In fact @Buraanbur911 the research is supportive of the fact that Minfulness based stress relief (MBSR) and mantric repetition techniques (aka dhikr) are just as effective for treating SAD and GAD than drugs or psychotherapy..read the following
. A 2005 study on the effect of a mantra-based repetition of a mantra/holy name on the anxiety and stress levels of veterans was considered (Bormann, Smith, & Becker, 2005). The study identified a mantra as a “word or phrase with spiritual significance, sometimes called a Holy Name” (Bormann, Smith, & Becker, 2005). This can be likened to Dhikr phrases such as Subhanallah (Allah is Exalted), Alhamdulillah (Praise Allah) and AllahuAkbar (Allah is the Greatest). The study was the first non-RCT and non-review effort that I considered as it was a one group, pretest posttest study design focusing on 101 ambulatory American veterans who participated in a mantra course between April 2001 and December 2002. Weekly sessions occurred progressively with the first five classes dedicated to choosing, using, tracking and devoting attention to a particular mantra. Participants were encouraged to use specific tradition based mantras – such as the repetition of Allah by Muslims or the Ave Maria by Christians – but were allowed to create their own mantras like “take it easy” or “one”. My outcome of important – anxiety – was measured by the Spielberg State-Trait Inventory. Veterans’ baseline state anxiety was 44.1 compared to the average working adult’s anxiety rating of 34.9.The veteran state anxiety had dropped down to 38.2 on the Spielberg Inventory by the completion of the program. While the results were significant, the study is limited by the lack of control group – something which may overstate the efficacy of the treatment. Mantra phrases were not assessed, meaning that there is no means of knowing whether religious phrases had more effect than secular words. Finally, a group of male veterans is a very localized and specific sample, which means that the findings of the study are difficult to generalize.
The eight study in this literature review studies the effect of Dhikr on an Indonesian Sufi group (Hamsyah & Hamsyah, 2017). Sufi groups provide easy access for the study of Dhikr, since they prioritize the repetition of Dhikr phrases as a means of spiritual achievement (Hamsyah & Hamsyah, 2017). This study analyzes the effect of Dhikr on subjective well-being, a measure that can be seen as lacking in generalized and social anxiety disorder. Participants in the study were 51 members of the group between 22 and 71 who had been members for longer than 1 year. A pretest and posttest was designed, and outcomes were measured by a 4 point Subjective Well-Being scale (very untrue to very true) and a Dhikr Intensity Scale that had a similar 4 point scale. The study “concluded that the intensity of dzikir had a very significant positive relation with subjective well-being, r = 0.58, p < .01, so the hypothesis of this research was accepted” and intense dhikr was found to have 33.68 % effective contribution to subjective well-being. While the hypothesis was accepted, the findings may not be generalizable as it focuses on one specific Dhikr group in a particular geographic region. However, the study is useful to my research effort since it focuses specifically on the effect of Dhikr and it provides a means for measuring the amount of dhikr being performed.
. A 2005 study on the effect of a mantra-based repetition of a mantra/holy name on the anxiety and stress levels of veterans was considered (Bormann, Smith, & Becker, 2005). The study identified a mantra as a “word or phrase with spiritual significance, sometimes called a Holy Name” (Bormann, Smith, & Becker, 2005). This can be likened to Dhikr phrases such as Subhanallah (Allah is Exalted), Alhamdulillah (Praise Allah) and AllahuAkbar (Allah is the Greatest). The study was the first non-RCT and non-review effort that I considered as it was a one group, pretest posttest study design focusing on 101 ambulatory American veterans who participated in a mantra course between April 2001 and December 2002. Weekly sessions occurred progressively with the first five classes dedicated to choosing, using, tracking and devoting attention to a particular mantra. Participants were encouraged to use specific tradition based mantras – such as the repetition of Allah by Muslims or the Ave Maria by Christians – but were allowed to create their own mantras like “take it easy” or “one”. My outcome of important – anxiety – was measured by the Spielberg State-Trait Inventory. Veterans’ baseline state anxiety was 44.1 compared to the average working adult’s anxiety rating of 34.9.The veteran state anxiety had dropped down to 38.2 on the Spielberg Inventory by the completion of the program. While the results were significant, the study is limited by the lack of control group – something which may overstate the efficacy of the treatment. Mantra phrases were not assessed, meaning that there is no means of knowing whether religious phrases had more effect than secular words. Finally, a group of male veterans is a very localized and specific sample, which means that the findings of the study are difficult to generalize.
The eight study in this literature review studies the effect of Dhikr on an Indonesian Sufi group (Hamsyah & Hamsyah, 2017). Sufi groups provide easy access for the study of Dhikr, since they prioritize the repetition of Dhikr phrases as a means of spiritual achievement (Hamsyah & Hamsyah, 2017). This study analyzes the effect of Dhikr on subjective well-being, a measure that can be seen as lacking in generalized and social anxiety disorder. Participants in the study were 51 members of the group between 22 and 71 who had been members for longer than 1 year. A pretest and posttest was designed, and outcomes were measured by a 4 point Subjective Well-Being scale (very untrue to very true) and a Dhikr Intensity Scale that had a similar 4 point scale. The study “concluded that the intensity of dzikir had a very significant positive relation with subjective well-being, r = 0.58, p < .01, so the hypothesis of this research was accepted” and intense dhikr was found to have 33.68 % effective contribution to subjective well-being. While the hypothesis was accepted, the findings may not be generalizable as it focuses on one specific Dhikr group in a particular geographic region. However, the study is useful to my research effort since it focuses specifically on the effect of Dhikr and it provides a means for measuring the amount of dhikr being performed.
