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Sona Dimidjian

12 papers in the library · 440 citations · publishing 2009-2026

Papers

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A Critical Review and 10-Year Update on Prospects for a Clinical Science of Mindfulness-Based Intervention

Mindfulness July 7, 2026 Joseph J. Lévy, Sona Dimidjian, Zindel V. Segal

Abstract Objectives Over the past decade, research on mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) has expanded exponentially. A decade ago, Dimidjian and Segal (2015) used the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Stage Model to assess the state of the science and identify key issues limiting public health impact. The present review provided a ten-year update on the field’s progress, applying the same...

Measuring mindfulness in children: breath counting is unrelated to self-reported mindfulness but improves after mindfulness practice in 9–13 year-olds

Frontiers in Psychology September 30, 2025 Winnie Zhuang, Laura Michaelson, Sona Dimidjian et al. 1 citation

Recent calls for mindfulness measures beyond self-report abound, especially for children. Because breath awareness is central to many mindfulness practices, the breath counting task has been proposed as a behavioral measure of mindfulness for adults. In the current study, we investigated whether the breath counting task can also serve as a valid behavioral measure of children’s mindfulness. We...

Mediators of change in online mindfulness-based cognitive therapy: A secondary analysis of a randomized trial of mindful mood balance.

Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology July 17, 2023 Sona Dimidjian, Robert Gallop, Joseph J. Lévy et al. 14 citations

OBJECTIVE: Digital delivery of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy through the Mindful Mood Balance (MMB) program is clinically effective (Segal et al., 2020); however, the mechanisms through which this program delivers its benefits have not been established. METHOD: This study investigates the differential impact of the MMB program paired with usual depression care (UDC) compared to UDC alone...

Effects of compassion training on brain responses to suffering others.

Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience September 30, 2021 Yoni K Ashar, Jessica R Andrews-Hanna, Joan Halifax et al.

Compassion meditation (CM) is a promising intervention for enhancing compassion, although its active ingredients and neurobiological mechanisms are not well-understood. To investigate these, we conducted a three-armed placebo-controlled randomized trial (N = 57) with longitudinal functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). We compared a 4-week CM program delivered by smartphone application...

A Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) Intervention to Improve Resilience and Mitigate Symptoms of Burnout Syndrome in Critical Care Nurses: Results of a Randomized Trial

Open Journal of Nursing August 16, 2021 M. Mealer, Debra L Boeldt, Kathryn L Cochran et al.

Objective: Critical care nurses work in a challenging intensive care (ICU) environment that results in work-related psychological distress. Our objective was to pilot an in-person or virtual mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) program enhanced resilience and a similarly designed attention control group. Methods: We randomized ICU nurses with symptoms of burnout syndrome and decreased...

Outcomes of Online Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Patients With Residual Depressive Symptoms: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

JAMA Psychiatry January 29, 2020 Z. Segal, Sona Dimidjian, A. Beck et al.

Importance Patients with residual depressive symptoms face a gap in care because few resources, to date, are available to manage the lingering effects of their illness. Objective To evaluate the effectiveness for treating residual depressive symptoms with Mindful Mood Balance (MMB), a web-based application that delivers mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, plus usual depression care compared...

A Maturing Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy Reflects on Two Critical Issues

Current Opinion in Psychology January 28, 2019 Z. Segal, Sona Dimidjian, Rachel Vanderkruik et al.

Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy is a multimodal intervention that integrates training in mindfulness meditation and the cognitive theory of affective disorder. This hybrid nature may provide an advantage in the prevention field that addresses the critical need for enhancing wellness among people with recurrent mood disorders. Despite the robust evidence base for MBCT, its penetration at the...

Effects of compassion meditation on a psychological model of charitable donation.

Emotion (Washington, D.C.) August 1, 2016 Yoni K Ashar, Jessica R Andrews-Hanna, Tal Yarkoni et al.

Compassion is critical for societal wellbeing. Yet, it remains unclear how specific thoughts and feelings motivate compassionate behavior, and we lack a scientific understanding of how to effectively cultivate compassion. Here, we conducted 2 studies designed to a) develop a psychological model predicting compassionate behavior, and b) test this model as a mediator of a Compassion Meditation...

Prospects for a clinical science of mindfulness-based intervention.

American Psychologist October 1, 2015 Sona Dimidjian, Zindel V. Segal 297 citations

Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) are at a pivotal point in their future development. Spurred on by an ever-increasing number of studies and breadth of clinical application, the value of such approaches may appear self-evident. We contend, however, that the public health impact of MBIs can be enhanced significantly by situating this work in a broader framework of clinical psychological...

Web-Based Intervention in Mindfulness Meditation for Reducing Residual Depressive Symptoms and Relapse Prophylaxis: A Qualitative Study

Journal of Medical Internet Research March 24, 2014 Jennifer M. Boggs, Arne Beck, Jennifer N. Felder et al. 73 citations

BACKGROUND: Mindful Mood Balance (MMB) is a Web-based intervention designed to treat residual depressive symptoms and prevent relapse. MMB was designed to deliver the core concepts of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), a group treatment, which, despite its strong evidence base, faces a number of dissemination challenges. OBJECTIVE: The present study is a qualitative investigation of...

Collaboration in Mindfulness‐Based Cognitive Therapy

Journal of Clinical Psychology January 26, 2012 Jennifer N. Felder, Sona Dimidjian, Zindel V. Segal 55 citations

In this article, we describe the nature of therapeutic collaboration between psychotherapist and group participants in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), which occurs in a group format and incorporates cognitive therapy and mindfulness practices with the aim of preventing depression relapse. Collaboration is a central part of two components of MBCT: inquiry and leading mindfulness...

Mindfulness approaches to childbirth and parenting.

British journal of midwifery October 1, 2009 Annie Hughes, Mark Williams, Nancy Bardacke et al.

Mindfulness meditation is increasingly being used as a way of managing pain, reducing stress and anxiety and, in the form of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), as a way of reducing the risk of recurrence in depression (NICE, 2004). This article considers its potential for parents preparing for childbirth focusing on three areas: managing pain during pregnancy and labour; reducing risk...