Research and how we know it works

Despite the fact that mindfulness has been practised for thousands of years in the East, it was Professor Jon Kabat-Zinn (1982) who first recognised the potential for a therapy in modern day clinical settings, finding that mindfulness-based interventions could effectively reduce negative factors such as psychological distress in those living with chronic back pain. Since such discoveries, mindfulness has become an extremely popular topic for psychologists, with over 4000 scientific studies being published. Studies have found mindfulness meditation to benefit a huge variety of health conditions, for example:

Improving mood and quality of life in chronic pain conditions, for example reducing levels of depression and anxiety.
Reducing physical pain and the emotional reaction to it, allowing individuals to change their relationship with their condition by living in harmony with their pain rather than trying to fight it.
Improving social functioning by strengthening relationships, improving sleep quality and decreasing the level of interference that pain has on daily activities
Re-establishing a sense of control by learning coping mechanisms and feeling empowered in knowing that individuals have a choice in response to pain and discomfort.

At Breathworks, we aim to continually evaluate the clinical effects of our mindfulness-based pain management programme and to maintain an ongoing programme of research partnerships and collaborations. To find out more about our findings and partnership opportunities, please explore the following areas below.

Internal evaluations

We aim to continually evaluate the clinical effects of our mindfulness-based pain management programme and maintain an ongoing programme of research partnerships and collaborations. Read more

Published Studies

The positive outcomes of our mindfulness programmes have been demonstrated in a number of published psychological papers including both quantitative and qualitative research. Read more

Research Partnerships

We are engaged in an on-going programme of research with university and hospital partners which in turn will help to make the case for larger clinical trials. Read more

Latest

achtsamkeits- und mitgefühlsbasierte Schmerzbewältigung für MBSR-, MBCT-, MBCL-, & MSC-Lehrer*innen

Unser Angebot ist ein Kompakttraining für MBSR-, MBCT-, MBCL- oder MSC-Lehrer*innen, die an einem dreitägigen Einführungsseminar in die Breathworksmethode teilgenommen haben. Es enthält alle Elemente der achtsamkeits- und mitgefühlsbasierten Schmerzbewältigung (inkl. ausführliche Unterrichtsmaterialien sowie Kursteilnehmer*innenhandbuch für die späteren MBPM-Kurse). Die Ausbildung befähigt die Teilnehmer*innen dazu, den 8-Wochen-MBPM-Kurs eigenständig und kompetent zu leiten.

How Do You 'Do' Mindfulness?

How do you 'do' mindfulness? The Breathworks Team discusses the simple practice and how to apply it in the workplace.

E-Learning Platform

If you have registered for an online event, access it here.

Mindfulness for Health Courses

The Mindfulness for Health course is for anybody suffering the effects of health conditions such as back pain, post-viral fatigue, injury, and more. You will gain the skills to manage your condition and the mental health challenges associated with it.

Vidyamala's Micro-Blog: Managing Lockdown with a Disability

Vidyamala wanted to write a blog about lockdown with disability, but has been too preoccupied with managing it recently, so here is her 37-word micro-blog, which says everything she wanted to say.

Mindfulness and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome can be a deeply distressing and disruptive condition. In this heartening blog, Ben shares what learning mindfulness with Breathworks has meant to him and his struggle with CFS.

Mindfulness HEALS during a pandemic

Vidyamala reflects on how she's handled the increasing difficulty of managing pain during lockdown, and explains her approach with an acronym: HEALS.

The Three Pillars Of Excellent Mindfulness Teaching

Breathworks Teacher Suryacitta has been training people to teach for years, and has noticed some common mistakes. In this excellent blog, he gives some pointers to mindfulness teachers and those thinking of becoming teachers.

Confessions of the World's Worst Mindfulness Teacher

Read how Mark came to mindfulness as a sceptical attendee at a drop-in session. He now teaches regularly and has seen the benefits of a mindfulness practice on himself, his mother and his colleagues & patients.

Vidyamala's Micro-Blog - Managing Lockdown with a Disability 2

Last time I used 37 words and I got this comment from Bridget: "37 words - a big relief in the sea of online 'stuff' we're all bombarded with at the moment. Can you make it 36 next time?!" So here's my 36 word micro blog on managing lockdown with a disability.

Mindfulness for Health course

Award winning mindfulness and compassion course to give you the tools and skills to live well with chronic pain and illness.

Three Things You Need to Start Doing to Stay Energised at Work

Turn the long post 3pm slog into a walk in the park with these three simple practices and feel more mindful to boot!

Three Essential Mindfulness Practices for Resilience

We all have good days and bad days, usually determined by what’s happened to us. But what if we flipped the script and started relating to things differently? What if what made a day good or bad wasn’t so much about what happened to us as it was down to how we responded?

Mindfulness on the NHS Frontline

Chris Bu, NHS Psychiatry Trainee Doctor and Breathworks teacher in training, shares what it's like to be working on the frontline and how he is finding his mindfulness practice so helpful: learning how best to look after his own wellbeing so he can look after others effectively too.