You Crazy!

Compassion in the Treatment for Chronic Pain: an Ethical Imperative with Neurobiological Effects

Daniel J. Siegel: Aware: The Science and Practice of Presence . TarcherPerigee, New York, 2018, 379 pp

Sitting on the Bench

The Effects of Mindfulness Training on Cognitive and Psychosocial Well-Being Among Family Caregivers of Persons with Neurodegenerative Disease Abstract Objectives The objective of this study was to assess the effect of a mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) intervention on cognitive function and well-being in family caregivers. Methods Family caregivers (N = 57) of a person with a neurodegenerative disease were recruited and assigned to an 8-week MBSR program (n = 33) or a psychoeducation-social support group (n = 24). All participants completed pre- and post-intervention assessment of cognitive and psychosocial functioning. Results Results suggested that MBSR was associated with a significantly larger reduction in self-reported depressive symptoms and perceived stress relative to the control group; however, no between-group differences were found for executive function or other cognitive outcomes. Conclusions This study contributes to the growing body of literature highlighting the potential use of contemplative practices for improving psychosocial well-being among family caregivers.

Baseline Craving Strength as a Prognostic Marker of Benefit from Smartphone App-Based Mindfulness Training for Smoking Cessation Abstract Objectives Mindfulness training for smoking cessation may work by lessening the association between craving and smoking. However, no studies have tested whether baseline craving may be an indicator of individual smokers who might benefit more from receiving mindfulness training. Methods This study evaluated baseline craving strength and frequency as treatment moderators in a randomized controlled trial for smoking cessation comparing mobile (smartphone-based) mindfulness training plus ecological momentary assessment (MMT-EMA) to ecological momentary assessment (EMA). Participants included 325 adult smokers (71.7% female; 81.4% White; mean age = 41.27). Craving strength and frequency were assessed with the Craving Experiences Questionnaire. Smoking was measured as cigarettes per day (CPD) at baseline and six-month follow-up. Moderated regression models were conducted. Results There was a significant interaction between treatment group and craving strength, but not craving frequency, in the prediction of smoking. Follow-up analyses indicated that baseline craving strength predicted benefit from receiving MMT-EMA, such that higher craving strength at baseline was significantly associated with greater reductions in CPD from baseline to six months in the MMT-EMA group, but not in the EMA group. Conclusions Findings suggest that baseline craving strength may be a prognostic marker of benefit from smartphone app-delivered mindfulness training for smoking cessation. Future work is warranted for understanding baseline craving as a moderator of mindfulness training for smoking cessation.

Mindfulness and Paranoia: A Cross-Sectional, Longitudinal and Experimental Analysis Abstract Objectives The purpose of this article was to examine the role of mindfulness, and its facets, in predicting (Studies 1 and 2) and attenuating (Study 3) paranoia in students. Methods Study 1 used cross-sectional questionnaire-based methodology (N = 410) to examine the association between mindfulness and paranoia whilst controlling for their shared association with anxiety and depression. Study 2 used longitudinal design to test the prospective influence of mindfulness facets on state paranoia over a 2-week period (N = 84). Study 3 used a single-blind between-group experimental design to examine the effects of 1-week self-administered mindfulness training (N = 34) versus 1-week self-administered guided visual imagery (GVI) training (N = 34) on state paranoia. Results In study 1, controlling for anxiety and depression, low levels of non-judgement were significantly associated with high levels of paranoia (p < .001). In study 2, high levels of non-judgement buffered the impact of trait paranoia on daily experiences of state paranoia, whilst statistically controlling for the influence of rumination (interaction: p = .02). In study 3, both mindfulness and GVI significantly reduced state paranoia (p < .001). Conclusion Findings highlight the importance of mindfulness, and non-judgement specifically, in understanding paranoia in students and provide further evidence for mindfulness and relaxation as effective methods for reducing paranoia. Across studies, participants were predominantly white female students. Findings cannot, therefore, be assumed to generalise to other populations.

What Makes Mindfulness-Based Interventions Effective? An Examination of Common Components Abstract Objectives Mindfulness-based approaches to meditation usually rely on not one but several specific techniques or elements, but what elements are responsible for which of the commonly found positive effects is not yet known. To help answer this question, we compared the effects of three different meditation techniques that are commonly used in mindfulness-based approaches. Methods Fifty-six students with no prior meditation experience participated in a breathing, body scan, or loving-kindness meditation condition. Participants followed meditation instructions that they were given on audio files, for daily practice and weekly meetings over a period of 6 weeks. Dependent variables were mindfulness, concentration, self-compassion, emotional regulation and experience, and life satisfaction. Results The body scan meditation condition reported greater effects on almost all dependent variables than those in the breathing meditation condition with effect sizes from β = .16 to .61. The group showed the highest increase in the mindfulness dimension acceptance but not presence. Loving-kindness meditation showed higher effect sizes in concentration than the breathing meditation group. Conclusions Specific meditation techniques may have effects other than expected on psychological variables. Considering the limitations of this study, further research is needed to assess the specific effects of single mindfulness techniques.

Effects of a Short Online Mindfulness Intervention on Relationship Satisfaction and Partner Acceptance: the Moderating Role of Trait Mindfulness Abstract Objectives Recently, researchers have started to investigate the potential interpersonal effects of mindfulness in the context of romantic relationships. However, most of these studies have focused on trait mindfulness and its association with relationship outcome measures. We employed a randomized, controlled design to investigate the effects of mindfulness practice on relationship quality. We also explored the role of partner acceptance as a possible mechanism of change and investigated whether baseline levels of trait mindfulness would moderate intervention effects. Methods One hundred and thirteen participants in a romantic relationship (89% women; Mage = 27.27 years, SD = 8.31 years) living in the Netherlands participated in either a low-dose, online mindfulness-based intervention or a psycho-education control intervention for 12 days. Results Results indicated that general relationship satisfaction and partner acceptance increased for both conditions (Fsatisfaction(1,93) = 5.94, η2partial = 0.06, p = 0.017; Facceptance(1,93) = 4.63, η2partial = 0.05, p = 0.034). Among participants with relatively low baseline levels of trait mindfulness, relationship satisfaction improved more so in the mindfulness than that in the control condition (trait mindfulness × condition: B = 0.34, SE = 0.15, β = 0.40, p = 0.024). Conclusions Short, online, self-administered mindfulness-based interventions may positively impact romantic relationship quality and might be particularly effective for participants with low levels of trait mindfulness. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

The Insight Knowledge of Fear and Adverse Effects of Mindfulness Practices Abstract The insight knowledges, descriptive of meditative experiences in Theravāda vipassanā meditation, are the outcome of a historical development and are specific to this Buddhist tradition; the challenging experiences they describe are not representative of conceptions of the path to awakening in early Buddhism and are of no direct relevance to mindfulness-based interventions. Adverse effects of meditation are recognized in early Buddhism, where the response to a drastic case of mental imbalance leading to suicidal tendencies takes the form of recommending the cultivation of mindfulness. In fact, adverse effects can occur with a range of different meditation practices, which need not have any relationship to mindfulness. Although the practice of mindfulness is clearly not a panacea and in case of trauma and mental illness requires being combined with professional assistance, it has a potential to support and facilitate the facing of difficult emotions.