Objectives. The purpose of this study was to conduct the first randomized controlled trial (RCT) to evaluate the effectiveness of a second-generation mindfulness-based intervention (SG-MBI) for treating fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). Compared to first generation mindfulness-based interventions, SG-MBIs are more acknowledging of the spiritual aspect of mindfulness. Design. A RCT employing intent-to-treat analysis. Methods. Adults with FMS received an 8-week SG-MBI known as meditation awareness training (MAT; n = 74) or an active control intervention known as cognitive behaviour theory for groups (...) (n = 74). Assessments were performed at pre-, post-, and 6-month follow-up phases. Results. Meditation awareness training participants demonstrated significant and sustained improvements over control group participants in FMS symptomatology, pain perception, sleep quality, psychological distress, non-attachment (to self, symptoms, and environment), and civic engagement. A mediation analysis found that (1) civic engagement partially mediated treatment effects for all outcome variables, (2) non-attachment partially mediated treatment effects for psychological distress and sleep quality, and (3) non-attachment almost fully mediated treatment effects for FMS symptomatology and pain perception. Average daily time spent in meditation was found to be a significant predictor of changes in all outcome variables. Conclusions. Meditation awareness training may be a suitable treatment for adults with FMS and appears to ameliorate FMS symptomatology and pain perception by reducing attachment to self. (shrink)

The Buddhist concept of nonattachment refers to a flexible engagement with experience without fixation on achieving specified outcomes. The primary focus of this study was to qualitatively examine how nonattachment and attachment are experienced in individuals identified as having very high and low levels of nonattachment. Specifically, we examined individuals’ descriptions of how their levels of nonattachment and attachment developed, and how nonattachment and attachment affect their lives, their relationships, and their understanding of personal development. Twenty-four in-depth interviews were conducted (...) with participants (18 women, six men) aged 19 to 61 (mean = 36.20, standard deviation = 11.00), drawn from a larger sample of 1191, who scored very high or very low on nonattachment. Thematic analysis revealed highly nonattached individuals were psychologically mature, and flexibly engaged with their experiences, allowing their life to flow with minimal self-obstruction. In contrast, highly attached individuals were quite fixed in their thinking and often placed unachievable expectations on themselves and others. Interestingly, transformative suffering was crucial in the development of nonattachment, whereas unresolved experiences of suffering contributed to the development of attachment. (shrink)