Mindfulness Meditation Works to Reduce Anxiety

The new research adds more evidence to the use of mindfulness as a powerful mental health tool.

Mindfulness meditation, a practice including breath awareness and body scanning, is as effective at treating anxiety as a commonly-used antidepressant.  Practicing a certain form of mindfulness helps relieve symptoms of anxiety as well as a popular antidepressant.

In a new clinical trial, it was found that mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) was as effective as escitalopram (Lexapro) in treating anxiety disorders in some people.

As a treatment for anxiety, MBSR had fewer side effects. But the practice was more difficult to maintain. It is more time-consuming and difficult to stick with for some people. It can also be an intense experience.

On the other hand, about 80% of those using drug reported at least one side effect, including increased anxiety, trouble sleeping, decreased libido, headaches or nausea, though most reported mild side effects.

“The drug works great. But it’s not for everyone, some people might be particularly hesitant about side effects,” said Dr. Elizabeth Hoge, director of the Anxiety Disorders Research Program and associate professor of psychiatry at Georgetown University Medical Center. 

Anxiety disorders are characterized by habitual worrying thoughts about the future, typically revolving around bad outcomes and a person's inability to control larger aspects of their lives. Anxious thoughts can trigger a physiological response, like increased heart rate or breathing, which can then trigger even more anxiety. 

"That sort of thing snowballs," said Dr. Hoge. "With meditation, people can practice not letting the thoughts be overwhelming and learn to put them aside." 

Mindfulness effective at curbing symptoms of anxiety and depression by allowing a person to become more aware of their thought processes and eventually interrupt them. 

Mindfulness brings people back to the present—through breath and body awareness, along with moving meditations—to help better regulate the body's stress response to those future thoughts, and rewire how a person relates to anxiety. 

It is important to note that learning how to control these thoughts does not mean not having them at all. Rather, it means shifting one's mindset from allowing worries to take control of their mind and body, to recognizing that they are having an anxious thought, acknowledging it, and letting it pass without causing a reaction. 

This interrupts the feedback loop before it even starts, according to Dr. Hoge, who recommends reframing a thought like "I'm scared I'm going to fail this exam" to "I'm having a thought about failing this exam." 

However, according to Dr. Stephen Ferrando, director of psychiatry at Westchester Medical Center and chairman of psychiatry at New York Medical College, anxiety disorders often exist alongside other conditions, such as depression, and some people will benefit more from medication than mindfulness-based interventions. 

"People with anxiety disorders experience a sense of loss of control and lose their sense of internal agency and ability to change. Their focus is outward and on the future."

“Not all patients, such as those with psychosis or an unstable mood disorder, or severe post-traumatic stress, can actually participate in mindfulness until their symptoms are reduced,” he said.