Can Inner Peace be Improved by Mindfulness Training: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This article reports a randomized controlled trial to investigate whether mindfulness training can successfully improve inner peace in participants with no known mental disorder. Fifty‐seven participants were randomized to either mindfulness training (n = 29) or wait‐list control (n = 28). The experience sampling method was used to measure the fleeting momentary experience of inner peace in participants. In addition, we used an experimental approach to assessing ability to focus attention: the Meditation Breath Attention Score, as well as the self‐report Five‐Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ). Compared with the wait‐list control group, mindfulness training led to an increase in scores of inner peace, Meditation Breath Attention Score and FFMQ, using analysis of repeated measures analysis of variance. Change in inner peace was not, however, mediated by changes in self‐rated mindfulness (FFMQ) nor by increased attentional focus. The findings provide first evidence suggesting that using mindfulness training improves the participants' inner peace. The focus here was on the immediate effects and future studies need to use follow‐up. © 2013 The Authors. Stress and Health published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.