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ABSTRACT
Objectives: This exploratory study is the first systematic outcome evaluation to examine the
effects of an 8-week meditation-based program in mindfulness in a German sample.
Design: Twenty-one (21) participants with chronic physical, psychologic, or psychosomatic
illnesses were examined in a longitudinal pretest and post-treatment design with a 3-month fol-
low-up.
Outcome measures: Both quantitative and qualitative data were gathered. Emotional and gen-
eral physical well-being, sense of coherence, overall psychologic distress, and satisfaction with
life were measured with standardized instruments.
Results: Overall, the interventions led to high levels of adherence to the meditation practice
and satisfaction with the benefits of the course, as well as effective and lasting reductions of
symptoms (especially in psychologic distress, well-being, and quality of life). Changes were of
moderate-to-large effect sizes. Positive complementary effects with psychotherapy were also
found.
Conclusions: These findings warrant controlled studies to evaluate the efficacy and cost ef-
fectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction as an intervention for chronic physical and
psychosomatic disorders in Germany.
many.
2 Freiburg Institute for Mindfulness Research, Freiburg, Germany.
3 Private practice, Freiburg, Germany.
4 University Hospital of Freiburg, Department of Environmental Medicine and Hospital Epidemiology, Germany.
719
720 MAJUMDAR ET AL.
and multiple data sources (clients, course lead- cation of the program to such heterogeneous
ers) were used in order to accommodate the groups has proven to be effective in U.S. stud-
heterogeneity of symptoms for which MBSR ies (Kabat-Zinn, unpublished data).
has been developed (Miller et al., 1995) and the Seventeen (17) women (81%) and 4 men
multidimensionality of the concept of health. (19%) completed the study (mean age, 39 years;
An attempt was made to integrate quantitative standard deviation [SD] 5 9 years; age range,
and qualitative foci, both state- and trait-re- 22–62 years). Self-reports of illness were uti-
lated variables, physical and psychologic lized, because it was not possible to obtain di-
health dimensions, and pathogenic (disease- agnoses from their doctors for reasons of con-
oriented) and salutogenic (health-promoting) fidentiality. At t1, 12 (57%) participants
perspectives (Greenfield, 1989; Ware, 1987). reported that they had chronic diseases. The
In this exploratory design, the only formal chronic diseases included: gastritis, hepatitis C,
hypothesis was that the five standardized non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, migraine, chronic
health-related variables would change signifi- sinus inflammation, asthma, chronic back pain,
cantly from t1 to t2, or from t1 to t3. Based on thyroid disorders, hormonal abnormality,
earlier American studies (Kabat-Zinn, 1996), chronic infections, and breast cancer in remis-
moderate-to-large effect sizes were expected. sion. Three (3) subjects (14%) reported acute, as
well as chronic, diseases: candida, scoliosis,
bladder infections, psychosomatic complaints,
or other varying symptoms. Six (6) people
MATERIALS AND METHODS (29%) stated that they were not physically ill at
the time of study. Five (5) subjects (24%) re-
Participants
ported past drug abuse (mostly alcohol), and
Participants were recruited by means of re- 18 (86%) had previously had psychotherapeu-
ferrals from physicians and psychotherapists, tic treatment or were still undergoing psy-
as well as via local public advertisements for chotherapy (n 5 12; 57%).
the program. Potential participants were pro- Sixteen (16) participants (76%) indicated
vided with a basic description of the program, prior experience with different forms of medi-
relevant target groups, and research results tation or yoga, and 3 (14%) were still practic-
from published investigations in the United ing more or less regularly at intake. No subject
States evaluating various aspects of the MBSR had had previous experience with mindfulness
program. Prospective subjects were also in- meditation (Vipassana).
formed that participation would require a com- Three course cycles, taught by professionally
mitment to 30-minute, daily practice of exer- trained teachers in mindfulness meditation,
cises for the entire 8-week length of the were evaluated. Over a period of 4 months, 23
program. The program was open to all those persons with various chronic, psychosomatic,
interested, provided that they were not cur- or psychiatric conditions contacted the two
rently psychotic or suicidal. Most clients were course leaders and were informed, usually by
referred to the course leaders by their doctors telephone, about further details and the in-
or psychotherapists, and thus remained under tended research project. Two subjects refused
continuous professional supervision. Individ- to enroll, leaving 21 clients divided into groups
ual MBSR courses typically involve a very het- of 10, 6, and 5 people.
