Department of Psychology, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, 5290002, Israel; Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, 1 Park Ave., New York, NY, 10016, USA. Electronic address: danny.horesh@biu.ac.il.
2 papers in the library · 7 citations · publishing 2024-2026
A randomized controlled trial assigned 95 fibromyalgia patients to either mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) group therapy or a waitlist control group. Compared to controls, the MBSR group showed greater improvements in fibromyalgia symptoms, perceived stress, and depression, with mostly medium effect sizes. Improvements in perceived stress and depression remained stable over six months. The effect of MBSR on fibromyalgia symptoms and perceived stress was mediated by changes in psychological inflexibility in pain, while the effect on depression was mediated by changes in pain catastrophizing. These results suggest MBSR has significant therapeutic potential for fibromyalgia by fostering non-judgmental acceptance and altering pain-related cognitions.
Women with histories of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and co-occurring psychiatric disorders admitted to a specialized integrative inpatient unit in Israel showed that dissociative symptoms, particularly maladaptive absorption, were strongly linked to PTSD severity. In a cross-sectional phase with 108 women, all facets of dissociation correlated positively with PTSD symptoms. In a smaller treatment phase with 28 women, PTSD symptoms decreased after the program, and reductions in absorption were tied to improvements in overall PTSD and hyperarousal. The findings suggest dissociation should be a key therapeutic target, though larger controlled trials are needed.