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Objectives: Mindfulness is a method of training the regulation of attention with non-judgmental acceptance that is linked to beneficial effects on health. The existential approach supports the uniqueness of each individual and helps to provide meaning to their lives. In this randomized controlled trial, we examined whether mindfulness-based interve...
Citations
... Despite the disruption to life goals and responsibilities that may accompany a diagnosis of cervical cancer, patients with strong EWB can adapt and redirect their objectives according to their current circumstances, consistent with the construct of resilience. This result was also confirmed in a randomized controlled trial [39], which indicated that interventions aimed at promoting existential and mindfulness-based practices were effective in reducing depressive symptoms after 8 weeks, with effects similar or superior to those of mindfulnessbased training alone, which was a type of resilience training [39]. It should be noted that while resilience may account for some of the association between EWB and depression/anxiety, other factors, such as mastery of life, emotional regulation skills and hope, may also contribute to the relationship mentioned above. ...
... Despite the disruption to life goals and responsibilities that may accompany a diagnosis of cervical cancer, patients with strong EWB can adapt and redirect their objectives according to their current circumstances, consistent with the construct of resilience. This result was also confirmed in a randomized controlled trial [39], which indicated that interventions aimed at promoting existential and mindfulness-based practices were effective in reducing depressive symptoms after 8 weeks, with effects similar or superior to those of mindfulnessbased training alone, which was a type of resilience training [39]. It should be noted that while resilience may account for some of the association between EWB and depression/anxiety, other factors, such as mastery of life, emotional regulation skills and hope, may also contribute to the relationship mentioned above. ...
Background: The patients of cervical cancer have more negative emotions and lower quality of life. The aim of this study was to explore the relationships between existential well-being (EWB), social support, resilience, negative emotions in patients with cervical cancer, and to examine whether resilience mediates the associations between EWB or social support and negative emotions.
Material and methods: This study enrolled patients with cervical cancer who were treated at the Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital in China during 2012-2019. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the Resilience Scale of 14 items (RS-14) and the McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire (MQOL) were utilized to assess patient's anxiety, depression, resilience, social support and EWB via telephone. Spearman's correlation analyses were used to assess bivariate correlations, and mediation analyses were applied to examine whether resilience mediated the relationship between social support or EWB and negative emotions.
Results: A total of 150 (92.0%) out of 163 eligible patients completed the questionnaires. EWB and social support were negatively correlated with anxiety (r=-0.560 and r=-0.561) and depression (r=-0.508 and r=-0.526), and positively correlated with resilience (r=0.691 and r=0.652). Resilience was negatively associated with anxiety (r=-0.545) and depression (r=-0.505). Negative direct effects of social support on anxiety and EWB on anxiety and depression were statistically significant (P<0.05). Resilience played a partial mediating role in the relationship between EWB and depression (β=-0.085, 95%CI: -0.150 to -0.020), accounting for 37.12% of the total effect. It also served as a partial mediator in the association between EWB and anxiety (β=-0.061, 95%CI: -0.107 to -0.015), explaining 34.46% of the overall effect. Additionally, resilience partially mediated the connection between social support and depression (β=-0.173, 95%CI: -0.312 to -0.053), explicating 57.48% of the total effect.
Conclusions: A combination of existential, supportive and resilient interventions may help reduce psychological distress and improve quality of life among cervical cancer patients, thereby promoting both physical and psychological health.
... Individuals are better able to navigate existential issues by giving themselves emotional support and acceptance, which lowers distress and improves subjective well-being. Research evidences have shown that existential and mindfulness-based intervention was helpful in improving the self-compassion of the participants (Sakai et al., 2019). Also, it has been found that a sense of meaning and purpose significantly contributed to subjective well-being of individuals (Votter & Schnell, 2019). ...
The present research explored Spiritual Well-being (Religiosity & Existential Well-being) and its relationship to
Self-compassion and Subjective Happiness in undergraduate students of Goa. The study aimed to find out if One's
Spiritual Well-being may cause changes Self-compassion and Subjective Happiness. The participants in this study
consisted of 111 female and 110 male undergraduates from Goa. The data analysis was done using the mean Pearson
Correlation Coefficient and Linear Regression analysis. The results showed that spiritual well-being is significantly
and highly correlated to self-compassion and happiness. Also, it has been indicated that among the sub-dimensions
of spiritual well-being; both the religiosity and existential well-being predicted happiness; while existential wellbeing was the only predicting factor for self-compassion
Keywords: spiritual well-being, self-compassion, happiness, undergraduates
... Therefore, we recommend the introduction of an existential approach. In the existential approach, we performed a life scan which consisted of four sessions (11). In session 1 (S1), the patient recalled past successful (reasonable) experiences. ...