erogeneous group of participants, with a vari-
ety of chronic physical and/or stress-related
Design and procedure
emotional problems (e.g., multiple sclerosis,
cancer, cardiovascular illness, chronic pain, A longitudinal one-group pretreatment and
and anxiety disorders). The focus of the pro- post-treatment design with a 3-month follow-
gram, in fact, is to ameliorate a central, shared up was chosen. Table 1 gives an overview of
characteristic of participants, namely, their per- central design aspects. The training program
ceived inability to cope with the stresses asso- for all three groups was the same. After the ini-
ciated with their individual disorders. Appli- tial contact by telephone, clients wishing to par-
722 MAJUMDAR ET AL.
Health-related variables
General physical well-being FBL-R-ALL (questionnaire) b x x x
Emotional well-being Bf-S (questionnaire) b x x x
Sense of coherence SOC-Scale (questionnaire) b x x
Overall psychological distress SCL-90-R (questionnaire) b x x
Quality of life FLZ M (questionnaire) b x x
Important experiences Telephone-interview c x
Individual major symptoms Evaluation-interview c x
Evaluation-interview d x
Individual goal-attainment Evaluation-interview c x
Evaluation-interview d x
Contribution of the program to Evaluation-interview c x
(coping with) symptoms
Design optimization
Implications for further studies Entire study data x x x
Additional aspects
Compatibility with other Evaluation-interview c x
interventions
Modifications of course format Evaluation-interview c with x
and setting clients and course leaders
a Measuring points pre- (t1), post- (t2) after the 8-week intervention, and 3-month follow-up (t3).
b The five standardized health measures of this study (in the above order): general physical (Fahrenberg, 1994) and
emotional well-being (von Zerssen et al., 1976), sense of coherence (Franke, 1997), the general severity index of over-
all psychological distress (Franke, 1995), and quality of life (health module) (Herschbach et al., 1991).
c Semistructured interview.
d 1–7 Likert rating scale.
ticipate were invited for the 1-hour preinter- jects to participate were characterized, and in-
vention diagnostic session (t1) led by one of the tervention goals were defined for later goal-at-
meditation teachers and the first author. Dur- tainment scaling (modified version of Kiresuk
ing this session, the program was described in et al., 1968).
detail and distinguished from group therapy After written consent, enrolled participants
and behavior-modification programs. The were provided with and the first set of self-re-
clients were again explicitly told about the rig- port questionnaires were explained (see be-
orous course format requiring participants to low), which were to be filled out at home and
practice regularly for the entire 8 weeks. Par- sent back within 1 week in prestamped en-
ticipants were informed of the confidentiality velopes. Questionnaires for post-treatment
of all gathered data and were told the impor- measurement were distributed in the last ses-
tance of answering questions spontaneously sion of the 8-week course, again to be sent back
and honestly, without looking for seemingly within 1 week. A 10–15-minute telephone in-
“right” answers. Sociodemographic informa- terview, during postmeasurement (t2), was ad-
tion and relevant facts about individual (con- ditionally carried out to gather further data for
tra-) indications, case histories, and prior ex- quantitative (adherence, probability of further
perience with meditation or yoga were practice) and qualitative analyses (important
gathered in a semistructured interview. Indi- experiences during the 8 weeks, life events).
vidual major complaints that motivated sub- This interview was also used to provide an-
MINDFULNESS MEDITATION AND HEALTH 723
other opportunity for asking questions, as well These interviews were used to characterize the
as to set up a date for the 3-month personal fol- following: (1) the heterogeneous major pre-
low-up interview (t3). The t3 half-hour semi- senting complaints and levels of goal attain-
structured interview served the following ment; (2) central experiences relating to the
purposes: assessment of individual goal at- practice of mindfulness during the course, and
tainment and any changes in major symptoms; (3) the complementary value of MBSR for other
gathering of data about adherence, satisfaction, concurrently applied therapies. The intention
life events, and compatibility with other treat- was to generate sufficient data to determine
ments utilized; and receiving feedback from whether future larger-scale research in MBSR
participants about the appropriateness of the was warranted in Germany.
questionnaires used. During this session, the Five standardized questionnaires for the
last battery of questionnaires was collected main quantitative dependent variables were
(which had been sent to participants a few days used. In deciding on this battery, methodolog-
earlier and was identical to that given at t1). ical soundness (established norms in Germany,
suitability for repeated measurements, econ-
omy, and acceptance) was the decisive criterion
Intervention (Table 2).
