Effects of Mindfulness and Sufi Meditation on Anxiety and Mental Health of Females

Abstract

The present study is designed to compare two different types of meditations, Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Programme (MBSRP; Zinn, 2003) and Sufi Meditation (SM) in the treatment of neurotic anxiety and enhancement of mental health in female population. The study is comprised of a total of 200 participants upon whom Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAS; Hamilton, 1959) was administered and two groups of subjects each comprising of 50 (n = 50) subjects with high anxiety and 50 (n = 50) with low anxiety scores (n = 100) derived, further bifurcated into four subgroups wherein 25 (n = 25) subjects with low anxiety randomly assigned to both groups and remaining 25 (n = 25) with high anxiety assigned randomly to each groups. Pre- and post-test measures on HAS and Psychological Well-Being Scale (Ryff, 1989) for both groups was obtained and analyzed. The overall results of study showed that Mindfulness meditation group showed significantly higher score on HAS as compared to Sufi meditation group. According to the results, Sufi meditation was more effective in lowering anxiety and enhancing mental health, since it matches the belief system of the population. Hence results provide a base for future research to combine both types of meditations developing a new healing dimension.

Global Meditation Practices

“…The first defining effect of meditation in the non-MBSR literature—an effect featured in 12 articles—was developing body and mind awareness, where participants learned to become conscious of their body's reactions to thoughts 28. Such awareness allowed participants to change, forgive, or release their old unwanted thoughts and adopt nourishing new thoughts 22,29,31,32. The consistency of breath in a relaxed body during formal practice of body scans helped subjects develop sustained present moment awareness 22,28,31,33.…”

“…Detecting physical tension in the body allows people to recall coping tools to deal with emotions using “micro-skills”23 (p108) such as self-compassion, loving-kindness, or forgiveness 23,25–27,29. This awareness allowed Sufi participants to release physical tension and achieve connection to the divine, which they believed to be the source of soothing calmness 32. By developing mind-body awareness, participants learned to confront real or perceived threats and change the negative stream of thoughts through breath, chant, or posture, thus regulating psychological responses to emotional situations 22,25,27.…”

“…Similarly, Trindade et al29 found that focused attention on the present moment helps monitor and change persistent behaviors. Sufi mystics encourage participants to increase and focus their attention on one wanted idea (God) and not all on the unwanted ideas, allowing the unwanted cares to float away 32. Spiritual and nonspiritual phrases such as “God is love” and “the grass is green” can focus one's attention and reduce pain due to migraine 30.…”

“…Central to the idea of meditation in all 15 studies was the use of a formal practice to bring the mind and body into acceptance and peace. Twelve studies had participants use simple meditative actions of deep breathing, cognitive vigilance, self-compassion, loving-kindness, and forgiveness toward others and self 23,25–29,32. For instance, Szekeres and Wertheim28 encouraged participants to practice body scan meditation throughout the day to sense tension and take actions motivated by self-kindness.…”

“…Online meditation resources are available freely, but data on the availability of in-person resources and support, predictors of the use of MBIs by adults, are limited 37. As MBIs have been shown to reduce CP, stress, fatigue, anxiety, and cardiovascular parameters, the availability of MBI resources could be beneficial to nurses,38 soldiers,26 and clinical populations who experience a variety of alignments from CP, severe anxiety, cancer, or trauma 27,29,31,32. However, the strict requirements of the currently popular meditation MBSR require in-person instruction 13.…”