| Older women with fibromyalgia face many sources of stress. The cause of the fibromyalgia syndrome is not yet clear, and current medical treatment primarily consists of palliative medications and physical therapy; the pain, fatigue and sleep disturbance which accompany the syndrome, coupled with cultural ignorance concerning fibromyalgia, contribute to the high levels of stress many experience. The Stress Reduction and Relaxation Program attempted to help women with fibromyalgia cope with their illness through learning and practicing mindfulness-based stress reduction methods.;Since 1979 Jon Kabat-Zinn and his colleagues have conducted a Stress Reduction and Relaxation Programs at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center; in these programs many patients with illnesses unresponsive or resistant to conventional medical treatment have learned mindfulness-based stress reduction methods. These methods include diaphragmatic breathing, seated meditation, the Body Scan, Hatha Yoga, and informal methods of mindfulness such as awareness of present moment experience, maintaining presence through difficult emotional experiences, and being conscious of the self in daily life activities.;Ten women between the ages of 48 and 74 who had been diagnosed with fibromyalgia participated in an eight week Stress Reduction and Relaxation Program modeled after that of Jon Kabat-Zinn in February and March, 1999. The in-depth interviews with these women provide the dialogue, narratives and life histories which explore experiences related to living with fibromyalgia, participating in the stress reduction classes, and practicing the tools of the program.;The study chronicles the women's complex encounter with learning stress reduction methods and provides suggestions for improving the Stress Reduction and Relaxation Program to enable older women with fibromyalgia to benefit from the intervention more fully. |
