Mindfulness Based Couples Therapy

Participant and partner take part in an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Relationship Enhancement (MBRE) intervention course. MBRE course consists of meditation and yoga techniques and handouts.

Participants and partner receive self-help materials.

Pain assessment administered at baseline and at follow up visit. Pain assessment involves submerging hand in cold water.

Questionnaires completed at baseline and at follow up visit. Questionnaires ask about fatigue, mood, stress, social support, marital satisfaction, depression, and general demographics (age, race and so on). It should take about 1½ hours total to complete the questionnaires.

Neurocognitive tests administered at baseline and at follow up visit. Tests to check memory and thinking abilities.

Cortisol testing performed after baseline visit and at follow up visit. Participants asked to collect saliva samples for cortisol assays immediately, 30, 45, and 60 minutes after awakening (representing the cortisol awakening response) and at noon, 4 P.M. and 8 P.M.

Interviews conducted after follow up visit. These interviews are audio-taped and transcribed.