Pioneering research on connections between consciousness and healing has begun this summer with a study focused on Buddhist indigenous healers. The ground is well prepared as mind-body medicine has been undergoing rapid growth in the past 20 years. The first significant breakthrough was the development of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), an intervention using traditional mindfulness techniques to recalibrate the body’s response to stress. MBSR weaves together secular mindfulness practices, yoga and cognitive-behavioral psychological approaches into a protocol that has been adapted around the world. Thus, many research studies have been done on Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction and the closely related therapeutic intervention of Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT).

MBCT runs closely parallel to MBSR in that it teaches clients to change their relationship to unwanted thought patterns. Rather than avoiding or identifying with them, clients are taught to respond in a skillful way (Ma, Teasdale, 2004). Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy has been conclusively shown to be successful in the treatment of depression (Mason and Hargraves, 2001, Finucane and Mercer, 2006) and effective in the treatment of early onset recurrent depression, which may be linked to an adverse childhood (Ma and Teasdale, 2004). A MBSR inner city intervention showed statistically significant gains in self-reported assessments of general health, vitality, emotional wellbeing and social functioning (Roth and Robbins, 2004).

The authors also noted a correlation between self-reports of health status and use of healthcare services (Kravitz as cited in Roth and Robbins, 2004). In Roth’s 1997 study, Spanish speakers made fewer health center visits the year following their MBSR program. Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction is also an effective intervention in the treatment of psoriasis (Kabat-Zinn, Wheeler, Light and Cropley,1998), chronic pain (Kabat-Zinn, 1982, Kabat-Zinn, Lipworth and Burney,1985) and bromyalgia (Kaplan, Goldberg and Galvin-Nadeau, 1993). In addition, it supports development of the cognitive skills of attention and information processing, and helps build stress resilience and adaptive interpersonal capacities (Shapiro, Brown and Astin, 2008).

Within the field of MBSR research, several studies have focused on its effect on those in the healing professions. Healthcare professionals receiving an eight-week MBSR intervention showed significant decreases in perceived stress as well as increases in self-compassion (Astin, Bishop, Cordova and Shapiro, 2005). In addition, a qualitative study of MBSR interventions established five core themes when administered to counseling psychology students: 1.) physical changes, 2.) emotional changes, 3.) attitudinal or mental changes, 4.) spiritual awareness and 5.) interpersonal changes (Shure, Christopher and Christopher, 2008).

This suggests that mindfulness in tandem with other practices may provide solutions to dilemmas facing modern...  Full Article