ABSTRACT

Background

Meditation practices have been found to improve both cognitive and psychological functions related, in particular, to attention and well-being in both healthy people and those with chronic health conditions, including stroke. Considering the range of cognitive and psychosocial consequences in people with post-stroke aphasia, meditation has been identified as a potential rehabilitative tool to target these areas, investigating also, in some studies, any potential impact on language abilities. Even with growing numbers of studies exploring the effectiveness of meditation techniques in the stroke population, no study to date has sought to explore the impact of meditation from the perspective of the lived experience of people with aphasia.

Aim

This preliminary study explored the perceived impact of meditation on a range of activities and areas of participation for people with chronic aphasia who, with the exception of one participant, learned how to meditate after the onset of their stroke.

Methods

Five participants who regularly attended a meditation group for people with aphasia agreed to an individual semi-structured interview, followed by participation in two subsequent focus groups to member-check data. Interviews were thematically analysed using an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis approach in order to capture the lived experience of meditation.

Results

A consistent and positive psychosocial impact was reported by all participants related to the development of acceptance and resilience post-stroke. As with healthy meditators, individual variation was seen in how people learn meditation, and in their preferences and success with different meditation techniques. The reduced focus on the language impairment itself was a strong motivator to attend the meditation group; however, the benefit of regular practice on self-acceptance and building resilience, and a sense of calm, were also prominent themes. The positive experience of meditating in a group was a further motivator to participate regularly in the meditation practice.

Conclusion

Meditation can have psychosocial benefits for people with aphasia and may offer a positive and complementary approach when living with aphasia following stroke. Individual variation in responsiveness to meditation techniques highlighted the importance of monitoring participant preferences when delivering and interpreting meditation outcomes with people with aphasia. The role of meditation in language rehabilitation with people with chronic aphasia as a complementary treatment tool remains an area of future enquiry.

中文翻译：

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“给自己一些喘息的空间……”：失语症患者集体冥想的探索

摘要

背景

已经发现冥想练习可以改善认知和心理功能，特别是与健康人和患有慢性疾病（包括中风）的人的注意力和幸福感相关的功能。考虑到中风后失语症患者的认知和心理社会后果的范围，冥想已被确定为针对这些领域的潜在康复工具，在一些研究中还调查了对语言能力的任何潜在影响。尽管有越来越多的研究探索冥想技巧在中风人群中的有效性，但迄今为止还没有任何研究试图从失语症患者的生活经历的角度探索冥想的影响。

目的

这项初步研究探讨了冥想对慢性失语症患者的一系列活动和参与领域的感知影响，除了一名参与者，他们在中风发作后学会了如何冥想。

方法

定期参加失语症患者冥想小组的五名参与者同意进行个人半结构化访谈，然后参加两个后续的焦点小组成员检查数据。使用解释性现象学分析方法对访谈进行主题分析，以捕捉冥想的生活体验。

结果

所有参与者都报告了与中风后接受度和恢复力发展相关的一致和积极的社会心理影响。与健康的冥想者一样，人们在学习冥想的方式以及他们对不同冥想技巧的偏好和成功方面也存在个体差异。减少对语言障碍本身的关注是参加冥想小组的强大动力；然而，定期练习对自我接纳和建立复原力的益处以及平静感也是突出的主题。集体冥想的积极体验是定期参与冥想练习的进一步动力。

结论

冥想可以为失语症患者带来社会心理益处，并且可能为中风后失语症患者提供积极和补充的方法。个体对冥想技术反应的差异突出了在向失语症患者提供和解释冥想结果时监测参与者偏好的重要性。冥想在慢性失语症患者的语言康复中作为补充治疗工具的作用仍然是未来研究的领域。