What has been your experience using mindfulness-based interventions for patients with somatic anxiety symptoms?

Excellent. Here's why.

Somatization with anxiety

The science

All emotions, positive or negative, are felt as physical sensations in the body because the limbic system has no direct conscious pathways to the cortex.

Pathways from the limbic system first go to serotonin receptors in the body such as ...

There is a yoga pose that is very relaxing. Mindfulness starts with awareness of one's own body. Savasana consists of lying on a hard surface, such as a yoga mat or a folded blanket on the floor. Lying on your back, palms up, with regular breathing, promotes awareness of muscle relaxation, tension s...

I often advocate mindfulness practices for anxiety and other disorders. Oftentimes, I will go through a simple relaxation and breathing exercise with the patient, showing them how to do it. I often couple this with progressive muscle relaxation. I then have them practice it at home, and we discuss i...

I have had excellent results using EFT, an energy psychology-based intervention, and using forms of self-hypnosis. These relate to mindfulness, although they are different in form.

There are many mindfulness-based approaches that can help, and many centers that offer meditation for medical stress reduction. For example, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia have outpatient programs for this. And there are books like Jo...