The following studies suggest that meditation can decrease the likelihood of recurrence of cancer. A mindfulness meditation program was effective in decreasing mood disturbance and stress symptoms in both male and female patients with a wide variety of cancer diagnoses, stages of illness, and age. When individuals with cancer involve themselves with self-help strategies such as relaxation, mental imaging, meditation, monitoring of one’s thoughts and journalling, often several hours a day, they experience better quality of life and survival than those who don’t apply these therapies. Relaxation and alleviation of stress are crucial to healing.
- A randomized, wait-list controlled clinical trial: the effect of a mindfulness meditation-based stress reduction program on mood and symptoms of stress in cancer outpatients.
- Fighting for life: a qualitative analysis of the process of psychotherapy-assisted self-help in patients with metastatic cancer.
- Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction as supportive therapy in cancer care: systematic review.
- Mindfulness-based stress reduction in relation to quality of life, mood, symptoms of stress and levels of cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) and melatonin in breast and prostate cancer outpatients.
