Sustained Benefit of Mindfulness-Based Tinnitus Stress Reduction (MBTSR) in Adults with Chronic Tinnitus: a Pilot Study

• Published in: Mindfulness 2015-10, Vol.6 (5), p.1232-1234
• Main Authors: Gans, Jennifer J., Cole, Michael A., Greenberg, Benjamin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Behavioral Science and Psychology; Child and School Psychology; Cognitive Psychology; Intervention; Letter to the Editor; Medicine; Meditation; Mindfulness; Pediatrics; Perceptions; Pilot projects; Psychology; Public Health; Social Sciences; Sound; Tinnitus; Veterans
• ISSN: 1868-8527; 1868-8535
• DOI: 10.1007/s12671-015-0403-x

Defined as auditory perceptions not produced by external sound (Baguley 2002), tinnitus and its treatment have become the focus of much recent interest. Results from the pilot study indicated a clinically significant effect size (ES) in decreasing the perceived annoyance and perception of tinnitus. Seven of the eight participants from the initial pilot study (88 %) were available for follow-up data, six of whom reported a continued practice of mindfulness skills taught in the MBTSR group during the 12-month period after completion of the group. Future studies may look more specifically at the mechanisms that mediate reduction in tinnitus handicap through mindfulness practice, investigating the role that changes in response to tinnitus perception directly relate to mindfulness factors including acceptance, non-judgmental awareness, and self-compassion.