Studies and research supporting Mindfulness and Vocal Music as a therapeutic modality:
Study: “Does singing promote well-being?”
Grape C, Sandgren M, Hansson LO, Ericson M, Theorell T, National Institute for Psychosocial Factors and Health, Stockholm, Sweden
Link to Study: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12814197
Highlights from Abstract:
“Oxytocin concentrations increased significantly...after the singing lesson. Amateurs reported increasing joy and elatedness...The amateurs used the singing lessons as a means of self- actualization and self-expression as a way to release emotional tensions. In summary, in this study, singing during a singing lesson seemed to promote more well-being...for amateurs”
Study: The application of mindfulness-based cognitive interventions in the treatment of co- occurring addictive and mood disorders.
K. Hoppes, Journal of Addictions & Offender Counseling
Link to Study: http://europepmc.org/abstract/MED/17075556/ reload=0;jsessionid=uV2HCKJxD1kGRFXVwrQA.2
Highlights from Abstract: “This article proposes that deficits in affect--regulation related to the behavioral and emotional effects of neurobiological changes that occur with long-term substance abuse--pose a unique set of challenges in early recovery. Prolonged use of addictive substances impairs the brain pathways that mediate certain affect regulation functions...In treating this affective dysregulation, which can contribute to the vulnerability to relapse in the early stages of recovery, the affect-regulation-specific focus of MBCT (Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy) adds a valuable element to augment CBT for addiction... Results from this initial trial support the feasibility and initial efficacy of MBRP as an aftercare approach for individuals who have recently completed an intensive treatment for substance use disorders.”
Study: The Role of Meditation in Addiction Recovery
James M. Pruett, Nancy J. Nishimura, and Ronnie Priest
Department of Psychiatry, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY
Link to Study: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/j.2161-007X.2007.tb00088.x/abstract
Highlights from Abstract: “The authors examined the role of meditation as an important component in addiction recovery. Successful addiction recovery is often related to an individual's ability to develop and use a repertoire of coping behaviors, including the ability to maintain an ongoing awareness of one's vulnerability. These learned behaviors serve as reliable alternatives to the routine behavior patterns of individuals who are addicted, which, in the past, have led to often-repeated destructive outcomes. The authors contend that incorporating meditation into the lifestyle of individuals recovering from addiction provides a consistent means of preparing for inevitable, addiction-related life challenges and a coping skill that can help maintain equilibrium in living with ever-present peril.”
From Mindfulness in Plain English by Bhante Gunaratana:
“In a state of mindfulness, you see yourself exactly as you are. You see your own selfish behavior. You see your own suffering. And you see how you create that suffering. You see how you hurt others. You pierce right through the layer of lies that you normally tell yourself and you see what is really there. Mindfulness leads to wisdom.
Mindfulness does not react to what it sees. It just sees and understands. Mindfulness is the essence of patience. Therefore, whatever you see must be simply accepted, acknowledged and dispassionately observed. This is not easy, but it is utterly necessary. We are ignorant. We are selfish and greedy and boastful. We lust and we lie. These are facts. Mindfulness means seeing these facts and being patient with ourselves, accepting ourselves as we are. That goes against the grain. We don't want to accept. We want to deny it. Or change it, or justify it. But acceptance is the essence of mindfulness. If we want to grow in mindfulness we must accept what mindfulness finds. It may be boredom, irritation, or fear. It may be weakness, inadequacy, or faults. Whatever it is, that is the way we are. That is what is real.”
