ABSTRACT
Background: The Mevlevi Sema ceremony is a Sufi ritual that includes meditation, exercise actions, and religious symbols. Sema is also a method of meditation. There are few whirling dervishes in the world. Positive effects of worship on stress and anxiety leads to a hypothesis that whirling dervishes have low stress levels, high sleep quality, and optimal neurotrophic factors.
Aim: Our aim in the present study is to determine the effect of stress levels of whirling dervishes on neurotrophic factors.
Materials And Methods: In this research, possible protective effect of Sema against stress was investigated. A total of 33 adult men comprising, 17 whirling dervishes, and 16 healthy volunteers were recruited. Neurotropic factors (VEGF, BDNF, GDNF), PNX-20, anxiety levels (BECK Anxiety Scale), and sleep quality (Richard-Campbel Sleep Scale) data were obtained from the participants.
Results: It was found that whirling dervishes have lower VEGF, BDNF, GDNF, Phoenixin levels, anxiety scores, and better sleep quality.
Conclusion: Many alternative meditation practices have being popularly utilised for stress management. Sema is a less-known type of meditation practice. Our results, revealed that Sema may be an effective tool in stress management.
Key words: Sema, whirling dervishes, neurotrophic factors, phoenixin-20, sleep, anxiety
Research Article
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KeywordsSema, Whirling Dervishes, Neurotrophic Factors, Phoenixin-20, Sleep, Anxiety