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Non-verbal communication of compassion : measuring psychophysiologic effects . BACKGROUND Calm , compassionate clinicians comfort others . To evaluate the direct psychophysiologic benefits of non-verbal communication of compassion ( NVCC ) , it is important to minimize the effect of subjects ' expectation . This preliminary study was designed to a ) test the feasibility of two strategies for maintaining subject blinding to non-verbal communication of compassion ( NVCC ) , and b ) determine whether blinded subjects would experience psychophysiologic effects from NVCC . METHODS Subjects were healthy volunteers who were told the study was evaluating the effect of time and touch on the autonomic nervous system . The practitioner had more than 10 years ' experience with loving-kindness meditation ( LKM ) , a form of NVCC . Subjects completed 10-point visual analog scales ( VAS ) for stress , relaxation , and peacefulness before and after LKM . To assess physiologic effects , practitioners and subjects wore cardiorespiratory monitors to assess respiratory rate ( RR ) , heart rate ( HR ) and heart rate variability ( HRV ) throughout the 4 10-minute study periods : Baseline ( both practitioner and subjects read neutral material ) ; non-tactile-LKM ( subjects read while the practitioner practiced LKM while pretending to read ) ; tactile-LKM ( subjects rested while the practitioner practiced LKM while lightly touching the subject on arms , shoulders , hands , feet , and legs ) ; Post-Intervention Rest ( subjects rested ; the practitioner read ) . To assess blinding , subjects were asked after the interventions what the practitioner was doing during each period ( reading , touch , or something else ) . RESULTS Subjects ' mean age was 43.6 years ; all were women . Blinding was maintained and the practitioner was able to maintain meditation for both tactile and non-tactile LKM interventions as reflected in significantly reduced RR . Despite blinding , subjects ' VAS scores improved from baseline to post-intervention for stress ( 5.5 vs. 2.2 ) , relaxation ( 3.8 vs. 8.8 ) and peacefulness ( 3.8 vs. 9.0 , P < 0.05 for all comparisons ) . Subjects also had significant reductions in RR ( P < 0.0001 ) and improved HRV ( P < 0.05 ) with both tactile and non-tactile LKM . CONCLUSION It is possible to test the effects of LKM with tactile and non-tactile blinding strategies ; even with blinding in this small preliminary study , subjects reported significant improvements in well-being which were reflected in objective physiologic measures of autonomic activity . Extending compassion is not only good care ; it may also be good medicine . TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER US National ClinicalTrials.gov registration number , NCT01428674 .
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Intervention_Educational
Non-verbal communication of compassion
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Intervention_Educational
non-verbal communication of compassion ( NVCC )
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Intervention_Educational
non-verbal communication of compassion ( NVCC )
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Intervention_Educational
loving-kindness meditation
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Intervention_Educational
NVCC
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Intervention_Educational
practitioner and subjects read neutral material )
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Intervention_Educational
subjects read while the practitioner practiced LKM while pretending to read
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Intervention_Educational
subjects rested while the practitioner practiced LKM while lightly touching the subject on arms , shoulders , hands , feet , and legs
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Intervention_Educational
subjects rested ; the practitioner read
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Outcome_Physical
VAS
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Outcome_Physical
stress
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Outcome_Physical
relaxation
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Outcome_Mental
peacefulness
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Outcome_Physical
physiologic effects
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Outcome_Physical
respiratory rate ( RR )
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Outcome_Physical
heart rate ( HR )
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Outcome_Physical
heart rate variability ( HRV )
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Outcome_Mental
meditation
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Outcome_Physical
RR
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Outcome_Physical
VAS scores
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Outcome_Mental
stress
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Outcome_Mental
relaxation
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Outcome_Mental
peacefulness
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Outcome_Physical
RR
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Outcome_Physical
improved HRV