A study exploring existing research into the effects of meditation, yoga and mindfulness-based interventions on minor traumatic brain injury (mTBI; otherwise known as concussion) symptoms has found that these interventions can have a beneficial effect on mTBI outcomes.
The researchers searched through databases of existing research and collated the findings through a meta-analysis. They found that when comparing brain injury survivors to those with no history of brain injury (controls), those who had done meditation, yoga, or mindfulness-based interventions had better outcomes on a number of measures including mental health, physical health, cognitive performance, quality of life, self-related processing, depression and fatigue.
The authors concluded that while the findings offered hope of a beneficial effect of these interventions, the studies had some design flaws, and therefore further research is needed to explore this area further.
Reference: Acabchuk, R.L., Brisson, J.M., Park, C.L., Babbott-Bryan, N., Parmelee, O.A., & Johnson, B.T. (2020). Therapeutic Effects of Meditation, Yoga, and Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Chronic Symptoms of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, 13(1), 34-62.
For further information, visit https://iaap-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/aphw.12244
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