People with learning disabilities could benefit from mindfulness sessions

A mindfulness group helped people with learning disabilities improve their confidence, self-control and compassion, a study shows

Attending a mindfulness group led to several psychological benefits for people with learning disabilities, including increased self-esteem, confidence, self-control and compassion towards themselves and others, a study, developing the ideas of several previous studies, shows.

Semi-structured interviews were used to obtain the views of a small number of people with learning disabilities about their experience of participating in the mindfulness-based stress reduction group.

The mindfulness programme had been adapted to focus on developing resilience and transferrable coping strategies, rather than simply being an ‘intervention’ for a mental health problem.

Breathing techniques

Among the key themes that emerged it was evident that participants had successfully learned and incorporated modified breathing techniques into their everyday lives as a strategy for dealing with situations