*Science Daily* released an article: “Patients Do Better With
Psychotherapist Who Practice Zen Meditation, Study Suggests.”

Here’s the article:

An investigation by German researchers headed by Professor Nickel
indicates the practicing Zen meditation by psychotherapists matters. All
therapists direct their attention in some manner during psychotherapy. A
special form of directing attention, ‘mindfulness’, is recommended.

This study aimed to examine whether, and to what extent, promoting
mindfulness in psychotherapists in training (PiT) influences the
treatment results of their patients. The therapeutic course and
treatment results of 124 inpatients, who were treated for 9 weeks by 18
PiTs, were compared.

The PiTs were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 groups: (i) those practicing
Zen meditation (MED; n = 9 or (ii) control group, which did not perform
meditation (noMED; n = 9). The results of treatment (according to the
intent-to-treat principle) were examined using the Session Questionnaire
for General and Differen-tial Individual Psychotherapy (STEP), the
Questionnaire of Changes in Experience and Behavior (VEV) and the
Symptom Checklist (SCL-90-R).Compared to the noMED group (n = 61), the
patients of PiTs from the MED group (n = 63) had significantly higher
evaluations (according to the intent-to-treat principle) for individual
therapy on 2 STEP scales, clarification and problem-solving perspectives.

Their evaluations were also significantly higher for the entire
therapeutic result on the VEV. Furthermore, the MED group showed greater
symptom reduction than the noMED group on the Global Severity Index and
8 SCL-90-R scales, including Somatization, Insecurity in Social Contact,
Obsessiveness, Anxiety, Anger/Hostility, Phobic Anxiety, Paranoid
Thinking and Psychoticism.

This study indicates that promoting mindfulness in PiTs could positively
influence the therapeutic course and treatment results in their patients.

Journal reference: Grepmair, L. ; Mitterlehner, F. ; Loew, T. ; Bachler,
E. ; Rother, W. ; Nickel, M. Promoting Mindfulness in Psychotherapists
in Training Influences the Treatment Results of Their Patients: A
Randomized, Double-Blind, Controlled Study Psychother Psychosom
2007;76:332-338