title: A pilot study and randomized controlled trial of the mindful self-compassion program. Compassion meditation enhances empathic accuracy and related neural activity. Open hearts build lives: positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Effect of compassion meditation on neuroendocrine, innate immune and behavioral responses to psychosocial stress Feasibility of Cognitively-Based Compassion Training (CBCT) for breast cancer survivors: a randomized, wait list controlled pilot study Engagement with Cognitively-Based Compassion Training is associated with reduced salivary C-reactive protein from before to after training in foster care program adolescents Loving-Kindness Meditation for Chronic Low Back Pain
abstract: OBJECTIVES The aim of these two studies was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Mindful Self-Compassion ( MSC ) program , an 8-week workshop design ed to train people to be more self-compassionate . METHODS Study 1 was a pilot study that examined change scores in self-compassion , mindfulness , and various wellbeing outcomes among community adults ( N = 21 ; mean [ M ] age = 51.26 , 95 % female ) . Study 2 was a r and omized controlled trial that compared a  treatment group ( N = 25 ; M age = 51.21 ; 78 % female ) with a waitlist control group ( N = 27 ; M age = 49.11 ; 82 % female ) . RESULTS Study 1 found significant pre/post gains in self-compassion , mindfulness , and various wellbeing outcomes . Study 2 found that compared with the control group , intervention participants reported significantly larger increases in self-compassion , mindfulness , and wellbeing . Gains were maintained at 6-month and 1-year follow-ups . CONCLUSIONS The MSC program appears to be effective at enhancing self-compassion , mindfulness , and wellbeing The ability to accurately infer others ' mental states from facial expressions is important for optimal social functioning and is fundamentally impaired in social cognitive disorders such as autism . While pharmacologic interventions have shown promise for enhancing empathic accuracy , little is known about the effects of behavioral interventions on empathic accuracy and related brain activity . This study employed a r and omized , controlled and longitudinal design to investigate the effect of a secularized analytical compassion meditation program , cognitive-based compassion training ( CBCT ) , on empathic accuracy . Twenty-one healthy participants received functional MRI scans while completing an  empathic accuracy task , the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test ( RMET ) , both prior to and after completion of either CBCT or a health discussion control group . Upon completion of the study interventions , participants r and omized to CBCT and were significantly more likely than control subjects to have increased scores on the RMET and increased neural activity in the inferior frontal gyrus ( IFG ) and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex ( dmPFC ) . Moreover , changes in dmPFC and IFG activity from baseline to the post-intervention assessment were associated with changes in empathic accuracy . These findings suggest that CBCT may hold promise as a behavioral intervention for enhancing empathic accuracy and the neurobiology supporting it B. L. Fredrickson 's ( 1998 , 2001 ) broaden- and -build theory of positive emotions asserts that people 's daily experiences of positive emotions compound over time to build a variety of consequential personal re sources . The authors tested this build hypothesis in a field experiment with working adults ( n = 139 ) , half of whom were r and omly-assigned to begin a practice of loving-kindness meditation .  Results showed that this meditation practice produced increases over time in daily experiences of positive emotions , which , in turn , produced increases in a wide range of personal re sources ( e.g. , increased mindfulness , purpose in life , social support , decreased illness symptoms ) . In turn , these increments in personal re sources predicted increased life satisfaction and reduced depressive symptoms . Discussion centers on how positive emotions are the mechanism of change for the type of mind-training practice studied here and how loving-kindness meditation is an intervention strategy that produces positive emotions in a way that outpaces the hedonic treadmill effect Meditation practice s may impact physiological pathways that are modulated by stress and relevant to disease . While much attention has been paid to meditation practice s that emphasize calming the mind , improving focused attention , or developing mindfulness , less is known about meditation practice s that foster compassion . Accordingly , the current study examined the effect of compassion meditation on innate immune , neuroendocrine and behavioral responses to psychosocial stress and evaluated the degree to which engagement in meditation practice influenced stress reactivity .  