Christian Meditation for Repetitive Negative Thinking: A Multisite Randomized Trial Examining the Effects of a 4-Week Preventative Program

摘要

In the current study, the authors examined the effects of a manualized, preventative program for Christians with repetitive negative thinking (RNT), utilizing Christian meditation as a Christian-sensitive alternative to Buddhist-informed mindfulness meditation. After randomizing participants to a 4-week program or wait-list at two Christian universities, the intervention group received instruction in both kataphatic (using words and images) and apophatic (wordless and imageless) Christian meditation and practiced in a weekly group meeting and on their own. Intent-to-treat analyses revealed several interaction effects (Condition X Time), with the Christian meditation group (n = 36) outperforming the wait-list group (n = 35) on a variety of outcome measures, including experiences of humility and surrendering to God (medium effect sizes), as well as nonattachment and perseverative thinking (large effect sizes). Findings suggest that Christian meditation may hold promise as a daily practice among Christians for the prevention of emotional disorders. Study limitations and directions for future research are also discussed.