Mindfulness Training as an Intervention for Fibromyalgia: Evidence of Postintervention and 3-Year Follow-Up Benefits in Well-Being

Abstract

Background: Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) proposes a systematic program for reduction of suffering associated with a wide range of medical conditions. Studies suggest improvements in general aspects of well-being, including quality of life (QoL), coping and positive affect, as well as decreased anxiety and depression. Methods: A quasi-experimental study examined effects of an 8-week MBSR intervention among 58 female patients with fibromyalgia (mean, 52 ± 8 years) who underwent MBSR or an active social support procedure. Participants were assigned to groups by date of entry, and 6 subjects dropped out during the study. Self-report measures were validated German inventories and included the following scales: visual analog pain, pain perception, coping with pain, a symptom checklist and QoL. Pre- and postintervention measurements were made. Additionally, a 3-year follow-up was carried out on a subgroup of 26 participants. Results: Pre- to postintervention analyses indicated MBSR to provide significantly greater benefits than the control intervention on most dimensions, including visual analog pain, QoL subscales, coping with pain, anxiety, depression and somatic complaints (Cohen d effect size, 0.40–1.10). Three-year follow-up analyses of MBSR participants indicated sustained benefits for these same measures (effect size, 0.50–0.65). Conclusions: Based upon a quasi-randomized trial and long-term observational follow-up, results indicate mindfulness intervention to be of potential long-term benefit for female fibromyalgia patients.

Mindfulness Meditation-Based Intervention Is Feasible, Acceptable, and Safe for Chronic Low Back Pain Requiring Long-Term Daily Opioid Therapy

“…Improving adherence to MM practice and enactment of the intervention-taught skills is important, especially because MM skills can be retained and applied over the long term, 17 and the efficacy findings (published elsewhere) 37 suggested a ''dose-response'' relationship between the consistency/amount of MM practice and the magnitude of outcome improvement. Interestingly, MM participants in this study self-selected early on to those engaged in a ''higher-dose'' consistent practice, and those practicing less.…”

“…12,13 MM practice can provide a foundation for engagement in life from a place of ''being with'' one's experiences that, when maintained over time, can have longlasting effects. [14][15][16][17] It can result in unique skills for chronic pain management, such as acceptance, complementing those acquired through CBT, a part of ''usual care'' for chronic pain, [18][19][20][21][22] and potentially enhancing its benefits. [21][22][23][24][25][26] MM is perceived as safe and effective for pain reduction and has established empirical support for reducing symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress-all problems commonly co-occurring with and affecting outcomes in chronic pain.…”

Enhancing well‐being and alleviating depressive symptoms with positive psychology interventions: a practice‐friendly meta‐analysis

“…Cognitive strategies, such as replaying positive experiences and self-monitoring instances of well-being, have also been shown to boost happiness and alleviate depression (Fava, Rafanelli, Cazzaro, Conti, & Grandi, 1998). Finally, the practice of emotional skills-including mindfulness and acceptance-can have a positive impact on a client's psychological well-being (Be´dard et al, 2003;Grossman, Tiefenthaler-Gilmer, Raysz, & Kesper, 2007;Zautra et al, 2008).…”

Of the Soul and Suffering: Mindfulness-Based Interventions and Bereavement

“…Along with this has emerged a body of empirical literature supporting the efficacy of MBIs in addressing a range of problems. For example, MBIs may be helpful for some forms of chronic pain (Kabat-Zinn 1982;Morone et al 2008;Rosenzweig et al 2010), anxiety disorders (Kim et al 2009;Lee et al 2007;Miller et al 1995;Ossman et al 2006;Piet et al 2010), depression (Kuyken et al 2008;Ma and Teasdale 2004;Teasdale et al 2000), irritable bowel syndrome (Gaylord et al 2011;Kearney et al 2011;Zernicke et al 2012), fibromyalgia (Grossman et al 2007;Kaplan et al 1993), binge eating (Kristeller and Hallett 1999;Safer et al 2010), psychosis (Ashcroft et al 2011;Bach and Hayes 2002;Chadwick et al 2009) and substance abuse (Witkiewitz and Bowen 2010;Witkiewitz et al 2005). MBIs are promising because they may be effective in populations unresponsive to other treatments, such as individuals with chronic depression (Kenny and Williams 2007).…”