Although mindfulness meditation has frequently been shown to reduce stress and other symptoms, such as anxiety, depression and the effects of chronic pain and illness, little is known about its efficacy compared to other forms of stress management, such as relaxation techniques. The two following studies have compared these two methods. They found that while both techniques work equally well for reducing distress, mindfulness meditation has an additional advantage.
What Is Mindfulness Meditation?
Mindfulness meditation is a Buddhist type of meditation which focuses on the present moment, usually by focusing on the sensation of one's own breathing. Thoughts, feelings, sensations or other elements of experiences are held in awareness without judgment. While being a discipline in itself, mindfulness meditation is also a key element of the Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction program.
Although originating from Buddhism, mindfulness meditation has also come to be used widely for stress reduction, anxiety, depression, anger management, chronic pain and illness. This article compares the positive effects of mindfulness meditation (MM) to those of other relevant relaxation techniques -- such as progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) or somatic relaxation -- regarding their ability to reduce distress, anxiety, rumination and distractive thinking.
First Study: Mindfulness Meditation Compared to Muscle Relaxation
The first study called “Comparing brief stress management courses in a community sample: mindfulness skills and progressive muscle relaxation” compared the effects of a five-week course in mindfulness meditation to those of an equally long training in progressive muscle relaxation.
For this study, 43 adults from the community who were interested in doing a brief course in stress management were randomly assigned to either the mindfulness meditation or the progressive muscle relaxation. The study found that both techniques were equally effective in reducing psychological distress. None of the techniques emerged as superior. Therefore, the results suggest that both a brief mindfulness course as well as a brief course in progressive muscle relaxation may be effective for stress management.
Second Study: Mindfulness Meditation Versus Relaxation Training
In “a randomized controlled trial of mindfulness meditation versus relaxation training,” the effects of both techniques on distress, positive states of mind, rumination and distraction were examined.
In this study, the effects of a one-month mindfulness meditation training were compared to an equally long training in somatic relaxation. There was also a control group. All 83 participants had previously reported distress. In this study, psychological distress, distractive and ruminative thoughts and behaviors were measured.
The study found a significant decrease in distress as well as increases in positive mood states in both the meditation and relaxation groups compared to the control group that didn’t receive any training. No significant differences were found between the mindfulness meditation and relaxation groups in these categories. The positive effects of reducing distress were large in both groups. However, mindfulness meditation showed a higher effect concerning positive states of mind than the relaxation technique. The mindfulness meditation group also showed a greater decrease in both distractive and ruminative thoughts and behaviors, suggesting that the measured decrease in distress was in part due to reduced rumination.
Conclusion
These two studies suggest that both mindfulness meditation and relaxation techniques, such as progressive muscle relaxation, work equally well for reducing stress and distress and improving positive mood states. However, mindfulness meditation seems to have the specific ability of reducing distractive and ruminative thinking.
Sources
- PubMed.gov, “Comparing brief stress management courses in a community sample: mindfulness skills and progressive muscle relaxation.” Study by Agee, Danoff-Burg and Grant of Togus VA Medical Center, Augusta, ME, USA.
- PubMed.gov, “A randomized controlled trial of mindfulness meditation versus relaxation training: effects on distress, positive states of mind, rumination, and distraction.” Study by Jain, Shapiro, Swanick, Roesch, Mills, Bell, Schwartz.
Links and Related Reading
In four related articles, you may learn how to do mindfulness meditation (article in Shambala Sun Magazine), learn how to do progressive muscle relaxation, and read more about the benefits of meditation as well as mindfulness meditation (vipassana).
Martin Bohn - As a certified yoga teacher, I enjoy freelancing for various yoga magazines in different countries. In my main profession, I work as a ...
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