Development of Meditation Treatment Program

Hahm, Bong Jin; Chang, Sun Ju; Shin, Yong Wook; Cho, Soo Churl

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
Despite evidence of its therapeutic benefits and popular use for health purposes, meditation is out of the medicine in Korea. For the promotion of clinical use and research, it is needed to develop the standardized and structured meditation treatment program.
METHODS
The authors selected a traditional Korean meditation as the model for a new meditation treatment program and surveyed the practitioners of this form of meditation to collect information about its effects and safety. The original meditation was modified for the physically or mentally compromised to practice it. The modified meditation was then used with psychiatric patients and breast cancer patients.
RESULTS
The practitioners of a traditional Korean meditation were satisfied with the positive effects of meditation on physical and mental health. Original meditation was modified as a shorter and simpler form. In an empirical trial of the modified meditation technique, psychiatric inpatients showed low motivation and little benefit, but the breast cancer patients reported improvements in physical and mental status. There were no obvious adverse effects in either of the two clinical groups.
CONCLUSION
A meditation treatment program based on a traditional Korean meditation was developed and found to be safe in psychiatric and breast cancer patients. The program proved effective in improving the quality of life for breast cancer patients. Further research into the clinical efficacy and the mechanisms of this meditation treatment program is needed.