Research has shown that 50 percent of all breast cancer survivors suffer from depression. But researchers at the University of Missouri have found that a training program that incorporates meditation, yoga, and physical awareness can reduce depression rates in breast cancer survivors.
The technique called Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction includes group sessions for a period of eight to 10 weeks. Participants practice meditation and learn stress coping techniques.
One of the authors of the study, Jane Armer, a professor of nursing at the University of Missouri, stated, “Post diagnosis, breast cancer patients often feel like they have no control over their lives. Knowing that they can control something — such as meditation — and that it will improve their health, gives them hope that life will be normal again.”
Dr. Armer is a graduate of Goshen College in Indiana. She holds a master’s degree from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb and a Ph.D. from the University of Rochester.
The study, “Effects of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) on Health Among Breast Cancer Survivors,” was published in the December 2011 issue of the Western Journal of Nursing Research.