title: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Tong Len Meditation Practice in Cancer Patients: Evaluation of a Distant Psychological Healing Effect.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Tong Len meditation is an important therapeutic tool in the Tibetan medicine, and it can be used for self-healing and/or to heal others. Currently, in the West, there is no scientific study concerning the efficacy of a Tong Len distant healing effect on psychological disorders in cancer patients.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate a distant healing effect of Tong Len meditation on stress, anxiety, depression, fatigue, and self-perceived quality of life in cancer patients. These psychological objectives were chosen as a consequence of the limited scientific literature of present day.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed a double-blind randomized controlled trial on 103 cancer patients with tumors. Overall, 12 meditators used Tong Len in aid of 52 patients randomly selected as experimental group, while the remaining 51 patients constituted the control group. Patients and meditators did not know each other. All patients completed profile of mood states (POMS) and European Quality of Life-5 dimensions (EQ-5D) questionnaires before treatment (T0), after two (T1) and three months of treatment (T2), and one month after treatment cessation (T3).
  
  
  RESULTS
  With regard to the parameters related to depression, a statistically significant improvement (P = .003) was observed in the treatment group compared to controls. On the other hand, the vigor/activity parameter saw significant improvements in the control group (P = .009). Both groups exhibited significant improvements in the other factors assessed in the POMS and EQ-5D questionnaires.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study did not provide sufficient evidence supporting an efficacy of Tong Len meditation in distant psychological healing as compared to a control condition. The research highlighted some psychological improvements through Tong Len distant meditation in a group of patients unknown to meditators. Therefore, the enhancement detected in most parameters in both treatment and control groups raises interest on in-depth analysis and evaluation of distant meditation on cancer patients to mitigate psychological problems caused by the disease.
authors.affiliation: U.O.C. Psicologia Ospedaliera, AUSL di Bologna, Italy; Dipartimento Oncologico, Ospedale Bellaria, AUSL di Bologna Via Altura, 3, 40139 Bologna, Italy. Electronic address: gioacchino.pagliaro@ausl.bologna.it.
authors.forename: Gioacchino
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pagliaro
authors.affiliation: U.O.C. Epidemiologia, Promozione della Salute e Comunicazione del Rischio, AUSL di Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pandolfi
authors.affiliation: U.O.S. Epidemiologia Descrittiva, AUSL di Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Natalina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Collina
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento Oncologico, Ospedale Bellaria, AUSL di Bologna Via Altura, 3, 40139 Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Frezza
authors.affiliation: U.O.C. Oncologia, AUSL di Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Alba
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Brandes
authors.affiliation: U.O.C. Psicologia Ospedaliera, AUSL di Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Margherita
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Galli
authors.affiliation: U.O.C. Oncologia, AUSL di Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Federica Marzocchi
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Avventuroso
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento Sanità Pubblica, AUSL di Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: De Lisio
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento Sanità Pubblica, AUSL di Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Muriel Assunta
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Musti
authors.affiliation: U.O.C. Oncologia, AUSL di Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Franceschi
authors.affiliation: U.O.C. Oncologia, AUSL di Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberta Degli
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Esposti
authors.affiliation: U.O.C. Oncologia, AUSL di Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lombardo
authors.affiliation: U.O.C. Oncologia, AUSL di Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanna
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cavallo
authors.affiliation: U.O.C. Oncologia, AUSL di Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Di Battista
authors.affiliation: U.O.C. Oncologia, AUSL di Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Simonetta
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rimondini
authors.affiliation: U.O.C. Oncologia, AUSL di Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Rosalba
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Poggi
authors.affiliation: U.O.C. Oncologia, AUSL di Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Cinzia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Susini
authors.affiliation: U.O.C. Oncologia, AUSL di Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Rina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Renzi
authors.affiliation: U.O.C. Psicologia Ospedaliera, AUSL di Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Marconi
mesh_terms: D000339:Affect; D000368:Aged; D001007:Anxiety / Q000628:therapy; D003863:Depression / Q000628:therapy; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004645:Empathy; D005221:Fatigue / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D033182:Intention; D008297:Male; D019122:Meditation; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D011788:Quality of Life; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000628:therapy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D018609:Tibet; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Compassion; Distance meditation; Distant psychological healing effect; Nonlocal phenomena; Quantum physics; Tong Len