Meditation and Mindfulness have become very popular as a health and wellness modality and the current scientific evidence supports the ongoing and growing trend within the western world. The use of science and its tools are providing an ancient way of life to develop into a dominant field for physical, emotional and spiritual health.
An area of vast research within the mediation field is that of mindfulness and the positive impact on mood and reduces the impact that depression has on individuals.
Since the development of Mindfulness based Stress Reduction Therapies there has been increasing evidence that when people attend these course they stress levels decrease and are able manage stress more effectively. MBSR is considered to be an early intervention strategy which may have a positive impact on people with depression in the future (Williams and Swales, 2004)
A meta-analysis of six randomised controlled trails for people who are currently well and who had a history of three or more episodes of depression found that Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) reduced the risk of relapse by 43%. MBCT has also been found to reduce the symptoms in people currently experiences an episode of depression. (Mindful Nation, 2015).