title: The effects of "The Work" meditation (Byron Katie) on psychological symptoms and quality of life--a pilot clinical study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  "The Work" is a meditative technique that enables the identification and investigation of thoughts that cause an individual stress and suffering. Its core is comprised of four questions and turnarounds that enable the participant to experience a different interpretation of reality. We assessed the effect of "The Work" meditation on quality of life and psychological symptoms in a non-clinical sample.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was designed as a single-group pilot clinical trial (open label). Participants (n = 197) enrolled in a nine-day training course ("The School for The Work") and completed a set of self-administered measures on three occasions: before the course (n = 197), after the course (n = 164), and six months after course completion (n = 102).
  
  
  METHODS
  Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS), Quality of Life Inventory (QOLI), Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology-Self Report (QIDS-SR16), Outcome Questionnaire 45.2 (OQ-45.2), State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2 (STAXI-2), and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI).
  
  
  RESULTS
  A mixed models analysis revealed significant positive changes between baseline compared to the end of the intervention and six-month follow-up in all measures: BDI-II (t = 10.24, P < .0001), SHS (t = -9.07, P <.0001), QOLI (t = -5.69, P < .0001), QIDS-SR16 (t = 9.35, P < .0001), OQ-45.2 (t = 11.74, P < .0001), STAXI-2 (State) (t = 3.69, P = .0003), STAXI-2 (Trait) (t = 7.8, P < .0001), STAI (State) (t = 11.46, P < .0001), and STAI (Trait) (t = 10.75, P < .0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The promising results of this pilot study warrant randomized clinical trials to validate "The Work" meditation technique as an effective intervention for improvement in psychological state and quality of life in the general population.
authors.affiliation: Center of Complementary and Integrative Medicine, Institute of Oncology at Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, 6 Weizmann St., Tel-Aviv 64239, Israel.
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Smernoff
authors.affiliation: Center of Complementary and Integrative Medicine, Institute of Oncology at Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, 6 Weizmann St., Tel-Aviv 64239, Israel.
authors.forename: Inbal
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mitnik
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD.
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kolodner
authors.affiliation: Center of Complementary and Integrative Medicine, Institute of Oncology at Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, 6 Weizmann St., Tel-Aviv 64239, Israel. Electronic address: Shaharl@tlvmc.gov.il.
authors.forename: Shahar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lev-Ari
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000786:Anger; D001007:Anxiety / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003863:Depression / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D006240:Happiness; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019122:Meditation; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011788:Quality of Life; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: meditation; psychological symptoms; quality of life; “The Work”