Acupuncture and Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction for Wellness

Acupuncture and Meditation for Wellness (AMWELL)

AMWELL is a randomized, waitlist-controlled, pilot study to evaluate the comparative efficacy of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Acupuncture (AT) to Wait-List Control (WL) in adult female survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) experiencing symptoms of psychological distress.

Female CSA survivors at least 21 years old were recruited from newspaper ads, radio programs, study websites and various public announcements in the Baltimore, Md and surrounding area between September, 2008 to October, 2009.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Female survivors of childhood sexual assault reported in a clinical interview (e.g., age at which the abuse began and continued, frequency and duration, and the perpetrator)
• At least 21 years old
• Ability to read and write in English
• Under the care of a licensed psychotherapist or physician for study duration
• Clinical approval for acupuncture or MBSD
• Ability to attend 80% of the sessions
• Willingness to practice skills 20-30 minutes per day, six days a week
• If taking psychotropic medication, on a stable dose for 30 days prior to baseline
• A score of 0.5 or greater on the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Any major illness or psychiatric disorder
• Symptom severity as evidenced by a CGI-S score of 6 or 7
• Current suicidal ideation
• Active alcoholism or drug dependency
• Current enrollment in another clinical trial
• Major surgery scheduled
• Plans to move from the area during the 12-week study period
• Current pregnancy, plans to become pregnant, or no means of birth control