Sixty-one healthy adults were r and omized to 6 weeks of training in compassion meditation ( n=33 ) or participation in a health discussion control group ( n=28 ) followed by exposure to a st and ardized laboratory stressor ( Trier social stress test [ TSST ] ) . Physiologic and behavioral responses to the TSST were determined by repeated assessment s of plasma concentrations of interleukin (IL)-6 and cortisol as well as total distress scores on the Profile of Mood States ( POMS ) . No main effect of group assignment on TSST responses was found for IL-6 , cortisol or POMS scores . However , within the meditation group , increased meditation practice was correlated with decreased TSST-induced IL-6 ( r(p)=-0.46 , p=0.008 ) and POMS distress scores ( r(p)=-0.43 , p=0.014 ) . Moreover , individuals with meditation practice times above the median exhibited lower TSST-induced IL-6 and POMS distress scores compared to individuals below the median , who did not differ from controls . These data suggest that engagement in compassion meditation may reduce stress-induced immune and behavioral responses , although future studies are required to determine whether individuals who engage in compassion meditation techniques are more likely to exhibit reduced stress reactivity Purpose This study assessed the feasibility of a meditation-based program called Cognitively-Based Compassion Training ( CBCT ) with breast cancer survivors . Enrollment and participant satisfaction with a novel intervention , adherence to program requirements , and differences between the intervention group and wait list controls on self-report measures were also assessed . Additionally , cortisol , a stress-related endocrine biomarker , was assessed . Methods Participants ( n = 33 ) were r and omly assigned to CBCT or the wait list . CBCT provided eight weekly , 2-h classes and a “ booster ” CBCT session 4 weeks later . CBCT participants were expected to attend classes and meditate between classes at least three times per week . Pre-/post-intervention and follow-up question naires measured symptom change ( depression , intrusive thoughts , perceived stress , fear of cancer recurrence , fatigue/vitality , loneliness , and quality of life ) . Saliva sample s were collected at the same periods to assess the slope of diurnal cortisol activity . Results Enrollment , class attendance , home practice time , and patient satisfaction exceeded expectations . Compared to controls , post-intervention , the CBCT group showed suggestions of significant improvements in depression , avoidance of intrusive thoughts , functional impairment associated with fear of recurrence , mindfulness , and vitality/fatigue . At follow-up , less perceived stress and higher mindfulness were also significant in the CBCT group . No significant changes were observed on any other measure including diurnal cortisol activity . Conclusions Within the limits of a pilot feasibility study , results suggest that CBCT is a feasible and highly satisfactory intervention potentially beneficial for the psychological well-being of breast cancer survivors . However , more comprehensive trials are needed to provide systematic evidence . Relevance CBCT may be very beneficial for improving depression and enhancing well-being during breast cancer survivorship BACKGROUND Children exposed to early life adversity ( ELA ) have been shown to have elevated circulating concentrations of inflammatory markers that persist into adulthood . Increased inflammation in individuals with ELA is believed to drive the elevated risk for medical and psychiatric illness in the same individuals . This study sought to determine whether Cognitively Based Compassion Training ( CBCT ) reduced C-reactive protein ( CRP ) in adolescents in foster care with high rates of ELA , and to evaluate the relationship between CBCT engagement and changes in CRP given prior evidence from our group for an effect of practice on inflammatory markers . It was hypothesized that increasing engagement would be associated with reduced CRP from baseline to the 6-week assessment . METHODS Seventy-one adolescents in the Georgia foster care system ( 31 females ) , aged 13 - 17 , were r and omized to either 6 weeks of CBCT or a wait-list condition . State records were used to obtain information about each participant 's history of trauma and neglect , as well as reason for placement in foster care . Saliva was collected before and again after 6 weeks of CBCT or the wait-list condition . Participants in the CBCT group completed practice diaries as a means of assessing engagement with the CBCT . RESULTS No difference between groups was observed in salivary CRP concentrations . Within the CBCT group , practice sessions during the study correlated with reduced CRP from baseline to the 6-week assessment . CONCLUSIONS Engagement with CBCT may positively impact inflammatory measures relevant to health in adolescents at high risk for poor adult functioning as a result of significant ELA , including individuals placed in foster care . Longer term follow-up will be required to evaluate if these changes are maintained and translate into improved health outcomes Purpose : Loving-kindness meditation has been used for centuries in the Buddhist tradition to develop love and transform anger into compassion . This pilot study tested an 8-week loving-kindness program for chronic low back pain patients . Method : Patients ( N = 43 ) were r and omly assigned to the intervention or st and ard care .  St and ardized measures assessed patients ’ pain , anger , and psychological distress . Findings : Post and follow-up analyses showed significant improvements in pain and psychological distress in the loving-kindness group , but no changes in the usual care group . Multilevel analyses of daily data showed that more loving-kindness practice on a given day was related to lower pain that day and lower anger the next day . Conclusions : Preliminary results suggest that the loving-kindness program can be beneficial in reducing pain , anger , and psychological distress in patients with persistent low back pain . Implication s : Clinicians may find loving-kindness meditation helpful in the treatment of patients with persistent pain
target: Despite the heterogeneity in intervention components and outcome variables , there were generally few significant associations between amount of meditation practice and its outcomes .
background: Interventions using the " Four  Immeasurables Meditations " ( FIM ) are effective for various outcomes ; however , whether increased meditation practice in these interventions leads to better results has not been well investigated .