Page 71 - Complementary and Alternative Medicine Treatments in Psychiatry

Breathing Technique, Mindfulness, and Yoga | 71

Mindfulness Meditation and Anxiety Disorders
Numerous randomized controlled trials have examined the
impact of mindfulness meditation on various anxiety disorders
and depression (Saeed 2010). The most common treatment is
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) developed by Kabat-
Zinn. Over 240 hospitals and clinics in the US and abroad have
MBSR programs (Salmon 1998). Reibel et al looked at the MBSR
program and found a 44% decrease in anxiety. They also found
that this program enhanced functioning and well-being (Reibel
2001). A meta-analysis was conducted to examine effect sizes of
MBSR on many health issues including depression and anxiety,
and robust evidence was found for its effectiveness. The report
stated that 20 studies revealed moderately strong effect sizes
(0.5, p< 0.0001). The authors conclude that MBSR helps both
clinical and nonclinical populations with mood issues and that
MBCT helps reduce depression in 3+ episodes (Grossman 2004).
Vipassana meditation seems to reduce alcohol and substance
abuse in prisoners (Chiesa 2010).
Lee et al found that, compared to an anxiety disorders
education group, a meditation-based stress management
program demonstrated significant improvement on all anxiety
scales (Lee 2007). According to van der Kolk, the nature of
trauma requires that the treatment include a way to bring
individuals back to their body and into the present through
interoceptive exposure. He advocates both mindfulness and yoga
as adjunct treatments for PTSD and has conducted many studies
to support this claim (van der Kolk 2006).
Arias et al conducted a meta-analysis of meditation on a variety
of medical ailments and found evidence that meditation helps
mood disorders such as anxiety and depression (Arias 2006).

Transcendental Meditation
Transcendental meditation has been studied in research
facilities since 1963 and much of the research is generated
through the Maharishi University of Management in Iowa