While there is some initial indication that mindfulness meditation interventions can improve social relationship functioning outcomes, this work has not been well controlled and we know little about how mindfulness interventions improve social relationships. We conducted an active treatment controlled 3-arm trial of mindfulness meditation training programs in a stressed community sample (N=153), using a …
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Bringing relief to caregivers: Evaluating the effects of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction on relational quality, psychological well-being and cognitive function in caregivers of patients with dementia
Caregivers of persons with dementia are a considerably understudied segment of the population. Caregiver burden is widely recognized and characterized by an increased risk for stress-related disorders and illness, including depression, sleep disorder, and cognitive impairment. Employing a randomized controlled trial, this study examined the effect of mindfulness training on cognitive function and psychological wellbeing …
Impacts of tailored mindfulness training for maternal caregivers on intrapersonal wellbeing and interpersonal experiences
The chronic stress of caregiving can lead to experiences of chronic fear, and impair relationships, creating frequent conflict and mistrust. We developed a tailored mindfulness-based intervention, (Health Enhancement and Resiliency Training (HEART) for caregiving mothers of children with autism and mothers of neurotypical children. HEART aims to promote awareness, reduce experiential avoidance, promote acceptance of …
Mindfulness in interpersonal judgments and relationships in daily life
Having close social connections powerfully predicts well-being and longevity (Holt-Lunstad, Smith, & Layton, 2010). Our study examined whether taking a 6-week mindfulness meditation training would lead to gains in perceived social connection from pre to post training, compared to an active-control wellness training group. We also examined possible cognitive and emotional mechanisms of this hypothesized …
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Trauma-Informed Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction to promote intra- and interpersonal flourishing among survivors of traumatic violence
This pilot randomized control trial (RCT) addressed the design and evaluation of a trauma-informed adaptation of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (TI-MBSR) as a trauma-informed intervention for women who identified themselves as survivors of interpersonal violence and felt that these past experience still negatively affected them currently. A mixed methods approach included using quantitative measures to …
Overcoming the self: A multi-method investigation of trait mindfulness, self-other overlap, and egocentricity in romantic relationships
Contemplative practices cultivate well-being in oneself but also foster other-oriented emotions, such as empathy, perspective-taking, and compassion. This may be due to a reduction in egocentric thought. However, the neural mechanisms behind how mindfulness reduces ego and how this might impact romantic relationships has not yet been explored. This study proposes a multi-method investigation of …
Assessing dynamic brain connectivity patterns and the phenomenology of autobiographical remembering as a function of specificity and perspective taking manipulations
Remembering autobiographical memories of personal past experiences is very common during our daily life. When remembering these memories, the lack of contextual specificity (where and when the event happened) because of an exacerbated self-absorption by overwhelming feelings may lead to increased emotional distress. In contrast, increasing specificity by promoting a focus on contextual aspects instead …
Exploring the uptake and potential efficacy of brief mindfulness meditation for underserved female tobacco smokers
Mindfulness is associated with positive psychosocial, physical and mental health outcomes prompting research to investigate mindfulness as a tool for smoking cessation. However, there remains sparse evidence on the acceptability and effectiveness of mindfulness interventions in underserved populations, such as low-income, female smokers, who often have elevated levels of daily stress and greater barriers to …
Can meditation practice ameliorate the consequences of early life adversity on telomere regulation?
Encountering social, economic, or family adversity early in life can exert lifelong consequences on stress systems that contribute to health and well-being. On the cellular level, early life adversity can negatively impact telomeres, which are repetitive DNA sequences that protect chromosomes from instability and degradation. Telomeres typically shorten slowly with age, but are shorter in …
Measuring meta-awareness in the present moment
You know that moment when you notice your mind wandering? Maybe you’re reading a book and notice that you’ve been scanning the page but thinking unrelated thoughts? This project will develop an innovative tool to model when and how your brain notices, i.e. “meta-awareness” (MA). We have some idea of neural-correlates of MA (the salience …
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