Clinical trial NCT01047917: Meditation to Reduce Stress and Improve Quality of Life
Official title: Meditation to Reduce Stress and Improve Quality of Life: A Feasibility Study
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Stress
Keywords: Meditation
Relaxation Therapy
Quality of Life
Lead sponsor: Mayo Clinic
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2010-01-13
Enrollment: 17
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: NA
Intervention model: SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose: PREVENTION

Brief summary: The purpose of this study is to test a simple meditation program that is easy to learn; inexpensive; easy to practice; non-religion based; and has wide applicability to multiple medical conditions. This program has been developed by the Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program at the Mayo Clinic.

Detailed description: Stress is a ubiquitous problem and a mediator of symptoms for a variety of medical conditions. Most medical diagnoses, procedures, and physician visits are associated with considerable stress. Excessive stress is associated with adverse medical outcomes, unhealthy coping mechanisms, symptoms of anxiety and depression, and overall a poor quality of life. No specific pharmacologic treatment is available for treating stress. Further, it is often difficult or impossible to change the reality of circumstances causing stress in an individual. Thus increasing individual coping mechanisms and ability of a person to handle stress, rather than changing the stressors itself, might be a more feasible approach towards reducing stress.

Meditation is a widely used and increasingly popular intervention that positively affects the individual at cognitive, physical, emotional, behavioral, and spiritual levels. A practice of meditation has been shown to reduce symptoms of stress and improve overall quality of life. Several meditation programs exist, however most are limited by considerable expense, need for elaborate training, lack of widespread availability, or incorporation of ideas and practices unique to a particular culture.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* At least 18 years of age
* Good general health
* Access to a DVD player
* Provided with, understand, and have signed the informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

* Are currently using (at the time of enrollment) antipsychotics or recently (\< 3 months) started on antidepressants. Patients on stable dose of antidepressant (for ≥ 3 months) will be allowed.
* Have a lifetime history of schizophrenia

Primary outcomes:
measure: To assess the feasibility of incorporating a 4-week innovative meditation program into the daily activities of healthy Mayo Clinic employees for improving stress.
timeFrame: 4 Weeks
Secondary outcomes:
measure: To assess the effect of a 4-week program of meditation on perceived stress and overall quality of life compared to baseline.
timeFrame: 4 Weeks
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Rochester
country: United States
facility: Mayo Clinic
state: Minnesota
Study officials:
affiliation: Mayo Clinic
name: Dietlind L. Wahner-Roedler, M.D.
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Prasad K, Wahner-Roedler DL, Cha SS, Sood A. Effect of a single-session meditation training to reduce stress and improve quality of life among health care professionals: a "dose-ranging" feasibility study. Altern Ther Health Med. 2011 May-Jun;17(3):46-9.