In this study of patients with anxiety disorders, University of Massachusetts researchers concluded that individuals taught meditation, in a once per week, eight-week class, made lasting changes in their lives by developing their own inner resources for growth and healing.
Participants learned a technique known as “mindfulness meditation,” which they were required to practice at home. Specific improvements included reduction in depression and anxiety, less panic attacks and more mobility for agoraphobics. Most participants were still practicing the technique at a three-year follow-up and were able to decrease or eliminate medications they had been taking.
(Gen. Hosp.
Psychiatry 1995; 17:192-200)
Meditation-Based Stress Reduction