Mindfulness Meditation Reduces Anxiety
A study that was released in a prestigious journal on Wednesday found that mindfulness meditation is just as effective at lowering anxiety as a standard antidepressant.
This is the first randomized clinical trial to compare the efficacy of mindfulness meditation with the antidepressant escitalopram, and researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center are conducting it. A peer-reviewed journal, JAMA Psychiatry, published the findings.
The mindfulness group’s adult members used techniques they had learned in weekly classes during their daily 45-minute meditation sessions. Additionally, they took part in weekend day retreats.
Breath awareness was one of the techniques, along with body scanning, which focuses attention on one body part at a time, and mindful movement, which involves stretching and activities that draw attention to the body.
Researchers observed the two groups for eight weeks and discovered that those who practiced mindfulness meditation experienced almost as much improvement in their anxiety as those who took an antidepressant.
