Effectiveness of mindfulness and qigong training for self-healing in patients with Hwabyung and depressive disorder: a randomized controlled trial
Open accessAbstract
Background: Hwabyung is a Korean culture-bound syndrome characterized by anger-related physical and psychological symptoms. Depressive disorder is a common mental disorder that occurs worldwide and is highly comorbid with Hwabyung. In traditional East Asian medicine, both Hwabyung and depression are associated with an imbalance in vital energy termed qi. Mindfulness induces psychosomatic balance, and qigong facilitates the cultivation and regulation of qi, which may be effective treatments for Hwabyung and depression. This study aimed to investigate whether Mindfulness and Qigong Training for Self-Healing (MQT-SH) could improve psychosomatic symptoms in patients with Hwabyung and depressive disorders. Methods: This was a two-arm, randomized controlled trial. Patients diagnosed with both Hwabyung and depressive disorder were included in the trial. A total of 64 participants were recruited and randomly assigned to either the experimental (n=32) or control group (n=32). The experimental group underwent MQT-SH that consisted of mindfulness and qigong for the first six weeks, whereas the control group received no treatment. During the next six weeks, the control group performed MQT-SH for ethical equity. Assessments were conducted at baseline, post-intervention (6-week), and follow-up (12-week). Results: MQT-SH significantly decreased Hwabyung, depression, anxiety, and anger while increasing subjective vitality, and the effectiveness of the intervention were maintained at a short-term follow-up of 6 weeks. Physical vitality mediated the effectiveness of the MQT-SH on Hwabyung, whereas psychological vitality mediated the effectiveness of the MQT-SH on depression. Only one adverse event was reported during the intervention period. Home practice was not significantly associated with any intervention change. Discussion: This study demonstrated that MQT-SH is an effective and safe intervention for patients with Hwabyung and depressive disorders. This study explored the possibility that subjective vitality may serve as a mechanism for treating psychosomatic and mood symptoms. Future studies should control for placebo effects and conduct long-term follow-ups. Ethics and dissemination: This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Kyung-Hee University Oriental Medicine Hospital in Gangdong (KHNMCOH 2023-09-003). Clinical trial registration: https://cris.nih.go.kr/cris/search/detailSearch.do?seq=26882&status=5&seq_group=25511&search_page=M, identifier KCT0008937.
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Integrated mindfulness and Qigong training has proven effective for individuals with Hwa-byung and depressive disorders, enhancing physical and psychological vitality.
“Notably, integrated mindfulness and Qigong training has proven effective for individuals with Hwa-byung and depressive disorders, enhancing both physical and psychological vitality (Yoon et al., 2025).”
From Listen to your inner body: embodied emotions in predictive neuroscience and traditional East Asian medicine (2026) · cites this paper as Yoon et al., 2025
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“Notably, integrated mindfulness and Qigong training has proven effective for individuals with Hwa-byung and depressive disorders, enhancing both physical and psychological vitality (Yoon et al., 2025).”
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- Authors
- Yoon, S.-I., Park, H.-Y., Park, C., Pyun, J., Yoo, J.-H., Song, G.-J., Lee, H. W., Chung, S.-Y., & Kim, J. W.
- Affiliations
- Kyung Hee University (KR)
- Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong (KR)
- Corresponding author
- Kim, Jong Woo
- ORCID
- Venue
- Frontiers in Psychiatry
- Publisher
- Frontiers Media SA
- Published
- 2025-06-13
- Volume
- 16
- Pages
- 1508937-1508937
- ISSN
- 1664-0640 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC12202437
- OpenAlex
- W4411292485
- Cited by
- 6
- References
- 64
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6
- FWCI
- 7.09
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Frontiers in Psychiatry (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Funders
- Ministry of Health and Welfare
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Biofield Effects and Biophysics
- Keywords
- Hwa-byung, depressive disorders, mindfulness training, qigong, self-healing, qi, anger, anxiety, subjective vitality, physical vitality, home practice, psychosomatic symptoms
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