Topic: Life Stress, PTSD, Anxiety, Depression, Emotional Competency, Resilience
Target Population: Adolescents, Adults
Sector: Community-Based, School-Based, Work Site
Military Sector: All Branches, Veterans Affairs
This program is for individuals who are 13 years old and older and who experience emotional or mental stress that arises from illness, injury, or life circumstances.
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), a community-based, school-based, or work-site intervention, is designed to help participants manage and reduce stress and improve their ability to cope with challenging circumstances.
This program has been tested with a range of populations, including non-clinical samples, such as college students, older adults, caregivers, and healthcare employees, and clinical samples, such as individuals with diabetes, cancer, anxiety disorders, fibromyalgia, insomnia, and HIV. Positive effects, such as reduction in physical or psychological symptoms and/or improvement in life satisfaction, have been found in all of these populations; however, long-term sustainability of effects and consistent replication of findings have not been established. Results tend to be stronger when participants engage in regular practice of skills after completing the 8-week program, or when the program is implemented more than once throughout the study period. One quasi-randomized trial was conducted that compared the Mindful Self-Compassion program and MBSR to a control group. Both intervention groups engaged in continuous practice over 1 year, and results indicated improvements in anxiety, depression, perceived stress, and positive and negative affect, as well as variables related to psychological flexibility, compared to the control group. Another randomized trial was conducted among individuals with chronic pain. Participants completed the MBSR program 1 month after enrollment and again 7 months later. Results at a 13-month follow-up indicated significantly greater reductions in pain intensity and interference and improvements in quality of life in the intervention group compared to the control group. In addition, several randomized trials have been conducted among veterans, and results have indicated significant improvements in posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and psychological well-being up to 6 months after program completion.
The MBSR program is based on the central concept of mindfulness, which involves focusing one's attention on the present experience rather than past or future moments with an attitude of openness, acceptance, and compassion. This program is often used with individuals who have experienced trauma or stress due to a range of life experiences, medical conditions, or psychological circumstances. The program consists of three main components.
MBSR was developed at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in the late 1970's by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn and more than 25,000 individuals have completed the intervention since then. As of November 2011, there were more than 700 MBSR programs in the United States and other nations, and program materials have been translated into multiple languages. MBSR has been used by members of all branches of the U.S. military.
Individuals who wish to participate in the teacher training program must complete an 8-week online or in-person MBSR course; participate in a 5- to 7-day silent, teacher-led retreat; have 2 years of daily, consistent mindfulness practice; and have experience with yoga or mindful movement such as tai chi or chi gong. Training is completed in three steps. Please visit https://professional.brown.edu/certificate/mindfulness for more information on training and costs.
Considerations for implementing this program include recruiting facilitators who have a strong commitment as training can be time consuming, gaining buy-in from participants and facilitators, and allocating time and space for program sessions.
The Clearinghouse can help address these considerations. Please call 1-877-382-9185 or email Clearinghouse@psu.edu
If you are interested in implementing MBSR, the Clearinghouse is interested in helping you!
Please call 1-877-382-9185 or email Clearinghouse@psu.edu
Participants attend 8-weekly, 2.5- to 3-hour sessions and a 1-day retreat on a weekend. In addition, participants are asked to devote 45 to 60 minutes a day to home practice.
Please use details in the Contact section for information on implementation costs.
To move MBSR to the Effective category on the Clearinghouse Continuum of Evidence at least one to two additional studies with positive effects sustained to one year from the end of the program or two years from the beginning of the program must be replicated by independent researchers.
The Clearinghouse can help you develop an evaluation plan to ensure the program components are meeting your goals. Please call 1-877-382-9185 or email Clearinghouse@psu.edu
Contact the Clearinghouse with any questions regarding this program.
Phone: 1-877-382-9185 Email: Clearinghouse@psu.edu
You may also contact UMass Memorial Medical Center by visiting https://www.ummhealth.org/about-us/contact or https://www.ummhealth.org/services-treatments/center-mindfulness/mindfulness-programs/mbsr or contact Brown University by phone 1-401-863-7901 or visit https://professional.brown.edu/academics/mindfulness-education/stress-reduction
https://www.ummhealth.org/services-treatments/center-mindfulness/mindfulness-programs/mbsr; https://www.institute-for-mindfulness.org/offer/mbsr/what-is-mbsr; https://professional.brown.edu/certificate/mindfulness; https://www.eastcoastmindfulness.com/; https://cih.ucsd.edu/mindfulness/mindfulness-based-stress-reduction-mbsr-program; Sephton et al. (2007); and Kearney, McDermott, Malte, Martinez, and Simpson (2013).
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