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Can a once-a-week meditation class alleviate anxiety and depression? That’s what researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center want to find out.

Its previous study found meditation could be as effective as an anti-anxiety medication. In January, they published their findings in JAMA Psychiatry that a study of more than 276 people found mindfulness-based stress reduction was more effective than the antidepressant Lexapro.

Comparing mindfulness with medication “had never been done before,” said Elizabeth Hoge, director of the Anxiety Disorders Research Program at Georgetown University Medical Center and the study’s principal investigator.

On the heels of that study, Hoge and her team at Georgetown have launched a new study for people with anxiety, this time focusing on another type of meditation called mindful self-compassion.

“The next step, which is the current study, is to specialize the treatment to a population that has high levels of self-judgment. We found that a lot of patients with anxiety and depression have high levels of self-judgment — unfairly judging themselves and not having compassion for themselves,” Hoge said.

“Fortunately, there is a type of meditation that has been around for thousands of years in the Buddhist tradition called compassion meditation and Metta, or lovingkindness meditation.”

The new study aims to find out whether or not these ancient practices can alleviate anxiety and depression. Hoge’s team wants to see if “by focusing on people’s ability to be patient and kind to themselves, that would also decrease suffering,” she said.

What’s mindfulness?

What exactly is mindfulness? It’s a type of meditation that focuses on the present.

To do it, a person simply sits silently and focuses on whatever is happening, usually breathing. At the same time, they try to accept the current moment, even unpleasantness like an achy back, a loud sound or an unhappy memory — “not trying to change it, but noticing what’s there,” Hoge said.

Then, try to accept your thoughts in a friendly way. “The second part is to hold a mental stance of openness and curiosity and acceptance,” Hoge said.

“That tends to result in lower anxiety and depression because they’re not judging themselves, like, ‘Why am I having that bad thought?’ Just noticing, ‘Oh there’s that negative thought again.’”

How the study works

Adults 18 to 75 years old who have an anxiety disorder can join the randomized study. One group will receive standard medical treatment. The other will attend a two-hour class once a week starting at 6:30 p.m. on Wisconsin Avenue in Glover Park. (Street parking is free at that time.)

For eight weeks, an experienced meditation teacher will guide them through mindfulness meditation practices, focusing on breathing and accepting the present moment. Participants will also be welcome to attend a half-day retreat to reinforce the practices they learn in class.

Researchers will measure the effects of self-compassion with surveys and, if participants choose to enroll in a third, related study, an optional MRI.

“We know it’s healthy for people to have self-compassion, but we don’t know what’s going on in the brain,” Hoge said.

Scientists today are becoming more willing to test alternative treatments, she said.

“We’re now, more than ever, able to do studies like this because mindfulness has become more widely accepted,” Hoge said.

For more information, visit georgetownanxietystudy.org, call (202) 687-7283, or email aco51@georgetown.edu.