This article presents the argument that mindfulness-based meditation (MM) techniques are beneficial and share many of the same outcomes as similar mind-centered practices such as transcendental meditation, prayer, imagery, and visualization and body-centered practices such as progressive muscle relaxation (PMR), autogenic training (AT), and yoga. For example, many standardized mind-body techniques such as mindfulness-based stress reduction and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (a) are associated with a reduction in symptoms of anxiety and depression, (b) can be mastered in relatively brief time frames, and (c) are relatively cost-effective. Functional magnetic resonance imaging studies suggest that MM, along with other mind-body techniques, can influence brain centers that regulate stress reactions (e.g., eliciting increased activity in cerebral areas related to attention and emotion regulation). Furthermore, MM and other mind-body techniques may provide benefit by mediating breathing processes that in turn regulate gamma aminobutyric acid, a major inhibitory neurotransmitter, which can quiet the overactivation of the sympathetic nervous system. This article compares the efficacy of mindfulness-based techniques to that of other self-regulation techniques and identifies components shared between mindfulness-based techniques and several previous self-regulation techniques, including PMR, AT, and transcendental meditation. The authors conclude that most of the commonly used self-regulation strategies have comparable efficacy and share many elements. The authors propose that additional research is needed to explore shared mechanisms among the self-regulation techniques and to identify any factors that might favor using one technique over another.
Hypnotherapy or transcendental meditation versus progressive muscle relaxation exercises in the treatment of children with primary headaches: a multi-centre, pragmatic, randomised clinical study
