Leaves on a stream: The effectiveness of a mindfulness-based exercise on the frequency, and difficulty in "letting go" of, anxious self-statements

A controlled trial was conducted to investigate the effect of a brief mindfulness-
based intervention on the frequency, and difficulty in "letting go" of anxious self-
statements. Each day for a week participants in the treatment group (n = 28) listened
to the Leaves on a Stream mindfulness exercise (LeJeune, 2012), while those in the
control group (n = 29) listened to a passage of prose of equal duration. The mean
scores of both groups improved from pre- to post-intervention. However, after
intervention, the treatment group did not display lower frequency or difficulty in
letting go of anxious self-statements than the control group. Explanations for, and
practical implications of, these results are discussed.