MBSR Research & Outcomes

Worldwide, tens of thousands of people have completed the eight-week MBSR course and have learned how to use their innate resources and abilities to respond more effectively to stress, pain, and illness.

Over 30 years of published research show that the majority of people who complete the MBSR course experience:

• Lasting decreases in physical and psychological symptoms
• An increased ability to relax
• Reductions in pain levels and enhanced ability to cope with pain
• Greater energy
• Improved concentration
• An ability to cope more effectively with short and long-term stressful situations

MBSR participants reported lasting improvement in both physical and psychological symptoms from conditions such as:

Participants also reported:

Mindfulness, Meditation, and the Brain

There is increasing evidence that meditation may have a positive impact on the brain.

Click here for a brief video
by Dr. Sara W. Lazar, Neuroscientist,
Harvard Medical School - Massachusetts General Hospital

Click on the links below to read about current research.

Meditation Found to Increase Brain Size

Can Meditation Slow Rate of Cellular Aging? Cognitive Stress, Mindfulness, and Telomeres

Change in Brainstem Gray Matter Concentration Following a Mindfulness-Based Intervention is Correlated with Improvement in Psychological Well-Being

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Improves Long-Term Mental Fatigue After Stroke or Traumatic Brain Injury

Mindfulness Practice Leads to Increases in Regional Brain Gray Matter Density

Brain Changes and Symptom Improvement in Patients with Generalized Anxiety Disorder Following Mindfulness Training

Media

Mindfulness meditation has received a great deal of attention in the media in recent years because of the strong and consistent evidence showing that it reduces stress and improves health and well-being. The Stress Reduction Program founded by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn in 1979, has been featured in the Bill Moyers' PBS documentary Healing and The Mind, on NBC Dateline, on ABC's Chronicle and in various national print media and is the subject of Jon Kabat-Zinn's best selling book, Full Catastrophe Living and Saki Santorelli's book, Heal Thy Self. MBSR has also been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Dr. Oz, and in countless newspapers and magazines. Most recently, Time Magazine dedicated their February 3rd, 2014 issue to the effectiveness and benefits of mindfulness and included an extensive interview with Dr. Kabat- Zinn.

Click on the Time Magazine Cover to access February 3rd, 2014 article.