Institute of Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany.
2 papers in the library · 3 citations · publishing 2024
A meditation-based lifestyle program (MBLM) increases spirituality more than standard therapy in patients with mild-to-moderate depression. Among 81 patients, those who began with an interest in spirituality or who already practiced spiritual mind-body activities showed greater improvement in depression severity after six months. Patients who regularly performed such practices benefited equally from either the meditation program or standard treatment, while those who did not engage in spiritual mind-body practices fared worse with standard therapy alone. The findings suggest that incorporating spiritual practices into depression treatment may be especially helpful for patients who are not already engaged in them.
A 21-day online meditation course based on the expansion method showed potentially beneficial effects on mental health, with medium-sized improvements in mental health, flourishing, and negative affect after one month, and small improvements in physical health, stress, positive affect, self-efficacy, spirituality, and mysticism at three months. The study included 359 participants, mostly German women with an average age of 51, and the course content was positively evaluated. These findings suggest the intervention may support mental health, but randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm effectiveness.