Fostering awareness of our lifestyle
Dr. Benzo's lab aims to develop interventions to improve quality of life through mindfulness, rehabilitation and behavior change.
Overview
The Mindful Breathing Laboratory of Roberto P. Benzo, M.D., studies how self-awareness, mindfulness, physical activity and self-management impact the health and lifestyle of people who live with chronic conditions. These conditions include chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), fibrotic lung disease, lung cancer, sleep apnea, lung transplant, bronchiectasis, obesity, post-intensive care unit syndrome and pulmonary hypertension.
Our lab develops and tests interventions that empower people to be more present and open to self-awareness and self-exploration to adopt a lifestyle that provides balance (health). Led by Dr. Benzo, our research team seeks to improve the quality of life for people with chronic conditions through meditation, health coaching for lifestyle change, home-based rehabilitation, regular physical activity and other interventions.
Dr. Benzo launched the Mindful Breathing Laboratory at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, with funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to explore how a healthier lifestyle could impact health outcomes for people with chronic lung disease. We later expanded our scope to investigate the potential beneficial effects of purposeful attention (mindfulness) and how a person's willingness to participate in their health (participatory medicine) may affect outcomes. Our lab also promotes the cultivation of psychological flexibility to enhance well-being through health coaching for behavior change.
Our team aims to understand aspects of mechanistic behavior exploration to find balance in the context of chronic conditions. We do this through lifestyle and behavior change using motivational interviewing and the psychotherapy approach called acceptance and commitment therapy as a framework for guiding conversations.
Our research shows that the motivation to change best comes from within an individual, not when it's imposed from the outside. Results from several interventions in our lab indicate that a quiet and eliciting style of communication is more effective than is persuasion to create the conditions for behavior change. Read more details about Dr. Benzo's approach to motivational interviewing on the COPD Foundation website.
About mindfulness
The teachings of mindfulness by Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., have been seminal to the projects in our laboratory. We also learned and incorporated the teachings of Russ Harris on acceptance and commitment therapy as a straightforward way to practice mindfulness in daily life and to connect to our true values that guide everyday behaviors.
Being present requires hard work — particularly inner work — and willingness to carve out time each day to practice. The systematic practice of paying attention can change how the brain is wired and may have the potential to change the progress of a health condition, perhaps leading to greater well-being and a reduced need for care.
Changing behavior requires will and motivation. Dr. Benzo believes that increasing awareness of what you do or don't do each day in your lifestyle may trigger the wisdom and intention for a behavior change.
About Dr. Benzo
Dr. Benzo is a pulmonologist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester and an associate professor of medicine at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science. Dr. Benzo's interests focus on managing chronic conditions and quality of life. As a researcher, the core of his work is investigating the beneficial effects of promoting awareness of lifestyle and life balance. Dr. Benzo also is a yoga and meditation instructor and a triathlete.
Health, balance & personal transformation: An interview with Dr. Benzo