What is meditation?
Meditation generally refers to a combination of breathing, focused attention, and mindfulness techniques to achieve relaxation. Several studies have documented physiological changes including reduced heart and respiratory rate. Mindfulness-based meditation generally refers to an awareness of moment-by-moment experiences that arises from purposeful attention, along with nonjudgmental acceptance of the experiences. Interventions focused on cultivating mindfulness have generally yielded moderate effect sizes on anxiety, depression, and pain. There are many different kinds of meditation such as mindfulness, breathing exercises, guided imagery, saying a mantra, positive affirmation, progressive relation, walking meditation, yoga, and tai chi.
What research on meditation is being conducted at CCIO?
Meditation Optimization: A Pilot Study Comparing Breathing, Focused Attention, Mindfulness, or the Combination for Relaxation Among Healthy Volunteers
Meditation and similar therapies have become increasingly popular as the majority of cancer patients seek complementary therapies to manage stress. This study begins the exploration of developing an optimized and efficient meditation technique with the use of an EEG-based monitor called the Bispectral Index (BIS) device. This study will compare four different meditation techniques – breathing, focused attention, mindfulness, and a combination of these three techniques. The total enrollment for this study will be 40 participants. Ultimately, we aim to provide patients with a novel, effective way to manage the tremendous stress cancer patients’ experience.
Contact
Please email ccio@case.edu for more information about this study.