Experiencing meditation - Evidence for differential effects of three contemplative mental practices in micro-phenomenological interviews.
Consciousness and Cognition July 1, 2018 Marisa Przyrembel, Tania Singer
Micro-phenomenological interviews reveal distinct affective, bodily, and sensorial signatures for three meditation practices. Breathing meditation transcripts contain the most body-related vocabulary, especially sensations in the nose and abdomen. Observing-thought meditation transcripts contain the most cognition-related vocabulary and are experienced in the head and face. Loving-kindness meditation transcripts contain the most vocabulary related to socio-affective processes and are associated with love, sensations around the heart, and warmth. These findings were replicated with an independent set of interviews, supporting micro-phenomenological interviews as a reliable tool for gathering first-person data beyond questionnaires or rating scales.