ORIGINAL RESEARCH BRIEF MEDITATION TRAINING CAN IMPROVE PERCEIVED STRESS AND NEGATIVE MOOD James 0. Lane, PhD;Jon li. Seskevich, R\, iss\. iiA; Car! F. Pieper, Objectives • To test a brief, non-sectarian program of meditation training for effects on perceived stress and negative emotion, and to determiiie eflects of practicefrequencyand test the moderating eftects of neuroticism (emotional lability) on treatment outcome. Design and Setting • The study used a single-group, open-label, pre-test post-test design conducted in the setting of a university medical center. Participants • Healthy adults (N=2nO) interested in learning meditation for stress-reduction were enrolled. One hundred thir- ty-three (76% females) completed at least 1 follow-up visit and were included in data analyses. Intervention • Participants learned a simple mantra-based med- itation technique in 4, 1-hour small-group meetings, with instructions to practice for 15-20 minutes twice daily. Instruction was based on a psychophysiological model of medi- tation practice and Its expected effects on stress. Outcome Measures • Baseline and monthly follow up measures of Profile of Mood States; Perceived Stress Scale; State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI); and Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI). Practice frequency was indexed by monthly retrospective rat- ings. Neuroticism was evaluated as a potential moderator of treatment effects. Results • All 4 outcome measures improved significantly after instruction, with reductions from baseline that ranged from 14% (STAI) to .36% (BSI). More frequent practice was associated with better outcome. Higher ba.seline neuroticism scores were associ- ated with greater improvement. Conclusions • Preliminary evidence suggests that even brief instruction in a simple meditation technique can improve nega- tive mood and perceived stress in healthy adults, which could yield long-term health benefits. Frequency of practice does affect outcome. Those most likely to experience negative emotions may benefit the most from the intervention. (Altern Ther Health James D. Lane, PhD, is a professor of medical psycholog)' in the Department of Psychiatry at Duke I'niversity Medical Center in Durham, NC. Jon E. Seskevich, KN, BSN, BA, is a nurse clinician in the Department of Advanced Practice Nursing at Duke University Hospital, Durham, and Carl F. Pieper, DrPH, is an assistant research professor in the Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Department at Duke University Medical Center. M editation training has become a popular inter- vention for the prevention and treatment of stress-related diseases and for the manage- ment of stress that often accompanies serious medical conditions. Published research stud- ies describe the application of meditation training as primary or adjunctive treatment for high blood pressure and other coronary disease risk factors,'' chronic pain.'" and cancer,'" as well as for stress management in high-stre.ss occupations.'"^'' The 2 most commonly studied meditation training programs according to our review of the research literature are Transcendental Meditation® (TM®; http://tm.org) and the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program of the Center for Mindflilness at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. North Worcester, Mass (http://wwuMimassmed.edti/cfhi/srp/index.aspx). These 2 proprietary programs have been distributed widely and are avail- able in many locations throughout the United States and other countries: however, the TM and MBSR programs share several characteristics that may limit their use in the general population. Both programs are based on traditional practices of Asian religions. The TM technique has its origins in the religious prac- tices of India and includes a formal initiation conducted in Sanskrit. Initiates receive secret Sanskrit mantras, traditionally used to invoke Hindu deities, to use as the focus of meditation practice. MBSR is based on traditional Buddhist meditation prac- tices and incorporates concepts and material from Buddhist philo- sophical writings in tbe class presentations.'" Such religious foundations may make these programs unacceptable to individu- als who practice other religions or no religion and may prevent their adoption by publicly funded programs and public schools. In addition, both TM and MBSR programs require considerable commitments of time and money to complete training. The TM program requires 10 hours of lectures and instruction in 7 sepa- rate steps.'' The standard MBSR program requires about 30 hours to complete, with 8 weekly classes and a full-day retreat. These programs typically cost several hundred to several thousand dol- 38 ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES. lAN/EEB 2007, VOL. 13. NO. 1 IVaining for Stress and Negative Mood