lost weight and lowered their levels of cognitive-behavioral avoidance , while impulsivity and mindfulness remained stable . On the other h and , participants in the individual condition lost less weight , while there was an increase in cognitive-behavioral avoidance and mindfulness scores , but a decrease in impulsivity . Seeing that benefits and limitations observed in group setting s are not replicated when people meditate alone , this study concluded that mindfulness meditation in individual setting s needs to be used with caution , although there are some potential benefits that could aid future weight loss research CONTEXT : Although cognitive aspects of meditation underlie much of its clinical application , very little research has examined meditation 's cognitive consequences . This investigation provides experimental support for the idea that meditation leads to a reduction in habitual responding using r and omly selected subjects , a secular form of meditation , and a full experimental design . OBJECTIVE : To test the hypothesis that meditation leads to a reduction in habitual responding . DESIGN : Studies 1 and 2 each incorporated pre-test and post-test design s with a 20-minute intervening attention task ( meditation , rest , or a cognitive control ) . SETTING : Yale University in New Haven , Conn , and the University of California , Berkeley . PARTICIPANTS : One hundred and twenty and 90 undergraduates participated in Studies 1 and 2 , respectively . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES : Stroop  and Word Production ( category generation and stem-completion ) tasks assessed habitual responding in Study 1 . Galvanic Skin response measured arousal in Study 1 . The category generation task assessed habitual responding in Study 2 . Tellegen 's Absorption Scale ( TAS ) measured attention ability . RESULTS : In Study 1 ,  meditation participants showed a reduction in habitual responding on the Stroop task as compared to controls . Study 1 revealed no statistically significant effects in the word production task . Stroop task performance was not mediated by arousal reduction . In Study 2 ,  meditation participants showed a reduction in habitual responding on the category production task . Specifically , when participants generated either typical or atypical items , on average , meditation participants produced more atypical items than controls . Category production performance was not mediated by Tellegen 's Absorption Scale ( TAS ) scores . Overall , high TAS scores were related to atypical responding . CONCLUSION : Across cognitive tasks , when participants understood that the goal was to respond non-habitually , meditation reduced habitual responding This study compared EEG and autonomic patterns during  transcending to " other " experiences during Transcendental Meditation ( TM ) practice .  To correlate specific meditation experiences with physiological measures , the experimenter rang a bell three times during the TM session . Subjects categorized their experiences around each bell ring . Transcending , in comparison to " other " experiences during TM practice , was marked by : ( 1 ) significantly lower breath rates ; ( 2 ) higher respiratory sinus arrhythmia amplitudes ; ( 3 ) higher EEG alpha amplitude ; and ( 4 ) higher alpha coherence . In addition , skin conductance responses to the experimenter-initiated bell rings were larger during transcending . These findings suggest that monitoring patterns of physiological variables may index dynamically changing inner experiences during meditation practice . This could allow a more precise investigation into the nature of meditation experiences and a more accurate comparison of meditation states with other eyes-closed conditions BACKGROUND Chronic tinnitus is a frequent symptom presentation in clinical practice . No drug treatment to date has shown itself to be effective . The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of cognitive behavioural therapy and meditation in tinnitus sufferers . METHODOLOGY Patients were selected from a dedicated tinnitus clinic in the Welsh Hearing Institute . A waiting list control design was used . Twenty-five chronic tinnitus sufferers were consecutively allocated to two groups , one receiving a cognitive behavioural therapy/meditation intervention of four one hour sessions with the other group waiting three months and subsequently treated in the same way , thereby acting as their own control . The main outcome was measured using the Hallam tinnitus question naire . A four to six month follow up was conducted . RESULTS These showed significant statistical reductions in tinnitus variables both in the active and also in the control group . Post-therapy , no significant change was found after the waiting list period . The improvement was maintained at the four to six month period . CONCLUSION The positive findings give support for the use of cognitive behavioural therapy/meditation for chronic tinnitus sufferers BACKGROUND The current study investigated the efficacy of two brief intervention programs-biofeedback and mindfulness meditation-on levels of state anxiety and perceived stress in second-year Thai nursing students as they began clinical training . METHOD Eighty-nine participants from a public nursing college in Thail and were r and omly assigned to one of three groups : biofeedback group , mindfulness meditation group , or a control group . All participants were given pre- and postintervention surveys , which included demographic information ; the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory ( State Anxiety Scale ) ; and the Perceived Stress Scale . RESULTS Findings indicated that biofeedback significantly reduced anxiety and maintained stress levels in nursing students . Mindfulness meditation similarly decreased anxiety levels , while also significantly lowering stress levels . The biofeedback group exhibited significant reduction