Mindfulness Therapy reduces psychological and physiological effects of chronic worry
A recent study indicates that Mindfulness Therapy reduces chronic worry by promoting better emotional understanding within subjects as well as improving physical symptoms such as breathing patterns and heart rate.
This research, conducted in 2010 took 36 female subjects with chronic worry (measured by the Penn State Worry Questionnaire) and split them into two groups: a) mindfulness and b) progressive muscle relaxation and self instruction to postpone worry to a specific time each day.
Both groups showed equal post-treatment improvement in the clinical and daily report measures. However the mindfulness group showed improved scores in the emotional and physiological mechanisms that oppose those systems which maintain worry.
Source: Delgado, L. C., Guerra, P., Perakakis, P.,Vera, M. N., et al. (2010). Treating chronic worry: Psychological and physiological effects of a training programme based on mindfulness. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 1-10.
Those who suffer from chronic worry and anxiety feel both physical and mental distress from the condition. Mindfulness Therapy works to build skills that mediate both these effects.