Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) has been used for over 30 years, pioneered in 1979 by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn and others at the Center for Mindfulness(CFM) at the University of Massachussetts Medical School (UMass). Mindfulness-based treatments are practiced as a form of complementary medicine in over 250 hospitals and Universities around the world, and are currently the focus of numerous research studies funded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine and the National Institute of Health(NIH), just to name a few. The mindfulness movement is rapidly gaining momentum, with an increasing number of articles on its benefits appearing in the mainstream media. Numerous studies have shown that mindfulness is a powerful tool for combating multiple mental and physical problems and disorders, for example, Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder(ADHD), Mood and Anxiety Disorders. In a recent study of 102 adolescents being treated for mental health problems in an outpatient psychiatric clinic, almost 80% were no longer diagnosed with one or more of their mental health diagnosis(es) after an 8 week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction for Teens(MBSR-T) program. [Study published by Gina Biegel, MFT in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology,10/09.] We are currently evaluating the efficacy of our program with a rigorous research study on the program, under the direction of Gina Biegel. It is one of the largest comprehensive studies of mindfulness involving young children to date. To read a review of other mindfulness-based research studies to date on those Pre-K through 12th grade click here
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