in anxiety levels among the three groups at postintervention . CONCLUSION Despite stressors and dem and s nursing students experience as they begin clinical practice , study findings support the use of biofeedback and mindfulness meditation interventions to assist nursing students in managing stress and anxiety Familial  caregivers of patients with Alzheimer 's disease exhibit reduced quality of life and increased stress levels . The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of an 8-week yoga and compassion meditation program on the perceived stress , anxiety , depression , and salivary cortisol levels in familial caregivers . A total of 46 volunteers were r and omly assigned to participate in a stress-reduction program for a 2-month period ( yoga and compassion meditation program — YCMP group ) ( n = 25 ) or an untreated group for the same period of time ( control group ) ( n = 21 ) . The levels of stress , anxiety , depression , and morning salivary cortisol of the participants were measured before and after intervention . The groups were initially homogeneous ; however , after intervention , the groups diverged significantly . The YCMP group exhibited a reduction of the stress ( P < 0.05 ) , anxiety ( P < 0.000001 ) , and depression ( P < 0.00001 ) levels , as well as a reduction in the concentration of salivary cortisol ( P < 0.05 ) . Our study suggests that an 8-week yoga and compassion meditation program may offer an effective intervention for reducing perceived stress , anxiety , depression , and salivary cortisol in familial caregivers OBJECTIVE To assess whether a self-directed , computer-guided meditation training program is useful for  stress reduction in hospital nurses . DESIGN We prospect ively evaluated participants before and after a month-long meditation program .  The meditation program consisted of 15 computer sessions that used biofeedback to reinforce training . Participants were instructed to practice the intervention for 30 minutes per session , four times a week , for four weeks . Visual analogue scales were used to measure stress , anxiety , and quality of life ( assessment s were performed using Linear Analogue Self- Assessment [ LASA ] , State Trait Anxiety Inventory [ STAI ] , and Short-Form 36 [ SF-36 ] question naires ) . Differences in scores from baseline to the study 's end were compared using the paired t test . RESULTS Eleven registered nurses not previously engaged in meditation were enrolled ; eight completed the study . Intent-to-treat analysis showed significant improvement in stress management , as measured by SF-36 vitality subscale ( P = .04 ) , STAI ( P = .03 ) , LASA stress ( P = .01 ) , and LASA anxiety ( P = .01 ) . Nurses were highly satisfied with the meditation program , rating it 8.6 out of 10 . CONCLUSIONS The results of this pilot study suggest the feasibility and efficacy of a biofeedback-assisted , self-directed , meditation training program to help hospital nurses reduce their stress and anxiety . Optimal frequency of use of the program , as well as the duration of effects , should be addressed in future studies Conditional goal setting ( CGS , the tendency to regard high order goals such as happiness , as conditional upon the achievement of lower order goals ) is observed in individuals with depression and recent research has suggested a link between levels of dispositional mindfulness and conditional goal setting in depressed patients . Since interventions which aim to increase mindfulness through training in meditation are used with patients suffering from depression it is of interest to examine whether such interventions might alter CGS . Study 1 examined the correlation between changes in dispositional mindfulness and changes in CGS over a 3 - 4 month period in patients participating in a pilot r and omised controlled trial of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy ( MBCT ) .  Results indicated that increases in dispositional mindfulness were significantly associated with decreases in CGS , although this effect could not be attributed specifically to the group who had received training in meditation . Study 2 explored the impact of brief periods of either breathing or loving kindness meditation on CGS in 55 healthy participants . Contrary to expectation , a brief period of meditation increased CGS . Further analyses indicated that this effect was restricted to participants low in goal re-engagement ability who were allocated to loving kindness meditation . Longer term changes in dispositional mindfulness are associated with reductions in CGS in patients with depressed mood . However initial reactions to meditation , and in particular loving kindness meditation , may be counterintuitive and further research is required in order to determine the relationship between initial reactions and longer-term benefits of meditation practice CONTEXT Certain meditation practice s may effectively address spiritual needs near end-of-life , an often overlooked aspect of quality of life ( QOL ) . Among people subject to physical isolation , meditation benefits may be blunted unless physical contact is also addressed . OBJECTIVE To evaluate independent and interactive effects of Metta meditation and massage on QOL in people with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome ( AIDS ) . DESIGN R and omized controlled blinded factorial pilot trial conducted from November 2001 to September 2003 . SETTING An AIDS-dedicated skilled nursing facility in New Haven , Connecticut . PARTICIPANTS Fifty-eight residents ( 43 % women ) with late stage disease ( AIDS or comorbidity ) . INTERVENTIONS Residents were r and omized to 1 month of meditation , massage , combined meditation and massage , or st and ard care . The meditation group received instruction , then self-administered a meditation audiocassette daily . A certified massage therapist provided the massage intervention 30 minutes per day 5 