Mindfulness Therapy Seen as Aid to Stress Reduction

It’s a simple concept that appears to help people deal more effectively with depression, chronic illness or just the stress of everyday life.

“Mindfulness-based stress reduction” — a modern take on an ancient Buddhist practice — teaches people to be more aware of what’s happening in the moment, instead of dwelling on the past or worrying about the future.

A form of complementary medicine that has increasingly gained acceptance in the mainstream, mindfulness has been linked to a variety of health benefits when added to conventional treatment, including relief from chronic pain, anxiety and digestive disorders.

A study this month in the Archives of General Psychiatry found that mindfulness-based therapy worked as well as antidepressants in preventing relapses of depression over an 18-month period.

“What mindfulness-based stress reduction has in its favor is all of the research behind it, which gives it a decent amount of credibility,” said Maggie Crowley, a clinical psychologist at the Northwestern Center for Integrative Medicine and Wellness.

Crowley noted that mindfulness isn’t a substitute for conventional treatment but can improve the body’s response to stress for reasons that aren’t entirely clear. (MORE)

Source: Chicago Sun Times