Combination of Meditation, Art Therapy Can Change Brain Activity, Reduce Stress

Cancer and stress go hand-in-hand, and high stress levels can lead to poorer health outcomes in cancer patients, according to the Jefferson Myrna Brind Center of Integrative Medicine. The Center combined creative art therapy with a Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program for women with breast cancer, which resulted in changes in brain activity associated with lower stress and anxiety after the eight-week program. Study results can be found in the December issue of the journal Stress and Health.

Daniel Monti, MD, director of the Jefferson-Myrna Brind Center of Integrative Medicine and lead author on the study, and colleagues previously published on the success of Mindfulness-based Art Therapy (MBAT) at helping cancer patients lower stress levels and improve quality of life. For more information, click here to read the full release.