Psychological effects of meditation at a Buddhist monastery in Myanmar.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Meditation is widely used as a therapeutic measure because it can effectively reduce stress, pain, and improve the mental health, but there are many unclear points about the psychological effects of meditation. AIMS: The purpose of this study is to verify the psychological effects of meditation. METHOD: The short version of Profile of Mood States (POMS-SF) and the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II) were conducted to compare 97 Myanmar people practicing Vipassana contemplation training with 81 Myanmar nurses who did not have any experience with meditation. RESULTS: The results of our study revealed that meditation mitigated depressive mood, anger, hostility, and fatigue and increased vigor. The enhancement of psychological flexibility occurred only after practicing meditation for more than a year. CONCLUSIONS: It can be considered that meditation mitigates anger, hostility and fatigue and increases vigor at a relatively early stage after starting meditation practice, and if meditation practice is continued for more than a year, enhancement of psychological flexibility can also be expected.