At Breathworks we take research very seriously and continually evaluate the clinical effects of our mindfulness-based pain management programme.

Evidence of Success - Executive Summary

• Breathworks Executive Summary: Living Well Programmes - Mindfulness Approaches to Health and Wellbeing PDF download or HTML

Further documents can be read in conjunction with the Executive Summary:

• Article 1. The evidence base for mindfulness based interventions for chronic pain PDF download or HTML
• Article 2. Mindfulness - definitions and description of its role in clinical settings PDF download or HTML
• Article 3. The distinction between mindfulness and other psychological therapies for the treatment of chronic pain PDF download or HTML
• Article 4. Table of quantitative evidence PDF download or HTML

The full powerpoint of our research is also available as PDF download

Longitudinal Study

Dr Natasha Doran completed a longitudinal qualitative PhD study that included sixteen people from the Breathworks programme:

• A poster (PDF download or HTML) was displayed at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the British Pain Society 2009
• Powerpoint Presentation HTML summarises some of the results (powerpoint download)

The full study is available from the John Rylands library at University of Manchester by inter-library loan or direct from the library:

• Doran, N J (2007) Journeys through health-care: A qualitative study exploring perceptions and experiences of health seeking for chronic back pain in the north-west of England, Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences, School of Medicine, Division of Primary Care. University of Manchester, Quantitative Studies. pp 1 - 265

Dr Bryony Cusens's quantitative PhD study from 2008 is published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Volume 17, Issue 1, January/February 2010, pp 63 – 78. Available online in Wiley InterScience, www.interscience.wiley.com

• Evaluation of the Breathworks mindfulness-based pain management programme: Effects of well-being and multiple measures of mindfulness Published Article PDF download
  

Current Research

The Human Pain Research Group, within the Clinical Neurosciences Group at the University of Manchester, has been conducting research into the therapeutic mechanisms of mindfulness-based pain management in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain. Patients undergo a series of tests before and after the Breathworks Living Well with Pain and Illness programme, such as sustained attention tasks, EEG scans and questionnaires. A paper analysing results from the study has been accepted for publication in the Clinical Journal of Pain (in press 2012: Brown CA, Jones AKP. Psychobiological correlates of improved mental health in patients with musculoskeletal pain after a mindfulness-based pain management program), and further detailed studies are in the planning stages.

• Brown 2010 - Meditation and pain anticipation (pdf)
• Buhle, 2010 - Commentary on meditation paper (pdf)

Mindfulness and Work Preparedness Pilot Programme

Breathworks working in collaboration with the Department of Health North West and National Health Service North West

Other Mindfulness Research

Over the last thirty years a substantial body of research has been conducted into mindfulness-based interventions for health care.

• Centre for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society, UMASS Medical School
• Centre for Mindfulness Research and Practice, University of Wales