1.  Effects of Mindfulness on Psychological Health: A Review of Empirical Studies

 Shian-Ling Keng,a Moria J. Smoski,b and Clive J. Robins, 2011

 An investigation into the past two decades of all correlational studies, clinical intervention studies and lab based experimental studies of mindfulness concluded that Mindfulness Training reduces general psychological distress, including perceived stress. All studies showed that mindfulness training is positively associated with psychological health and improved regulation of behaviour.  

​

​

​

​

​

​

1.  Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation

Davidson RJ, Kabat-Zinn J, Schumacher J, Rosenkranz M, Muller D, Santorelli SF, Urbanowski F, Harrington A, Bonus K, Sheridan JF. Wisconsin USA. 2003

After 8 weeks of Mindfulness Based Therapy (MBT) training with 45 minutes a day of mindful mediation the stressed out and anxious biotech workers in this study reported feeling able to deal with feelings of frustration or stress.

 In a four month follow up there were the same improvements.

FMRI scans also confirmed changes in brain activity, moving from right to left in the Pre-Frontal Cortex (PFT) after the MBT.

Activity in the right PFC demonstrates thoughts and feelings such as frustration, anger, hostility.

Activity in the left PFC demonstrates thoughts and feelings of happiness, enthusiasm & joy .

Also these changes from right to left PFC activity were confirmed at the 4 month follow up.

In the control group there were no such changes.

NB: Both groups were also vaccinated with the flu vaccine at the end of the 8 week period. It was found that the participants who had undergone the Mindfulness Training showed significant increases in antibodies compared to the control group.

​

​

​

​

​

 

1. The effect of mindfulness training on the increasing assertiveness among anxious students

Mariyeh Arab Ghaeni , Kianoosh Hashemian , Mina Mojtabaei , Elahe Majd ara , Atoosa Aghabeiki

 The small study used a statistical sample of 45 female students at Islamic Azad University. They all had low mindfulness, low assertiveness, and high anxiety. Subjects were randomly placed in experimental groups who underwent an 8 week MBSR course, a control group and a placebo medicated group. 

Conclusion:

mindfulness training method had more significant impact on increasing assertiveness and reducing anxiety than the control group and placebo medicated group. 

​

​

2. Mindfulness, Psychological Well-Being and Psychological Distress in Adolescents: Assessing The Mediating Variables and Mechanisms of Autonomy and Self-Regulation

Coffey & Hartman, 2008.

This study investigated the relationship of mindfulness with psychological well-being and psychological distress. Participants were 717 students who completed the Philadelphia Mindfulness Scale (PHLMS; Cardaciotto et al., 2008), the Self- Regulation Inventory (SRI -25; Ibanez et al., 2008), the Mental Health Inventory (MHI-28; Besharat, 2009) and the Autonomy Scale (AS; Parto, 2010). Mindfulness was negatively and highly correlated with psychological distress and was positively and highly correlated with psychological well-being. Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) was found to cultivate self-regulation, which may contribute to positive changes in both physical and psychological health. People who have developed their self-regulatory capacities are better able to calibrate their emotions, and tend to attribute their successes or failures to factors within their control.