Research On Mindfulness
(This is an excerpt from a University Of Metaphysical Sciences course at www.umsonline.org, please feel free to visit the school website)
Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D. developed the first Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program at University Of Massachusetts in 1979. He does research on the health benefits. At his center, MBSR has been found to have a large number of positive effects including:
- decrease in stress
- decrease in stress-related symptoms
- decrease in pain
- decrease in insomnia
- increase ability to relax
- increase self-esteem/self-efficacy
- decrease substance abuse
- decrease anxiety and panic
- decrease blood pressure
- decrease heart rate
- decrease respiratory rate
- decrease cholesterol
- change in brain waves (EEG) (increase alpha and theta waves in both waking and sleeping)
- decrease rate of relapse of chronic pain and anxiety up to 4 years after learning MBS
Dr Mehmet Oz, director of Complementary Medicine Program at the New York Presbyterian Medical Center, and host of “Second Opinion with Dr. Oz” on the Discovery Channel, has found that:
- mindful intention is crucial to healing
- having a sense of meaning/purpose aids healing
- soothing music during surgery aids healing
- guided imagery can alter bleeding rates (the mind can affect clotting) and aid healing