A pilot randomized controlled trial tested the feasibility of three online-delivered mindfulness practices—visceral body scan, somatosensory body scan, and external (non-body) meditation—in 48 adults recruited from social networks. The retention rate was 66.20% and adherence to meditation practice was 56.53%. Acceptability and practice quality were moderate, and most participants reported no adverse effects. Preliminary effects emerged: the visceral body scan was linked to decreased attention to unpleasant bodily sensations, and both visceral and somatosensory body scans were associated with a decrease in dampening of positive emotions. The authors conclude that feasibility improvements are needed before larger-scale research.
A self-compassion meditation procedure using a virtual reality body swap illusion (the machine to be another system) was compared with a standard audio-only meditation in 16 participants. Both conditions increased positive qualities toward self/others, decreased negative qualities toward self, and improved awareness of mental events and bodily sensations immediately after practice, with no differences between groups. After two weeks of home practice, both groups showed similar meditation frequency and increases in self-care behaviors, though clinical self-care behaviors were significantly higher in the VR group. Lower visual and cutaneous imagery ability moderated the VR condition's effectiveness in increasing adherence, suggesting embodied VR may help those who struggle with mental imagery in compassion-based interventions.