By Laurel White
Hitting the treadmill before sitting down with your therapist may help make your therapy session more effective, according to a new National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded study from UW–Madison researchers.
The study, published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, found 30 minutes of moderate exercise before a session of cognitive behavioral therapy was associated with stronger therapist-client connection (therapeutic alliance) and greater client initiative (behavioral activation).
Jacob Meyer, an assistant professor in the School of Education’s Department of Kinesiology, led the pilot study. He says the research aims to identify additional ways to support treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) — a condition that is known to be difficult to treat.
“Research has consistently shown that exercise benefits overall mental health — this work aims to see how directly linking exercise and therapy could support better therapy outcomes for millions of people around the world,” Meyer says.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, MDD affects roughly 8% of the adult population in the United States — and 20% of adolescents between 12 and 17 years old. Meyer notes therapy and prescription drug-based interventions for MDD have been shown in studies to have limited effectiveness, with treatment success reported as low as 29% after a year.
The 40-person randomized pilot study assessed outcomes for two groups of 18 to 65-year-old adults with major depression. One group watched a 30-minute segment from a nature documentary immediately before therapy; the other group watched the same segment while doing a moderate-intensity, 30-minute cycling workout before therapy. Each group completed eight weeks of weekly cognitive behavioral therapy, completing surveys before and after each session.
With the pilot study complete, Meyer’s team is enrolling a larger group of participants as part of the three-year project funded by the NIH to rigorously test whether exercise priming can enhance psychotherapy outcomes. He says these early results are a promising prelude to additional research.
“So far, we’re seeing that exercise priming could be a low-cost way to support psychotherapy, particularly cognitive behavioral therapy,” he says. “This work reflects UW-Madison’s strength in bringing exercise science and mental health treatment together to solve real-world problems.”
Simon Goldberg, an associate professor in the School of Education’s Department of Counseling Psychology, is also a part of the project. Goldberg has deep expertise in psychotherapy process research, mental health treatment, and data analysis.
Meyer also leads a related study examining whether strength training can help individuals combat depression.