... The therapist assists distraught individuals in discovering meaningfulness, finding purpose, and actualizing self-love (or self-esteem) by facilitating deeper self-awareness, appreciation, and understanding of who they are, who they have been, and their unique process of becoming. Our previous study showed that the combination of existential and mindfulness-based interventions (EXMIND) increased the scores of self-compassion in an apparently healthy participant (11). Furthermore, a study to identify the predictors of response patterns to EXMIND revealed that maternal overprotection might predict consistent improvement in self-compassion (14). ...
Parental nurturing attitudes influence children and are linked to the establishment of self-esteem. Females who have experienced poor maternal care during their childhood may have low self-esteem, and this factor may significantly augment the likelihood of depression. Particularly, childhood maltreatment among individuals with bipolar disorder is associated with unfavorable clinical features, such as a heightened risk of severe manic, depressive, or psychotic symptoms, as well as suicide attempts. Here, we report a case of a woman with bipolar disorder who had self-reported low self-esteem due to poor maternal care, which subsequently improved via an existential approach. This existential approach confers meaning to the lives of every individual, even in the face of adversity. Our findings suggest that the existential approach may enable the discovery of more positive life values during times of hardship and could improve self-reported low self-esteem due to poor maternal and change the way of life in patients with bipolar disorder.
... The results showed that existential therapy based on ontological core schemas had a significant effect on the mindfulness of depressed women which were consist with previous studies (Harris, 2013;Sakai et al., 2019;Stålsett et al., 2012). In fact, existential therapy needs to focus on the here and now. ...
The integration of cognitive and existential therapy can be seen when existential therapy attempts to change ontological core schemas. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of existential therapy based on ontological core schemas on rumination and mindfulness of depressed women. A randomized clinical trial design with waiting list control group was conducted. 70 depressed women were selected by purposeful sampling method and randomly assigned into experimental and control groups. The participants of experimental group received 10 sessions of existential therapy based on ontological core schemas and control group was put on the waiting list. All participants answered to the Freiburg mindfulness inventory and Ruminative response scale as dependent variables at 3 time points (pre, post and 2-month follow-up test). The findings showed that, compared to control group, the rumination and mindfulness in experimental group after the intervention significantly decreased and increased, respectively (p < .01); also, These changes were maintained after two-month follow-up (p < .01). Although, due to the lack of comparative intervention groups, it cannot be conclude to what extent existential therapy based on ontological core schemas can be more effective than existential therapy or cognitive therapy, but the findings of this study show that when existential therapy is combined with cognitive therapy to address ontological core schemas, it can reduce rumination and increase the mindfulness of depressed women.
... Negative thoughts often take the form of fear or disapproval of the world and others or even self-criticism. Conversely, compassion toward others and self-compassion have been the subjects of encouraging work in mindfulness studies and have shown important benefits (Raab et al., 2015;Sakai et al., 2019;Sevel et al., 2019;Shapiro et al., 2011;van Wietmarschen et al., 2018). Indeed, mindfulness aims to support the formation of an attitude characterized by greater Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. ...
Objectives
The benefits of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) for stress, depression, and anxiety have been shown in various studies. However, only a few studies have investigated the effects of MBI on positive psychological functioning, and even fewer studies have simultaneously studied positively and negatively valenced variables. Nevertheless, the evaluation of both seems indispensable for understanding mindfulness and its effects on psychological health. Therefore, this randomized controlled trial compared the effects of a home-based, 6-week MBI on positive and negative aspects of three psychological variables.
Methods
Eighty-seven participants were randomly assigned to an MBI group (n = 40) or a wait-list control group (n = 47). All participants were evaluated in terms of their positive/negative automatic thoughts, self-compassion levels, and use of cognitive emotion regulation strategies before and after the 6-week period. General linear models were used to compare outcomes on positive and negative scales through likelihood ratio tests.
Results
The MBI group benefited significantly from the intervention. Larger effects of the MBI on positive automatic thoughts (X²(1) = 9.75, p = .001), positive self-compassion (X²(1) = 5.63, p = .02), and “more adaptive” cognitive emotion regulation strategies (X²(1) = 8.99, p = .003) than on their negative counterparts were observed. The effects were moderated by participants’ initial scores for these variables.
