May 2010
MFTI is participating in a large-scale resilience research study underway with the Army’s 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii.  The STRONG (Schofield Barracks Training and Research On Neurobehavioral Growth) study is sponsored by the Army’s Comprehensive Soldier Fitness program.  It includes 240 soldiers divided into six groups:  Four groups will receive variations of MMFT, one will receive another resilience training based on the tenets of positive psychology (designed and delivered by Dr. Sara Algoe), and one group will serve as a no training control.  The study will be looking at the effects of the training as indexed by cognitive tasks, self-report measures, and brain wave and peripheral physiology measures.  The principal investigator is Dr. Amishi Jha from the University of Pennsylvania.  Initial data gathering began in mid-April and groups are starting to receive training now.  Soldiers will be tested before and after they receive training and also at testing points in the future to monitor enduring effects.  The study is being funded by the U.S. Army’s Medical Research and Material Command.

We are grateful to the 25th Infantry Division for their gracious hosting of this study.

MMFT Covered on WHYY Radio Program, Voices in the Family

Voices in the Family, a weekly program on the National Public Radio affiliate WHYY, hosted by Dr. Dan Gottlieb, dedicated a show to exploring the implications of the pilot study of MMFT with Marines Reservists.  The show featured Dr. Amishi Jha, the principal investigator of the pilot study, Dr. Elizabeth Stanley, the creator of MMFT, and MAJ Jason Spitaletta, a Marine Reservist who participated in the pilot study.  The conversation explored how mindfulness training can train attention and the implications for MMFT with the military.  The show aired on May 10.  Listen to the program here:  MMFT, Training Attention, and the Military on WHYY

Mind Fitness and Deployment:  An Interview

Liz Stanley recently spoke with Carole Sargent, host of the Georgetown Forum about MMFT and using mind fitness training to prepare for the stressors of combat.  To hear that interview, click here.

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