The intervention followed the design de-
scribed by Kabat-Zinn (1982; unpublished data). 1. Changes in overall psychologic distress be-
The 8-week program required clients to meet for tween t1 and t3 were measured with the
sessions of 2.5 hours each week, as well as for German translation of the revised Hopkins
an additional entire day during the sixth week Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90-R) (Franke,
that included 7 hours of practice in silence. Par- 1995). This widely used instrument consists
ticipants received homework that they were re- of nine subscales. The summary General
quested to practice for at least 30 minutes per Severity Index (GSI) score was focused on
day. The program was centered around the because of its value in estimating clinically
practice of mindfulness, or immediate aware- significant changes (Franke, 1995).
ness, of bodily sensations, thoughts, emotions, 2. Momentary emotional well-being was mea-
and other mental processes (Kabat-Zinn, 1993a). sured with the Bf-S (Befindlichkeitsskala,
The program includes various meditation and von Zerssen and Koeller, 1976) at t1, be-
yoga exercises designed to develop proficiency tween t1 and t2, at t2, between t2 and t3 and
in nonjudgmental awareness of mental states at t3. This 28-item instrument, using three
during formal practice and everyday life. Each answer categories, is sensitive to clinically
of the 8-course sessions dealt with a specific relevant, short-term changes in general well-
topic relevant to the practice (e.g., handling dif- being and overall health-related symptoms.
ficult thoughts and emotions, acceptance of It distinguishes between healthy popula-
mental states, coping with stress). Each client re- tions and samples of psychiatric patients,
ceived two audiotapes with guided formal ex- and is suitable for the evaluation of clinical
ercises and a folder with salient texts and weekly interventions in heterogeneous patient
exercises. groups (von Zerssen and Koeller, 1976). In
addition, its salutogenic dimensions of
health can serve as an indicator for changes
Measures
in QOL.
The two semistructured personal interviews, 3. General physical complaints were measured
described above, included administration of with the eight-item subscale General Con-
seven-point Likert scales for goal attainment dition (ALL) of Fahrenberg’s (1994) stan-
and major symptoms. Construction of these dardized and extensively validated Freiburg
instruments was based on previous research Complaint List FBL-R (Freiburger Beschw-
(Kabat-Zinn and Santorelli, 1996; Tate, 1994) erdenliste). A five-point Likert-scale, uti-
and adapted to the characteristics of the pre- lized at t1, t2, and t3, focused on the partic-
sent study sample and research questions: ipant’s subjective evaluation of physical
724 MAJUMDAR ET AL.
na Cronbach ab Mc SDd
complaints across the major physiological pects of life satisfaction, whereas the health-
functional domains. This subscale has pre- related scales specifically refer to health fac-
dictive value for parameters such as work tors. The scale seems capable of assessing a
absenteeism, and consumption of tranquil- broadly operationalized health concept.
lizers and pain killers; it also shows a high
correlation with quality-of-life (QOL) mea-
Data analysis
sures (Fahrenberg, 1994).
4. The dispositional orientation “Sense of Co- Quantitative data were analyzed with SPSS.
herence” (SOC) is seen as closely linked to Nonparametric procedures (Wilcoxon and
health by positively influencing coping Friedman tests for dependent data) were ap-
processes (Antonovsky, 1987). Its compo- plied, because nonparametric procedures have
nents comprehensibility, manageability, been indicated to be more robust than para-
and meaningfulness were measured with metric tests in small pilot studies with data that
the translated German 29-item bipolar-scale are mainly ordinal (Siegel, 1997). Cohen’s
version of Franke (1997) at t1 and t3. (1988) effect size d was calculated and used to-
5. Life satisfaction, suitable to gather data gether with other standardized measures in-
about subjective quality of life, was mea- cluding t-scores and stanine scores (i.e., scores
sured with Herschbach and Henrich’s (1991) that are transformed into nine standardized
FLZM (Fragen zur Lebenszufriedenheit, categories). Even though such multiple distri-
Questionnaire of Life Satisfaction) at t1 and butional descriptions may appear, at first
t3. QOL is often referred to as the most im- thought, somewhat redundant, they do, in fact,
portant global outcome criterion of medical add interesting additional information, as some
outcome evaluations, especially with het- test authors explicitly refer to them to evaluate
erogeneous patients (Bullinger, 1997). This clinical significance of results (Fahrenberg,
33-item, 5-point Likert-scale instrument al- 1994; Franke, 1995; von Zerssen et al., 1976).
