Meditative relaxation as an original multimodal mind-body tool: a randomized exploratory study among French hospital physicians.

A brief 15-minute pause during the workday, whether guided meditative relaxation or unguided rest, was associated with short-term improvements in blood pressure, heart rate, and psychological measures among hospital physicians. Guided meditative relaxation, a structured mind-body approach, led to higher satisfaction scores (8.11 out of 10) compared to unguided rest (6.47 out of 10), but most other outcomes did not differ significantly between groups. The findings are preliminary and need confirmation in larger studies with longer follow-up.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Burnout is highly prevalent among physicians and has intensified since the COVID-19 crisis. Although mindfulness-based programs can reduce stress, they often require extensive training, show variable adherence, and do not fully address emotional or existential dimensions. Meditative relaxation is a structured multimodal mind-body approach integrating attentional, sensory, physiological, and imaginative components. Its feasibility and early effects in hospital settings remain unexplored. The objective was to evaluate the short-term physiological and psychological effects of a meditative relaxation session among hospital physicians, and to compare guided meditative relaxation with an unguided active rest "do-nothing" control condition. In this randomized, single-blind exploratory trial conducted in a large public French hospital, 64 practicing physicians were assigned to either a 15-min guided meditative relaxation session (experimental group) or a 15-min unguided active rest condition ("do-nothing") session using standardized written instructions (control group). Assessments were performed at three points: T1 (baseline), T2 (immediately post-session), and T3 (delayed by a few hours). Outcomes included physiological parameters (blood pressure, heart rate), psychological measures (SPPN, QSCPGS, SRSI3_29), and overall satisfaction (0-10 Likert scale). Qualitative feedback was collected at T3. Analyses used parametric or non-parametric tests as appropriate. All participants completed the three assessment stages (N = 64). The sample was predominantly female (51/64, 79.7%), with a mean age of 42 ± 12 years in the experimental group and 36 ± 8 years in the control group. Overall satisfaction measured at T3 was significantly higher in the experimental group (8.11 ± 1.38) compared with the control group (6.47 ± 2.44) (Mann-Whitney-U = 306, p = 0.002, effect size = 0.40). Both groups demonstrated significant pre- to post-session reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressure and heart rate (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01 for blood pressure), although between-group differences were not significant. Psychological assessments also improved significantly after the sessions, including reductions in stress scores and increases in global satisfaction, body satisfaction, physical relaxation, and sleepiness (p < 0.0001). No significant between-group differences were observed for most psychological outcomes. Internal consistency of the scales ranged from moderate to excellent, with Cronbach's α values between 0.63 and 0.89. A brief 15-min pause during the workday, whether guided or unguided, was associated with short-term improvements in psychophysiological indicators among hospital physicians, even if the most outcomes did not differ significantly between groups. However, guided meditative relaxation was associated with higher quantitative and qualitative satisfaction and may represent a structured and acceptable format for brief stress-management interventions. These findings remain preliminary and require confirmation in larger studies with longer follow-up.