Meditation & MBSR

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is the most studied structured meditation programme — an eight-week course combining meditation, body awareness and gentle movement.

What published research reports

The JAMA Internal Medicine systematic review of 47 randomised trials (2014) reported that mindfulness meditation programmes produced moderate improvements in anxiety, depression and pain and smaller improvements in stress and quality of life, with no evidence they outperformed other active treatments such as exercise or therapy. The NIH's NCCIH reports meditation is generally safe for healthy people and that most studied benefits come from programmes practised consistently over weeks. A companion entry with the same evidence base appears under Biohacking Methods as Mindfulness Meditation.

References

• Goyal M, et al. Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA Intern Med. 2014;174(3):357–368. PubMed
• National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Mind and Body Practices. nccih.nih.gov