The Mindful Warm-Up: Proof of Concept for a Brief Embedded Intervention

Traditional mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) are often effective, but they are also time- and resource-intensive. Shortening MBIs and embedding them in standard medical care pathways may be one way to improve their accessibility. The present study sought to extend the extant body of research on brief, embedded MBIs by examining the impact of embedding a brief MBI (1) in a new activity and (2) in a new clinical population, while (3) using a more comprehensive assessment of mindfulness-related phenomenology to investigate participant experiences.

We conducted a single-site, two-arm, parallel-group randomized clinical trial among cancer patients enrolled in a fitness program at an academic cancer hospital. Participants (n = 99) were randomized to either a 10-min mindful warm-up condition (n = 49) or a 10-min mind-wandering warm-up condition (n = 50). Mindfulness-related phenomenology (i.e., mindful state, self-transcendent state, allocentric frame of reference, sense of wholeness) and treatment satisfaction were assessed.

Relative to participants in the mind-wandering condition, participants in the mindful warm-up condition reported experiencing more mindfulness (F_1,90=6.29, p = 0.01), self-transcendence (F_1,90=4.23, p = 0.04), allocentric frames of reference (F_1,90=4.31, p = 0.04), and feelings of wholeness (F_1,90=5.11, p = 0.03). Additionally, increases in state mindfulness after warming up mediated the relationship between experimental condition and treatment satisfaction at the training session’s end (β = 0.08, p = 0.05).

This study suggests that brief mindfulness training can be seamlessly embedded into an exercise training session, effectively inducing a range of mindful phenomenology and potentially contributing to greater treatment satisfaction. Brief, embedded MBIs may allow us to simultaneously treat patients’ minds and bodies.

This study is was pre-registered.