Specific Somatic Symptoms Alleviated by Mindfulness Meditation Training

Abstract

Background: Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is an evidence-based intervention developed to teach mindfulness meditation to a wide range of patients. Although the efficacy of MBSR has been established for a variety of medical and psychiatric conditions, measured outcomes typically are limited to anxiety, depression, and/or stress symptom measures. The current investigation examined data from patients seeking MBSR for symptoms of anxiety, depression, and/or other stress-related concerns in an outpatient mental health clinic setting. A previous investigation with this patient sample found that patients reported reductions not only on measures of anxiety, depression, and stress, but also reported reduced somatic symptoms following MBSR. Methods: In the current investigation, item analysis of the somatic symptom measure was conducted to determine which of the 15 specific somatic symptoms most often seen in primary care medical settings were endorsed and which symptoms improved following MBSR. A second aim was to determine whether somatic symptoms were related to GAD diagnostic status, and if so, whether somatic symptoms equivalently improved among the GAD patient group. Results: The more frequently endorsed somatic symptoms of physical fatigue, sleep disturbance, gastrointestinal symptoms, and various forms of pain improved following MBSR, with the exception of pain in the arms, legs, or joints. Patients screening positive for GAD reported more somatic symptoms before MBSR than patients who screened negative. GAD patients also reported greater somatic symptom improvement following MBSR, and both groups of patients reported only minimal to mild somatic symptoms post-intervention. Conclusions: These results provide preliminary evidence that MBSR may benefit patients presenting with a range of somatic and psychological symptoms, including GAD, although future research studies measuring both physical and mental health outcomes are needed.