days per week . OUTCOME MEASURE Changes on Missoula-Vitas QOL Index overall and transcendent ( spiritual ) scores at 8 weeks . RESULTS The combined group showed improvement in overall ( p = 0.005 ) and transcendent ( p = 0.01 ) scores from baseline to 8 weeks , a change significantly greater ( p < 0.05 ) than the meditation , massage , and control groups . CONCLUSIONS The combination of meditation and massage has a significantly favorable influence on overall and spiritual QOL in late-stage disease relative to st and ard care , or either intervention component alone Heart rate variability ( HRV ) is a vagal nerve-mediated biomarker of cardiac function used to investigate chronic illness , psychopathology , stress and , more recently , attention-regulation processes such as meditation . This study investigated HRV in relation to maladaptive perfectionism , a stress-related personality factor , and mindfulness meditation , a stress coping practice expected to elevate HRV , and thereby promote relaxation . Maladaptive perfectionists ( n=21 ) and Controls ( n=39 ) were exposed to a lab-based assessment in which HRV was measured during ( 1 ) a 5-minute baseline resting phase , ( 2 ) a 5-minute cognitive stress-induction phase , and ( 3 ) a post-stress phase . In the post-stress phase , participants were r and omly assigned to a 10-minute audio-instructed mindfulness meditation condition or a 10-minute rest condition with audio-description of mindfulness meditation . Analyses revealed a significant elevation in HRV during meditation for Controls but not for Perfectionists . These results suggest that mindfulness meditation promotes relaxation following cognitive stress and that the perfectionist personality hinders relaxation possibly because of decreased cardiac vagal tone . The results are discussed in the context of developing psychophysiological models to advance therapeutic interventions for distressed population Yoga and meditation can alleviate stress , anxiety , mood disturbance , and musculoskeletal problems , and can enhance cognitive and physical performance .  Professional musicians experience high levels of stress , performance anxiety , and debilitating performance-related musculoskeletal disorders ( PRMDs ) . The goal of this controlled study was to evaluate the benefits of yoga and meditation for musicians . Young adult professional musicians who volunteered to participate in a 2-month program of yoga and meditation were r and omized to a yoga lifestyle intervention group ( n = 15 ) or to a group practicing yoga and meditation only ( n = 15 ) . Additional musicians were recruited to a no- practice control group ( n = 15 ) . Both yoga groups attended three Kripalu Yoga or meditation classes each week . The yoga lifestyle group also experienced weekly group practice and discussion sessions as part of their more immersive treatment . All participants completed baseline and end-program self-report question naires that evaluated music performance anxiety , mood , PRMDs , perceived stress , and sleep quality ; many participants later completed a 1-year followup assessment using the same question naires . Both yoga groups showed a trend towards less music performance anxiety and significantly less general anxiety/tension , depression , and anger at end-program relative to controls , but showed no changes in PRMDs , stress , or sleep . Similar results in the two yoga groups , despite psychosocial differences in their interventions , suggest that the yoga and meditation techniques themselves may have mediated the improvements . Our results suggest that yoga and meditation techniques can reduce performance anxiety and mood disturbance in young professional musicians CONTEXT Workplace stress and burnout are pervasive problems , affecting employee performance and personal health . OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effects of the Transcendental Meditation program on psychological distress and burnout among staff at a residential therapeutic school for students with severe behavioral problems . DESIGN A total of 40 secondary schoolteachers and support staff at the Bennington School in Vermont , a therapeutic school for children with behavioral problems , were r and omly assigned to either practice of the Transcendental Meditation program or a wait-list control group . The Transcendental Meditation course was provided by certified instructors . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Outcome measures were assessed at baseline and four months , and included perceived stress , depression , and burnout . A multivariate analysis of covariance was used to determine overall effects . RESULTS Analysis of the 4-month intervention data indicated a significant improvement in the main outcomes of the study result ing from practice of the Transcendental Meditation program compared with controls ( Wilks Λ [ 3,28 ] = 0.695 ; p = 0.019 ) . Results of univariate F tests indicated a significant reduction of all main outcome measures : perceived stress ( F[1,32 ] = 13.42 ; p = < 0.001 ) ; depression ( F[1,32 ] = 6.92 ; p = 0.013 ) ; and overall teacher burnout ( F[1,32 ] = 6.18 ; p = 0.018 ) . Effect sizes ranged from 0.40 to 0.94 . CONCLUSIONS The Transcendental Meditation program was effective in reducing psychological distress in teachers and support staff working in a therapeutic school for students with behavioral problems . These findings have important implication s for employees ’ job performance as well as their mental and physical health
Despite the heterogeneity in intervention components and outcome variables , there were generally few significant associations between amount of meditation practice and its outcomes .
Interventions using the " Four  Immeasurables Meditations " ( FIM ) are effective for various outcomes ; however , whether increased meditation practice in these interventions leads to better results has not been well investigated .