Effects of Viktor Philippi’s Bioenergetic Meditation on Anxiety, Burnout, and Depression: An Analysis of Four Feasibility Studies

Abstract

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Anxiety, burnout, and depression cause a substantial psychological and social burden. Bioenergetic meditation (BM) was developed by Viktor Philippi as a method to strengthen psychological and physical health. This work presents the results of four feasibility studies investigating the effects of BM developed by Viktor Philippi as a support for people suffering from these psychological disorders. <b><i>Materials and Methods:</i></b> A total of four prospective, non-randomized feasibility studies were conducted (<i>N</i>₁ = 185, <i>N</i>₂ = 140, <i>N</i>₃ = 33, <i>N</i>₄ = 32). Studies 1 and 2 were multicentric studies with a pre-post comparison consisting of 10 BMs within 10 weeks with individual study start and end points. Studies 3 and 4 consisted of 7 BMs within 3 days with a pre-post evaluation and follow-up measurements at 6, 12, and 18 months. The Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), and Hamburg Burnout Inventory (HBI) were used to measure symptoms of anxiety, depression, and burnout, respectively. <b><i>Results:</i></b> After 10 BMs within 10 weeks, highly reliable decreases in symptoms of depression occurred in 58–73% of cases (<i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.005). The median BDI-II score declined significantly by 60% (<i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.0001) after 10 weeks of BM. Symptoms of anxiety were highly reliably reduced in roughly one-third of cases after 10 weekly BMs, with the average total BAI score declining from a <i>severe</i> to a <i>moderate anxiety</i> (<i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.0001). The HBI showed significant improvement in all subscales. Psychological symptoms also improved significantly after 7 BMs, and symptom reductions classified as highly reliable were maintained until 18-months follow-up in more than 50% of participants. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> BM results in significant and lasting improvements in clinical symptoms of anxiety, depression, and burnout. Further studies including control groups are necessary to confirm these findings and determine any BM-specific effects.