lows for individual weighting of 8 general Qualitative content analyses were performed
and 8 health-related dimensions of QOL. according to Mayring (1993). For this article, all
General dimensions characterize overall as- German-to-English translations of patient de-
MINDFULNESS MEDITATION AND HEALTH 725
scriptions of experience were made by a native chologic distress/GSI and quality of life/health
English speaker fluent in German and were module also improved significantly at follow-
subsequently translated back to German by a up compared to pretreatment values (p # 0.001
native German speaker who was fluent in Eng- and p # 0.002), the effect sizes again being at
lish. This cross-translation translation proce- least moderate. Sense of coherence, neverthe-
dure assured a reliable and undistorted ren- less, demonstrated no significant change at fol-
dering of patients’ verbal accounts into English. low-up compared with baseline values (p #
0.153).
TABLE 3. OUTCOMES
emotional well-being (von Zerssen et al., 1976), sense of coherence (Franke, 1997), the general severity index of over-
all psychological distress (Franke, 1995), and quality of life (health module) (Herschbach et al., 1991).
b M, mean average score.
c SD: standard deviation.
d D: effect size as defined by Cohen (1988).
*p # 0.05.
**p # 0.01.
***p # 0.001.
726 MAJUMDAR ET AL.
score of 7.9 at baseline), which is an indicator proved” as a result of their attending the
of not merely statistical but also clinical im- course. On the seven-point Likert rating scale,
provement in emotional well-being (von (23 stands for “very strongly worsened,” 0
Zerssen and Koeller, 1976). stands for “unchanged,” 13 stands for “very
According to Franke (1995), SCL-90–R/GSI strongly improved”) a mean score of 1.1 (SD 5
standardized t scores between 60 and 70 clearly 1.0) was achieved. Concerning levels of goal at-
indicate measurable psychologic distress. The tainment, the mean score was 20.8 (SD 5 1.0)
GSI t score of 66.6 (SD 5 10.1) at t1 was reduced (23 stands for “result very much less than ex-
at t3 by seven points to 59.7 (SD 5 13.0). A dif- pected,” 0 stands for “expected result at-
ference in the robust t scores of larger than four tained,” 13 stands for “result very much bet-
points can be interpreted as clinically relevant ter than expected”). Participants evaluated
alleviation of symptoms (Franke, 1995). their individual levels of goal attainment as
The extremely low baseline FLZM scores of “somewhat less than expected.”
our subjects resembled those of psychiatric and Asked at t3 whether the intervention con-
psychosomatic patient samples with functional tributed to curing major presenting symptoms
disorders (Henrich et al., 2000). The drastic im- or improved coping with them, only two sub-
provement of 67% from t1 to t3 in FLZM -de- jects reported that the intervention rendered
rived, health-related QOL indicates a clinically “no contribution.” These subjects stated that
relevant improvement subsequent to the MBSR meditation did not suit them and that they
program. would have preferred other approaches. Asked
for details, all other participants referred to
positive experiences with the course format
Interview and qualitative findings
and reported positive qualitative changes in
Participants’ subjective evaluations at t2 con- their abilities to live their daily lives in terms
cerned those experiences they considered im- of awareness, mindfulness, calmness and a less
portant during the 8 weeks of the intervention. encumbered sense of self. Successful transfer of
These responses were assessed using content course elements into daily life was also usually
analyses and were then classified. One block of mentioned, as illustrated by the following
answers referred to various experiences per- client report: “I apply the practice to my every-
taining to the course format and participation day life, and it is more helpful to me than med-
in the intervention group. Examples are: “I de- icine—homoeopathy, Valium, sleeping pills—
veloped the desire to practice regularly: it or other therapies. It gives me a tool for coping
keeps my head above the water.” “I found that and enables me not merely ‘to endure’ but to
it was difficult to practice when people were find new niches and paths.”
