Diane Joss - The Consciousness Library

Neural correlates of meditation-induced changes in self-related traits: a resting state fMRI study.

Mindfulness June 4, 2026 Diane Joss

Meditation training can influence various self-related traits, such as self-judgment (SJ), self-kindness (SK), rumination (RUM) and reflection (REF), but little is known about the underlying neural mechanisms. This study aimed to elucidate the neural correlates of changes in traits of SJ, SK, RUM, and REF in response to mindfulness meditation training. Secondary data analyses were conducted on...

DOI: 10.1007/s12671-026-02885-9 Full text Meditation Compassion Empathy Reflection +2

Non-attachment as a potential mechanism for the effects of mindfulness meditation on obsessive-compulsive symptoms among survivors of adverse childhood experiences.

Current psychology (New Brunswick, N.J.) October 1, 2025 Diane Joss

Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms (OCS) arise from maladaptive appraisal of intrusive thoughts, for which Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) can be a major risk factor, due to distorted senses of responsibility and control. Emerging research suggests Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs) can be beneficial for reducing OCS, but existing mechanistic understandings are still based on exposure...

DOI: 10.1007/s12144-025-08245-5 Full text Buddhism Anxiety Depression Meditation +2

Mindfulness-based interventions for preventing childhood maltreatment and restoring health among survivors: a public health perspective.

Mindfulness June 1, 2025 Diane Joss

This commentary on "Oman (2023) Mindfulness for Global Public Health: Critical Analysis and Agenda" provides a public health perspective on the utilization of mindfulness meditation for preventing childhood maltreatment, building resilience, and restoring health for adults with adverse childhood experiences. A multi-level multi-sectoral framework was proposed for using mindfulness-based...

DOI: 10.1007/s12671-025-02585-w Full text Meditation Ace Ecophenotype Mechanism +2

PCC-hippocampal functional connectivity associated with stress biomarker changes after meditation training for healthy adults.

Neuroscience Letters May 23, 2025 Diane Joss, Gunes Sevinc, John W. Denninger et al. 1 citation

Meditation training has been shown to improve physical and mental health and promote neural plasticity, but more research is needed on the relationships between these effects. This study analyzed the Resting State Functional Connectivity (RSFC) of posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) among 94 chronically stressed but otherwise healthy adults randomized 1:1:1 to receive eight weeks of in-person...

DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2025.138272 Full text Meditation Biomarker Inflammation MRI +10

Neural correlates of reduction in self-judgment after mindful self-compassion training: A pilot study with resting state fMRI.

Journal of Mood and Anxiety Disorders March 1, 2025 Diane Joss, Michael Datko, Charisma I Washington et al. 5 citations

Self-judgment is a trans-diagnostic symptom among various psychological disorders, therefore can be a therapeutic target for many common psychiatric conditions. Self-judgment often arises among those who experienced childhood maltreatment, which increases the risk for developing comorbid psychiatric disorders that are resistant to traditional pharmacological and psychological interventions....

DOI: 10.1016/j.xjmad.2024.100096 Full text Mindfulness Neural plasticity Childhood trauma Compassion +2

Modulating mechanisms of adverse childhood experiences in a mindfulness-based intervention: preliminary insights from an opioid use disorder study.

Frontiers in Psychology 2025 Diane Joss, Joseph Rosansky, Paula Gardiner et al. 1 citation

Adverse childhood experiences (ACE) are transdiagnostic developmental risk factors for various mental and physical health issues, including Opioid Use Disorder (OUD). Existing research demonstrated ACE not only affects the onset, severity, and comorbidity of disorders, but also affects treatment responses. To investigate whether and how ACE modulates treatment effects of Mindfulness Based...

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1529106 Full text Addiction Anxiety Depression Meditation +2

Temporal dynamics and long-term effects of a mindfulness-based intervention for young adults with adverse childhood experiences.

Mindfulness September 1, 2024 Diane Joss, Martin H. Teicher, Sara W. Lazar 11 citations

Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have been shown to be beneficial for young adults with adverse childhood experiences (ACE), but the temporal course of the therapeutic effects is still not well understood. This study aimed to investigate MBI-induced weekly changes and long-term effects in trait mindfulness and psychological symptoms. This study analyzed longitudinal data from a...

DOI: 10.1007/s12671-024-02439-x Full text Depression Causal inference Long term Somatization +2

Beneficial effects of mindfulness-based intervention on hippocampal volumes and episodic memory for childhood adversity survivors

Journal of Affective Disorders Reports March 30, 2024 Diane Joss, Martin H. Teicher, Sara W. Lazar

Background: Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) has detrimental impacts on neural development, especially hippocampal morphometry. Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBI) has been shown to induce adaptive hippocampal changes especially at the subiculum. The present study aims to investigate the effects of MBI on subiculum volumes among ACE survivors, as well as the effects on episodic memory as a...

DOI: 10.1016/j.jadr.2024.100769 Full text Meditation Episodic memory Subiculum Cognition +2

Childhood adversity severity modulates the associations between adaptive psychological changes and amygdala volumetric changes in response to behavioral interventions.

Journal of Affective Disorders Reports 2024 Diane Joss, Junjie Lu, Martin H. Teicher et al. 16 citations

Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) has been shown to have detrimental impact on amygdala structure. Prior research found that adaptive psychological changes after Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBI) were associated with amygdala volumetric changes. The present study aims to further investigate whether such effects also occur among ACE survivors and whether the effects are unique to MBI. A...

DOI: 10.1016/j.jadr.2023.100714 Full text Anxiety Depression Meditation Childhood maltreatment +2

Protocol for a Pilot Study on the Neurocardiac Mechanism of an Interoceptive Compassion-Based Heart-Smile Training for Depression.

Global advances in integrative medicine and health 2024 Eunmi Kim, Diane Joss, Frannie Marin et al. 1 citation

Heart-Smile Training (HST) is an interoceptive compassion-based behavioral intervention that in case reports has been beneficial for depression. Interoception refers to the awareness and regulation of physiological signals from inside the body. Depressed patients often have diminished interoceptive awareness and often experience disconnection from bodily needs and sensations. In addition to...

DOI: 10.1177/27536130241299389 Full text Depression Compassion Heart smile training Interoception +2

Effects of a Mindfulness-Based Intervention on Self-Compassion and Psychological Health Among Young Adults With a History of Childhood Maltreatment

Frontiers in Psychology October 23, 2019 Diane Joss, Alaptagin Khan, Sara W. Lazar et al. 63 citations

Individuals who were maltreated during childhood are faced with increased risks for developing various psychological symptoms that are particularly resistant to traditional treatments. This pilot study investigated the effects of a mindfulness based behavioral intervention for young adults with childhood maltreatment history. This study looked at self-report psychological questionnaires from 20...

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02373 Mindfulness Anxiety Self-compassion Clinical psychology +3

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