Despite significant advances in the field of psychology due to increased research, the complete rejection of the Cartesian dualist notion of a separate and distinct body and mind, and the exponential growth of psychoneuroimmunology, the usual care of people with chronic medical conditions still often neglects the psychological issues associated with the physical dimension of the disease.
This is the unfortunate reality of some places such as Portugal, a good example of a European country with top research and medical treatment and departments– including oncology, radiotherapy, gastroenterology, or rheumatology departments – that somehow still operate without a single psychologist. This is particularly surprising and alarming especially considering the very well-known impact chronic medical conditions, which affect around a third of the world population, have on mental health and quality of life. Chronically ill people face functional impairment, decreased quality of life, and significant mental health difficulties. Moreover, the interplay between psychological processes and the nervous and immune systems, may contribute to a further decrease in psychological health, in a self-perpetuating cycle between psychological suffering and physical distress.
“…people with illness would benefit the most if they had evidence-based psychological interventions available as soon as needed, which is often from the diagnosis.”
I have the strong belief that it is in part on the hands of clinical psychology researchers to advocate for the inclusion of psychological interventions in the usual treatment of chronic medical conditions. To be able to advocate such need, research should focus on developing and improving the efficacy of and access to psychological interventions for populations in need – and this is what drives me to conduct research in this field.
The research I have conducted has aimed to contribute to a better understanding of the psychological mechanisms that influence the vulnerability and persistence of psychological, social, and physical impairment in chronic illness. It has given further support to the pertinence of contextual and contemplative approaches in behavioral medicine, particularly Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and mindfulness- and compassion-based therapies, and their integration in the treatment of chronic medical conditions. These approaches aim to change the relationship individuals have with their internal experiences (rather than changing the content of those experiences) by stimulating willingness to be aware, open and accepting about any type of internal events, while holding a nonjudgmental and compassionate attitude towards difficulties. This is particularly relevant in illness contexts – where some thoughts about one’s disease or prognosis may very well be realistic; where, it seems more useful to learn how to deal with those thoughts instead of battling their accuracy. Further, interventions based on these approaches have been found to effectively improve functioning, mental health, and even physiological markers (e.g., inflammation) in diverse medical populations.
It can thus be argued that such contextual and contemplative-based interventions should be integrated in the usual healthcare of people with chronic illness and that all interested individuals should be able to enroll in this type of intervention, as soon as they can or want. This has actually been pointed out by a participant in the preliminary efficacy study of the Mind Programme (a mindfulness, ACT, and compassion-based group intervention for cancer we have developed and tested). A 58-year-old woman with breast cancer stated, after completing the program:
“This program made me feel emotionally stronger and more able to face life’s adversities. Learning to accept mine and other peoples’ problems is a step to recovery. After all, problems may just as well be only ghosts of our mind. I would have liked to have come in contact with this program years ago. But it’s never too late to trace the path of self-knowledge.”
Although it may be in fact accurate that it is not too late to learn new tools (in this case, contemplative-based) to improve one’s mental health and well-being, people with illness would benefit the most if they had evidence-based psychological interventions available as soon as needed, which is often from the diagnosis. Given the evidence we now have available, this should be seen as a right each chronically ill person should have. Everywhere.
Dr. Inês Trindade is a Clinical Psychologist and Research Fellow at the University of Coimbra, Portugal
By providing an immersive, engrossing, and controlled visual and auditory experience in which participants can practice mindfulness techniques, Virtual Reality (VR) systems can create immersive, ecologically valid, first-person experiences that can even tap into physiological reactions that align with real-world experiences.
The researchers were interested in understanding if forgiveness acts as a mechanism by which mindfulness relates to relationship satisfaction. They speculated that being mindful would allow individuals to be aware of their own and their partners’ emotions in a non-judgmental and non-reactive way. The increased awareness would make people more forgiving of partner transgressions, thereby enhancing relationship satisfaction.
Emerging studies are highlighting the effectiveness of mindfulness, gratitude and hopefulness as positive psychological tools in helping people cope with anxiety and stress. These practices have also been considered beneficial in enhancing psychological health and well-being.
Despite growing knowledge that mindfulness meditation can enhance emotional wellbeing, very little is known about how it all works. How exactly does the act of meditation help us deal with the emotional rollercoaster of everyday life? Is mindfulness training actually “transferrable” to real world situations? What’s going on in the brain? Can we even measure it?
How does self-compassion protect depressed adolescents? Quieting the self may be the key.
A study led by Alexandra Martelli investigated whether more mindful individuals (based on self-report measure scores) would respond to social rejection with less distress and if certain neurological mechanisms in the brain’s prefrontal cortex can potentially explain the role of mindfulness in reduced social distress.
A research team from Valencia, Spain recently investigated the effects of a brief mindfulness-based intervention on both mood and biological markers on a sample of health professional students.
A new study by Kim and colleagues explored how compassion-based training can affect two self-regulatory styles and its relationship to neural, physiological, and behavioral responses.
Torre and colleagues recruited 70 HCWs from two hospitals in Rome, Italy for a 4-week course in yoga and mindfulness.
A team of researchers based in the perceived epicenter of the virus, Wuhan, China, recently tested whether a brief mindfulness intervention delivered through an app could be effective for reducing anxiety and protecting nightly sleep during the unfolding pandemic.
Mindfulness practices can enhance a therapist’s ability to intentionally and flexibly regulate attention as well as emotional reactivity which has been demonstrated to influence burnout.
A new study investigated whether a brief mindfulness training designed to reduce physician burnout could be delivered through a smartphone app.
The current study reviewed the wider scientific literature for the role of yoga and mindfulness interventions in the treatment of severe mental illness.
The amount of research involving mindfulness interventions has grown exponentially; however, only in the last decade has mindfulness research involving adolescents rapidly increased.
Mindfulness and self-compassion are theorized to disrupt the maladaptive repetition of negative thoughts and emotions for patients with chronic or mental illnesses, who are particularly susceptible to psychosocial distress.
There is promising evidence that 70% of smokers would like to quit but less than 5% of unassisted attempts at quitting are actually successful.
In a recent pilot study by Suzette Glasner, Ph.D. and her team at the Integrated Substance Abuse Programs at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, they evaluated the effects of Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention (MBRP) on reducing relapse susceptibility among stimulant-dependent adults receiving a contingency management (CM) intervention.
A major implication of the study suggests the distal effects of intensive retreat practice on respiration rates, a benefit not necessarily conferred by a brief, but full-day meditation session.
Researchers are exploring mindfulness-based interventions as a long-term treatment options to address the multitude of symptoms after cancer has been treated.
While the scientific study of mindfulness has exponentially increased over the past few decades, only recently has the scientific community focused on the effects of meditation training on biological aging.
Tell us about your idea. Nearly any subject related to the science of mindfulness is fair game.