around.” Another set of answers indicated ben-
eficial qualitative changes in abilities to live
Acceptance, adherence and satisfaction
daily life with awareness, mindfulness, calm-
ness, and a less encumbered sense of self (the All 21 clients reported practicing regularly
latter indicating a reduced tendency to at- during the 8-week intervention; frequency var-
tribute personal responsibility to all experi- ied from 2 to 7 times per week with a median,
ences). Two sentences reported by clients may as well as a mean score, of 5.0 (SD 5 1.6). In-
illustrate this category: “I began living my life dividual home practice sessions were indicated
more consciously, for example, in regard to to have an average duration of 32 minutes
how I coped with stress. I started to take a lit- (SD 5 4), with a range between 25 to 45 min-
tle time in situations to ask myself: How do I utes and a median of 30 minutes. At post-treat-
want to deal with this? How am I reacting to ment measurement, 19 clients (91%) intended
my environment?” “In stressful situations I to continue meditating. At follow-up, 17 par-
could sometimes take a step back and pause ticipants (81%) were still practicing, with a fre-
before I responded.” quency ranging from daily to twice a month,
Subjects at follow-up perceived their major and a median of 4.5 times per week (mean score
presenting complaints as “somewhat im- of 3.8; SD 5 2.1). The average duration was 26
MINDFULNESS MEDITATION AND HEALTH 727
minutes (SD 5 8), with a minimum of 5, a max- ALL, Bf-S, SCL-90–R, and FLZM , yielded a
imum of 32, and a median of 30 minutes. Asked mean improvement of approximately 30%, a
about their satisfaction with the course (on a figure consistent with the results of Kabat-Zinn
scale of 0%–100%), the mean across partici- and colleagues (1982). At follow-up, partici-
pants was 81% (SD 5 16, range, 50%–100%). pants also reported being able to cope more
Nineteen (19) clients (90%) said that they successfully with their persisting symptoms, an
would register again for the course if being of- explicit intervention goal of the program (Ka-
fered it for the first time. Also at follow-up, 16 bat-Zinn, unpublished data).
participants estimated the probability (scale It should also be noted that although the in-
from 0%–100%) of personally continuing to dividual level of goal attainment was slightly
practice mindfulness lifelong; the average cer- lower than expected by the participants (20.8
tainty of continuing was 78% (SD 5 25, range, versus 0 on a seven point goal attainment scale
5%–100%). reaching from 23 to 13), this does not imply
that the subjects were dissatisfied. To the con-
Additional results trary, within a rather short amount of time,
their major complaints “somewhat improved”
At follow-up, 19 (90%) were undergoing
and on average, they almost reached their set
other treatments for major presenting com-
goals, which were frequently quite ambitious.
plaints, which included psychotherapy, physi-
In the administered scale 0 stands for “expected
cal therapy, homeopathy, physiotherapy, mas-
goals reached” indicating a substantial thera-
sage, and acupuncture. Seventeen (17) (90%) of
peutic success and not merely a “neutral” out-
those 19 clients found these treatments com-
come level. Thus, strong and stable changes
patible with the MBSR course. Particularly
among a broad range of health variables were
striking were positive reports regarding how
associated with an eight-week intervention em-
the MBSR program complemented psy-
ploying mindfulness meditation in a German
chotherapeutic interventions, either as a prepa-
setting. Our findings are also comparable to
ration for the latter or as a counterbalancing fo-
earlier American studies in extent and magni-
cus on physical, as well as emotional,
tude (Kabat-Zinn, 1982; Salzberg et al., 1998).
perceptions. Subjects also stated that mindful-
Qualitative content analysis results were in
ness meditation complemented medical and
agreement with our follow-up quantitative
other treatments well, that is, by supplement-
findings, indicating that suffering was allevi-
ing cognitive insights to more physically ori-
ated either through symptom reduction or
ented approaches.
through enhanced coping skills. Clients re-
ported an enhanced sense of their own re-
sponsibility and helpful behavioral modifica-
DISCUSSION tions concerning their diseases. This can be
seen as congruent with the theoretical suppo-
All five major dependent health variables in sition that mindfulness, once integrated into
this study indicated that elevated, clinically rel- daily life positively affects one’s capacity of
evant symptoms at baseline were substantially self-regulation and of health-promoting adap-
improved during post-treatment and/or fol- tive behavior (Kabat-Zinn, unpublished data).
low-up measurement. Unlike Salzberg and Ka- Clients in this study reported high compatibil-
bat-Zinn (1998) results the trait-oriented SOC ity with other treatments received, especially
scores did not improve significantly from pre- with psychotherapy. Additionally, comple-
measurement to postmeasurement (p 5 0.15), mentary, preventative, rehabilitative, and
although we did find a slight improvement. It health-promoting benefits were emphasized in
may be that the variance in SOC scores requires participants’ reports.
