Despite the burgeoning of mindfulness research, it remains unclear which components of mindfulness are directly related to symptom reduction. Furthermore, little is known about the experience of daily life mindfulness or the relationship between stress regulation and mindfulness in insomnia patients. Using a neurovisceral integration model of self-regulation, the proposed study seeks to examine the …
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Meditation and nonlinear neurodynamics: From state to trait
This study focused on brain dynamics changes in the meditative state (short-term changes) and their possible development into trait (long-term changes), in an EEG data set recorded from a group of Mindfulness Meditators (MM, n=36) with varying expertise, a group of transcendental meditators (TM, n=12), and suitable controls. We applied two measures: (a) a functional …
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Mindfulness-based kindness curriculum for preschool children: A replication and extension
The purpose of this project is to evaluate the effects of a mindfulness-based prosocial skills training curriculum in preschool students with a larger sample in order to replicate and extend findings from initial pilot work conducted in previous years. Participants from the local public school 4-year old Kindergarten program were recruited and participated in pre …
Examining the psychological effects of intensive meditation retreats for teenage youth
We posit that daily stressors exert a harmful impact on adolescents’ social-emotional health. Importantly, not all youth who experience these risks succumb to poor outcomes. We hypothesize that adolescents’ mindfulness, a state of consciousness involving a receptive attention to and awareness of present moment experiences, serves as a protective factor by helping youth regulate and …
An objective comparison of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for the treatment of insomnia in individuals with cancer using wrist actigraphy: A randomized, non-inferiority trial
Many individuals with cancer report problems achieving an adequate and restorative sleep. This difficulty is due in part to the cognitive and somatic arousal that can accompany a stressful life experience. Unfortunately, chronic sleep deprivation is linked to poor physical and psychological health and an increased risk of mortality. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) …
Real-time dynamics of cognitive processing during meditation: A subject-driven fMRI investigation
Accumulating data suggest that various forms of meditation are beneficial for both mental and physical health. However, the neural mechanisms underlying these effects remain unknown. This study directly examines the fluctuating and dynamic aspects of mental processing during meditation using a novel subject-determined fMRI design. To accomplish this, we put forth a model of naturalistic …
The interrelationship between cognitive control and affect in an intensive Vipassana retreat
We proposed a longitudinal study of intensive Vipassana meditation to investigate training-related changes in cognitive control, and to explore the relationship between cognitive control and growth in emotional well-being. The proposed data collection included participants undergoing one month of intensive meditative training at Spirit Rock Meditation Center between February and March 2009, as well as …
Different approaches to emotion regulation: MBSR and CBT in the treatment of anxiety disorders
Few randomized controlled trials have directly compared the effects of mindfulness and acceptance-based MBSR and reappraisal-based CBT in the treatment of anxiety disorders. In the current study, we propose a randomized pilot study that compares MBSR and group CBT to enable a direct assessment of training in reappraisal and mindfulness-based emotion regulatory strategies, and their …
Effects of mindfulness meditation on cell aging processes
Chronic stress and major depressive disorder are associated with accelerated cellular aging, indicated by shortened telomeres in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Psychological distress is also related to greater oxidative stress, a known cause of telomere shortening. The primary aim of the proposed research is to determine whether mindfulness meditation reduces oxidative stress and increases …
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Biopsychosocial assessment of a mindfulness-oriented treatment of alcohol dependence
This project will investigate the feasibility, acceptability, effect sizes, and therapeutic mechanisms of a novel, mindfulness-oriented cognitive therapy (MOCT) intervention for alcohol dependence, focusing on how attentional processes impact craving. A randomized control group design will be used, with 24 adult alcohol dependent persons per group. The MOCT arm will participate in 8 weekly 2 …
