Practicing Zen Meditation In Psychotherapists.
Controlled Study Suggest It Matters
November 18, 2007
An investigation by German researchers headed by Professor Nickel which was
published in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics indicates the
practicing Zen meditation by psychotherapists matters. All therapists direct
their attention in some manner during psychotherapy. A special form of directing
attention, 'mindfulness', is recommended. This study aimed to examine whether,
and to what extent, promoting mindfulness in psychotherapists in training (PiT)
influences the treatment results of their patients.
The therapeutic course and treatment results of 124 inpatients, who were treated
for 9 weeks by 18 PiTs, were compared. The PiTs were randomly assigned to 1 of 2
groups: (i) those practicing Zen meditation (MED; n = 9 or (ii) control group,
which did not perform meditation (noMED; n = 9). The results of treatment
(according to the intent-to-treat principle) were examined using the Session
Questionnaire for General and Differen-tial Individual Psychotherapy (STEP), the
Questionnaire of Changes in Experience and Behavior (VEV) and the Symptom
Checklist (SCL-90-R).Compared to the noMED group (n = 61), the patients of PiTs
from the MED group (n = 63) had significantly higher evaluations (according to
the intent-to-treat principle) for individual therapy on 2 STEP scales,
clarification and problem-solving perspectives. Their evaluations were also
significantly higher for the entire therapeutic result on the VEV. Furthermore,
the MED group showed greater symptom reduction than the noMED group on the
Global Severity Index and 8 SCL-90-R scales, including Somatization, Insecurity
in Social Contact, Obsessiveness, Anxiety, Anger/Hostility, Phobic Anxiety,
Paranoid Thinking and Psychoticism. This study indicates that promoting
mindfulness in PiTs could positively influence the therapeutic course and
treatment results in their patients.
PSYCHOTHERAPY
AND PSYCHOSOMATICS
Medical News Today: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com
Back to News