This project asked individuals who have recovered from bipolar disorder using mindfulness meditation and Buddhist psychology and philosophy about their experience. Some of the dimensions discussed in the study include:
- What helps people recover from bipolar disorder?
- How does mindfulness practice help people recover?
- What is the role of Buddhist ideas in actualizing and transforming the bipolar experience?
- What other life practices support folks in their recovery?
This website was originally made to help recruit for the study. I’m leaving it up for the time being until I decide on the next steps.
Study update – 28 Jul 2019
Recruitment and interviews for this study are complete. I am currently coding and analyzing the date. If you would like learn more about this project as data become available, please be in touch!
Have you recovered from bipolar disorder using mindfulness meditation and Buddhist psychology and philosophy?
Please participate in this qualitative interview-based study. The goal of this research is to create a new treatment approach for bipolar disorder, in order to help people reduce suffering and lead fulfilling lives.
If you know someone else who has had this experience, please send them my way!
The study involves:
- a phone conversation (to determine your eligibility and collect some basic information)
- a one-hour in-person or online interview
- a follow-up phone call
Participants are not paid, although you may find it interesting and gratifying to talk about your experience.
Please feel free to share this information with your social networks and anyone who might be interested!
Who can participate?
Folks who are reasonably stable, have had a bipolar diagnosis in the past, who have experienced at least one kind of recovery, and who used mindfulness meditation and Buddhist ideas in their recovery.
Qualifying participants:
- Are 21 years of age or older
- Were diagnosed with bipolar (I) or (II) at least 12 months ago
- Have not experienced major depression, mania, or psychotic features in the last six months
- Experience at least one dimension of recovery (see below)
- Used mindfulness meditation and Buddhist psychology and philosophy in their recovery (see below)
At least one of these aspects of recovery, with significant improvements for at least one year:
- Improved quality of life
- Fewer bipolar symptoms
- Complete remission of bipolar disorder
- Learning to live with bipolar disorder
- Gaining a meaningful role in your community
All of these aspects of involvement with mindfulness and Buddhism:
- Learned mindfulness meditation in person from an experienced mindfulness teacher
- Learned about Buddhist psychology and philosophy as taught by contemporary lineage holders or teachers (in any format— in person, through books, websites, CDs…)
- For a six-month period sometime in the last two years, you practiced mindfulness meditation at least 15 minutes a day, three times a week
How does this study work?
After a brief screening process, we’ll set up a one-hour interview, either in person or using Zoom (a secure teleconferencing platform like Skype, but more private). This interview will be audio recorded and transcribed. You will have an opportunity to check the transcript for errors. If needed, we’ll set up a final follow-up phone call, where you can give me feedback that will also be integrated into the final report.
Before the interview, you will need to furnish a letter from a psychiatrist, saying that you are stable enough to participate in the study. (This letter is required by the Institutional Review Board.) If you do not have a relationship with a psychiatrist, I can make arrangements for you to meet with one for an evaluation for this study, at no charge to you.
All your information will be kept strictly confidential and private. Identifying details in the transcript and research report will be changed to protect your privacy. I will transcribe, anonymize, and analyze the data from your transcript, and then articulate the themes that emerge from the data.
The final report will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed academic journal, where it will hopefully contribute to more understanding of how people experience recovery from bipolar disorder using mindfulness meditation and Buddhist ideas. I will also use the themes to create a new treatment approach. Your help is super-important in understanding this phenomenon and making it useful to others.
How do I get started?
Please get in touch! Call me at 971-279-7261 or email
bipolar.mindfulness.study@gmail.com
Thank you for your interest!