Mindfulness
March 26, 2025
Savannah V. VandenBos, Jennifer J. Pokorny, Alea C. Skwara et al.
The COVID-19 pandemic prompted an unprecedented shift in the dissemination of meditation and mindfulness-based instruction from being predominantly in-person to almost exclusively online. Here, we investigated the advantages and disadvantages of these online formats from both teacher and practitioner perspectives, with a focus on perceived efficacy and accessibility. In Study 1, teachers of...
Frontiers in Endocrinology
2024
Quinn A Conklin, Anthony P Zanesco, Brandon G King et al.
Given its putative roles in mediating prosocial behavior, attachment bonds, and stress physiology, oxytocin modulation has been hypothesized to be a biological correlate of the salubrious effects of meditation practice. