The purpose of this presentation is to share some procedures and data on the use of mindfulness in special cases such as Alzheimer´s disease and psychosis. In the first case, the efficacy of a mindfulness based Alzheimer stimulation group was compared to cognitive stimulation, progressive relaxation and control groups in a double blind randomized clinical trial with 127 subjects, which lasted 2 years. Results indicated a lower decline of global cognitive function in the mindfulness group, and support the idea that mindfulness practice can be a viable and useful alternative within non-pharmacological treatments for Alzheimer´s disease. In the second case, a pilot study was conducted implementing mindfulness practices (awareness of the breath and of the body) in the treatment of 9 psychotic patients in a public mental health setting during 3 months. Results showed no worsening of symptoms during this period, a decrease of anxiety scores and an increase of interoceptive awareness, in particular referred to feeling the body as a secure place. Although preliminary, these data seem to indicate that mindfulness practices have great potential to be explored in the field of psychosis.