Conclusions
The evaluation of MBI outcomes should consistently include positive and negative aspects of psychological health. In addition, the benefits of MBIs depend on participants’ initial scores for the evaluated variables. Therefore, individual differences before the intervention must be considered in evaluations.
... Also, individuals were asked to recall past miserable (unreasonable) experiences, and their patience and perseverance were respected by the actual working members, which probably actualized self-love (or self-esteem). Moreover, we encouraged them to think about the purpose and meaning of life not attributed to common sense but to their proper thought, to accept themselves as they are, to understand that they are happy when they think so during individual interviews, and to confirm individual will to live better in the uncertain future during individual interviews (39)(40)(41). Similar to PP2.0 which adds depth to counseling psychology by applying the paradoxical principle of treating suffering as the foundation for sustainable well-being, our EXMIND also deals with the dark side of life (unreasonable unsuccessful experiences) and the sunny side of life (reasonable successful experiences), which may be well applied also to patients with advanced cancer. ...
Existential psychotherapy is rooted in the European tradition of existential philosophy. Existential philosophers include Husserl and Heidegger, who were German, and Camus, Sartre, de Beauvoir, and Merleau-Ponty, who were French. Their works contain existentially ultimate themes such as death, freedom, meaninglessness, and isolation. Based on their knowledge of existential philosophy, Binswanger, Frankl, and Boss developed the earlier existential psychotherapies such as Dasein-analysis and Logotherapy, while May, Laing, Yalom, May, and Wong started later existential psychotherapies in the British and American culture. Focusing on patients with advanced cancer and/or terminal care, we found nine types of existential psychotherapies which were investigated using randomized controlled trials (RCTs): Meaning-Centered Group Psychotherapy (MCGP), Individual Meaning-Centered Psychotherapy (IMCP), Meaning-Making intervention (MMi), Meaning of Life Intervention, Managing Cancer and Living Meaningfully (CALM), Hope Intervention, Cognitive and Existential Intervention, Dignity Therapy, and Life-Review Interviews, from 19 relevant RCTs. All deal with death, meaninglessness, isolation, and freedom. Particularly, MCGP, IMCP, MMi, Meaning of Life intervention, and CALM emphasize finding and/or making meaning in the individual's life. The effects on existential or spiritual well-being were confirmed in MCGP, IMCP, Meaning of Life intervention, and Life-Review intervention although the number of studies were very few. In the other interventions, there were heterogenous findings and again the number of studies was very small. Further studies are required to investigate the effects of existential psychotherapy on patients with advanced cancer.
... Recently, we performed a randomized controlled trial to examine whether MBI and the existential approach could be combined sequentially, as well as whether they would operate antagonistically or cooperatively [4]. In that study, apparently healthy participants were first allocated to a waiting-list group, then subsequently assigned randomly to either 8-week MBI group or 4-week MBI group followed by 4-week existential approach (EXMIND) group. ...
... As afore-mentioned in the previous paper [4], we had thought that MBI has static or passive components such as attentional control and non-judgmental acceptance, whereas the existential approach has dynamic or Keywords: Psychotherapy, Mindfulness, Existential approach, Self-compassion, Maternal overprotection active components such as discovering meaningfulness, finding purpose, and actualizing self-esteem. In other words, it seems likely that MBI tries to accept the world as it is whereas existential approach attempts changing the world within each individual. ...
... Although the results were not antagonistic in the EXMIND as a whole [4], at the individual level, we confirmed that there were four different response patterns during the EXMIND (i.e., 4-week mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) followed by 4-week existential approach) by subtracting total Self-Compassion Scale scores at baseline from those at 4 weeks, and subtracting those at 4 weeks from those at 8 weeks individually: participants who responded positively to MBI, but negatively to the existential approach; participants who responded negatively to MBI, but positively to the existential approach; participants who responded positively to both MBI and the existential approach; and participants who responded negatively to both MBI and the existential approach. These were simple categorization of which threshold was 0 (0 or less than 0 were negative responses whereas more than 0 were positive responses). ...
Background
Recently, we showed that 4-week mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) followed by 4-week existential approach (EXMIND) was as effective for developing self-compassion as 8-week MBI. This study aims to identify the predictors to EXMIND.
