Joan Halifax

2 papers in the library · publishing 2009-2021

Papers

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.

A four-week compassion meditation program delivered via smartphone increased brain activity in the medial orbitofrontal cortex (mOFC) when participants listened to stories of suffering others, compared with a condition that controlled for increased familiarity with suffering. Among compassion meditation participants, greater increases in mOFC activity correlated with greater self-reported compassion-related feelings and attributions. Compared with a placebo condition (presented as oxytocin), the meditation group showed a similar mOFC increase at an uncorrected statistical threshold. The authors conclude that the mOFC is an important brain mechanism of compassion meditation, that its effects are not explained by familiarity, and that they are partly explained by placebo effects.

DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsab052 Full text Mindfulness Burnout Compassion training Empathy +1

Impact of a contemplative end-of-life training program: being with dying.

Palliative & Supportive Care December 1, 2009 Cynda Hylton Rushton, Deborah E Sellers, Karen S Heller et al.

A professional training program in contemplative end-of-life care, based on mindfulness and receptive attention, helped clinicians cultivate presence, balanced compassion, recognition of grief, and self-care. In a survey of 95 participants and interviews with 40, the program's contemplative practices were reported as meaningful and valuable, providing skills and attitudes that changed how clinicians worked with dying and bereaved people. The quality of presence was seen as potentially transforming care for dying people and caregivers, offering alternatives to purely intellectual and task-oriented approaches.

DOI: 10.1017/s1478951509990411 Full text