I am always amazed when I read about innovative new technology for things that ten years ago I would never have imagined.
Video games that help surgeons improve their skills, iPhone Apps for measuring happiness. I could go on and on, but you get the point.
I recently read an article in BMC Psychiatry that documented a very brief, randomized, controlled pilot study looking at the use of the internet for teaching mindfulness meditation.
Drs. A. Maercker and TM Gluck out of the University of Vienna, Austria and the University of Zurich, Switzerland, took 49 adults who were randomized into either a two-week treatment group or a wait-list control group.
These adults were recruited using the internet and e-mails sent out to the staff, faculty, and students at the university. Anyone receiving treatment for a mental condition was excluded from the study, as was anyone suffering from a substance abuse problem.
During the thirteen-day intervention, participants were given two online modules, each of which lasted 20 minutes a day for 6 days.
The first module consisted of audio recordings and written texts explaining mindfulness meditation, as well as animated meditation exercises. The second module showed a blue sky with clouds that slowly moved as you hit the space bar. Participants were supposed to practice the mindfulness exercises from the first module and mindfully watch the clouds move.
Distress, perceived stress, mindfulness, and emotion regulation were measured before the study, after the two-week program, and then at a 3-month follow-up. Anyone who indicated high levels of distress going into the program were given additional references to counseling services for additional assistance.
While most measurements weren’t statistically significant, there were some interesting trends. Those participants who reported the most distress going into the program reported the most distress reduction. Stress relief and improved emotional regulation were statistically significant for those participants who participated in the online program more than 50% of the time.
This study is just a very small, very early study, yet the possibility of internet-based interventions is something to ponder.
There’s one huge caveat that I want to add to this discussion of technology and mindfulness: mindfulness meditation isn’t appropriate for everyone. We know of all the wonderful effects that a mindfulness meditation practice can have on our health and the health of our patients, but also know that mindfulness isn’t appropriate in all contexts.
If you are keen to learn more about mindfulness, please click here for our courses.
Have you ever used technology to teach mindfulness to your patients? Please leave a comment below.
Thank you very much for bringing this important video!!!!
Please let me know if you use any visitation tools, questionary or similar?
Also, do you know of any study where Mindfulness has been used to children with cancer and their parents?
Great! Thank you Ron Siegel for this precise informative audio! Creating a new world of meditation varieties!I use only some meditation, its so empowering and useful. I am though- trying to split between coaching, and meditation work. What do you think about this? is meditation”trips” recogned as therapy ?I also have some problems explaining Mindfulness-(versus) medtation, could you help me? Thank you! Hildegun
Bringing these wonderful studies to our attention is such a great service!
But please give the Journal citations so those of us who need to read the original research can look it up!
Thanks so much, Kristine
Tap into your creative side drniug your website design. This means you should open your mind to new ideas. Take down notes on a new idea as soon as it comes to you. If you’re at a restaurant, use your napkin for notepaper. If you come up with a design idea while you are at work, call your home phone and leave a quick message describing the idea on your answering machine, so that you can refer to it later.
Something similar – with the same end results – is available at heartmath.com. There are programs to purchase, that measure your level of peace and calm by measuring heart congruence. There are also many free tools and teachings available there. Priceless.
A program such as this would be of great interest. A proven format for offering mindfulness would be appreciated.
It would be great if this tool cd be made available online for us to use & feedback.
A big thank you to Ruth & Ron for making this link available for us to share our thoughts
You will be Blessed for great work
Latha, Stanmore, London
Very interesting application. I teach mindfulness to clients and even to my university students over the course of a semester. The internet certainly sounds like a promising venue for mindfulness instruction. Thanks for sharing this!
I was wondering if there are any pilot studies i can enroll in as a patient suffering from an eating disorder, using mindfulness to recover? Please email the address above,
Regards,
Olivia