Meditation and psychotherapy: a rationale for the integration of dynamic psychotherapy, the relaxation response, and mindfulness meditation

Authors
I Kutz, J Z Borysenko, H Benson
Publication
The American Journal of Psychiatry
Abstract

A framework for the integration of meditation and psychotherapy is presented through a consideration of the psychobiological nature of meditation (the relaxation response) and discussion of a traditional meditation practice (mindfulness meditation) as an effective cognitive technique for the development of self-awareness. The mechanisms by which the emotional and cognitive changes of meditation can be of therapeutic value are explored and the synergistic advantages of the combination of psychotherapy and meditation are discussed.

Related Listings
The Efficacy of the Relaxation Response in Prep...
Authors
Jane Leserman, PhD, Ellen M. Stuart, MS, Mary E. Mamish, BA, Herbert Benson, MD
Journal
Behavioral Medicine
·
This study evaluated the efficacy of the relaxation response on the postoperative recovery of 27 cardiac surgery patients randomly assigned to one of two groups. Thirteen experimental group patients received educational information and practiced eliciting the relaxation response before and after surgery. The 14 patients in the control group received only information. Experimental and control groups were compared before and after surgery on both physiological and psychological recovery […]
Meditation and Cardiovascular Risk Reduction: A...
Authors
Glenn N. Levine, Richard A. Lange, C. Noel Bairey-Merz
Journal
Journal of the American Heart Association
Provides 37 pages of summaries from decades of research concerning how meditation affects heart related functioning (blood pressure, heart rate, etc.) Abstract Despite numerous advances in the prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Novel and inexpensive interventions that can contribute to the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease are of interest. Numerous studies have reported on the […]
Home-based central nervous system assessment of...
Authors
Gregg D. Jacobs, Herbert Benson, Richard Friedman
Journal
Behavior Therapy
·
The majority of individuals with insomnia treated with single behavioral interventions do not achieve normal sleep. In this study, individuals with chronic sleep-onset insomnia (n=12) were treated with a sequentially administered multifactor behavioral intervention consisting of sleep restriction, modified stimulus control, and relaxation training. They were compared to age- and sex-matched normal sleepers (n=14) prior to and following treatment using home-based polysomnography and po […]