a larger sample size to see a significant increase The high adherence concerning the formal
of the mean score. exercises during the course and at follow-up re-
A consideration of overall average change as sembles the impressive data of Kabat-Zinn and
measured by the standardized scales, FBL-R- Chapmann-Waldrop (1988). Attendance rates
728 MAJUMDAR ET AL.
in that study and ours were approximately tics of our sample did not importantly bias re-
three times the 25% attendance rate American sponses to the MBSR intervention. Because
doctors experience with their patients clients paid for the course themselves, ex-
(Salzberg et al., 1998). At follow-up, 78% ex- pended a great deal of effort during and after
pected to practice mindfulness lifelong in some the intervention and still showed an extremely
form and more than half of the clients reported high response rate with the questionnaires, it
having integrated informal aspects of mindful- is possible that a certain self-selection bias for
ness into their daily lives. highly motivated participants may have oc-
In correspondence with findings of Kabat- curred (Schubmann et al., 1997), although Ka-
Zinn et al. (1987) clients reported a high level bat-Zinn (1993b) found the program to be ac-
of satisfaction with the intervention, relevant ceptable to mainstream Americans in large
for prospective insurers who wish to satisfy numbers and obtained similar effectiveness
customer needs. Particularly interesting in this and adherence rates with large numbers of pa-
regard, participants with serious chronic dis- tients referred by physicians (Kabat-Zinn et al.,
eases were especially likely to have expressed 1988).
satisfaction with the course. This finding runs Because this intervention method is new to
counter to certain notions among investigators European countries, studies should first estab-
that meditation is merely a relaxation tech- lish the clinical effectiveness, efficiency, as well
nique to be mainly applied in less severe ill- as adherence and “customer-satisfaction” with
nesses (Engel, 1995). the intervention. The promising results of this
study seem to justify more sophisticated and
costly evaluation projects of mindfulness med-
Optimization of the present design and
itation with German-speaking populations
implications for future research
and, perhaps, elsewhere.
Pilot studies often have to cope with small For a reasonably rigorous control, an exper-
sample sizes and lack of control or comparison imental design with a waiting list seems feasi-
groups, which limits their scope to evaluate net ble. Our results suggest that the GSI of the SCL-
effects of interventions. In the present case, we 90–R and particularly the global outcome
attempted to compensate for the lack of strong measure, QOL of the FLZM , are useful instru-
controls by using a methodologically compre- ments for future evaluation of mindfulness
hensive longitudinal design (see Methods). meditation in heterogeneous German study
This included the following features (Rossi et samples. The FBL-R-ALL and Bf-S data point
al., 1988). A within-subjects repeated-measure- in the same direction as the SCL-90–R data but
ments design, including a 3-month follow-up; may be somewhat redundant. In addition, as-
careful interpretation of statistical significance sessment of other objective criteria seems ad-
with respect to effect sizes; historic controls by visable (e.g. absenteeism at work, days in hos-
comparing results with established norms; and pital, visits to the physician, and concurrent
supplementation of quantitative findings with medication). In the case of professional diag-
qualitative data. Still, generalizations of our re- noses available before pretreatment measure-
sults to a general outpatient medical popula- ment, administration of specific diagnostic in-
tion may be limited by the sociodemographic struments could add precision to the data
and biomedical characteristics of our study derived from generic questionnaire measures.
participants. In this regard, we must also point Future research should, of course, also focus
out the high percentage, in the present sample, on other aspects, many of which were already
of female participants with high levels of edu- outlined (Shapiro, 1982), such as questions of
cation, psychosomatic disorders, history of pre- differential indications for application of this
vious or ongoing psychotherapies, and former procedure and phenomenologic explorations
experience in meditation or yoga. Neverthe- of mindfulness states of consciousness. Ac-
less, our positive findings with German partic- cording to the present results, analyses of dif-
ipants are consistent in both direction and de- ferential and complementary aspects of psy-
gree with published U.S. results. This may chotherapy and mindfulness meditation seem
therefore suggest that the specific characteris- promising. The preventative and rehabilitative
MINDFULNESS MEDITATION AND HEALTH 729
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Franke A. Zum Stand der konzeptionellen und em-
We conclude that mindfulness meditation pirischen Entwicklung des Saluto-genesekonzepts.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Check-Liste (SCL-90–R) als Forschungsinstrument.
[Another examination of the symptom-check-list (SCL-
We would like to thank Drs. G. Henrich, Ph.D. 90–R) as a research instrument]. Diagnostica 1992;38:
and C. Löschmann, Ph.D. and A. Schweikhardt, 160–167.
Franke G. SCL-90–R. Die Symptom-Checkliste von Dero-
Dipl. Psych., for methodological suggestions. gatis—Deutsche Version. [SCL 90–R. The Symptom
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Dipl. Psych., for various support throughout the Beltz, 1995.
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This work was carried out as a diploma thesis in Henrich G, Herschbach P. Questions on life satisfaction
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