Mindfulness and the military

Cultivating mindfulness - the ability to be aware and attentive to the present moment without emotional reactivity or volatility - has proved helpful for people with anxiety and depression and a new study by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and Georgetown University has found it can also be useful for the Marines. 48 Marine reservists took part in the study. 31 of them did Mindfulness-based Mind Fitness Training and 17 did not. The programme blended mindfulness skills training and information and skills aobut stress, trauma and resilience in the body. The group who did the mindfulness training showed an increase in working memory capacity and a decrease in negative mood over the eight-week course in contrast to the control group who showed a decrease in working memory and an increase in negative mood over the same period.

You can find out more about this research at

http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/02/18/mindfulness-training-helpful-for-the-military/11562.html