Methods
Of the 63 participants who completed the EXMIND group, 60 participants had baseline, 4-week, and 8-week total scores of the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS). Of the participants, 49 were female and 11 were male, with a mean age of 48.4 years. We investigated the participants’ intervention response patterns, then used analysis of variance to compared those patterns by age, gender, and the baseline scores of the Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa and San Diego Auto-questionnaire, the Temperament and Character Inventory, Mini-Mental State Examination, the Japanese Adult Reading Test, Young Mania Rating Scale, Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, the Parental Bonding Instrument, and the Purpose in Life Test. In addition, multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify any response pattern predictors.
Results
Participants were divided into 4 groups based on response patterns in the changes of total SCS scores of the EXMIND group. The first group consisted of 15 participants who responded positively to MBI, but negatively to the existential approach (A group). The second group consisted of 23 participants who responded negatively to MBI, but positively to the existential approach (B group). The third group consisted of 20 participants who responded positively to both MBI and the existential approach (C group). The fourth group consisted of only 2 participants who responded negatively to both MBI and the existential approach (D group). Participants who responded positively to both MBI and the existential approach (C group) reported more maternal overprotectiveness than the other participants (groups A, B, and D).
Conclusions
The present findings suggest that maternal overprotection may predict consistent improvement of self-compassion during EXMIND therapy.
... As we described in the previous paper (1), mindfulness is the process of acknowledging subjective experience, and it has emotional regulation process, which is broader than attentional control. Although attention is a key component of mindfulness practice, mindfulness also incorporates an openness to experience, which reflects a non-judgmental acceptance strongly linked to improved health. ...
... In our study (1), during the first half (4 weeks), both the MBI and EXMIND groups attended the same MBI sessions which included raisin exercise, mindful breathing, body scan, walking meditation, and sitting meditation. Participants received explanatory notes at every session. ...
Objectives
Recently, a 4-week mindfulness-based intervention followed by a 4-week existential approach was found to be as effective for increasing self-compassion as an 8-week mindfulness-based intervention. The purpose of the present study was to identify the factors that predicted change in self-compassion during the 8-week mindfulness-based intervention.
Methods
Fifty-seven of the 61 completers of the 8-week mindfulness-based intervention provided baseline, 4-week, and 8-week self-compassion scale scores. The mean age of the 47 females and 10 males was 49.6 years. Pearson’s correlation coefficients were generated on the associations between the change of total self-compassion scale scores from baseline to 8 weeks with age; gender; and the baseline scores on the Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa and San Diego Auto-questionnaire, Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI), Mini-Mental State Examination, Japanese Adult Reading Test, Young Mania Rating Scale, Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, Parental Bonding Instrument, and purpose in life (PIL). Multiple regression analysis was performed to identify the predictors of the change in total self-compassion scale scores.
Results
Novelty seeking (TCI) was significantly and negatively associated with the change in total self-compassion scale scores, whereas the PIL scores were significantly and positively associated with the change in total self-compassion scale scores. Novelty seeking was not significantly associated with baseline, 4-week, or 8-week total self-compassion scale scores, whereas the PIL scores were significantly and positively associated with baseline, 4-week, and 8-week total self-compassion scale scores. The limitation of the present study was a relatively small number of subjects which deterred a more sophisticated analysis of the pathways involved.
Conclusions
The present findings suggest that more PIL and less novelty seeking predict improvements in self-compassion during mindfulness-based interventions, although novelty seeking might substantially predict the improvement but self-compassion scale and PIL might somewhat conceptually overlap.
Esta revisão tem, por finalidade, descrever e examinar os resultados dos estudos sobre autocompaixão e sentido de vida. Os repositórios de dados acessados para o levantamento das evidências foram: Embase, Medline, Periódico CAPES, PsycInfo, Scopus (Elsevier) e Web of Science. Os resultados indicaram que uma associação positiva entre sentido de vida e autocompaixão possibilita o bem-estar subjetivo e desfechos positivos em saúde mental. As respostas autocompassivas estão relacionadas à qualidade das relações e afeto, que trazem consequências para o funcionamento psíquico e a expressão noética. Os achados do EXMIND identificaram uma predição de níveis prévios de autocompaixão e sentido de vida dos participantes, nos resultados da bondade consigo. Sugere-se que os próximos estudos sobre autocompaixão, sentido de vida e atenção plena avaliem como a interação entre autocuidado, estilo de apego, autocompaixão e o sentido de vida influenciam a entrada, permanência e resultados obtidos pelos participantes com as práticas de mindfulness.
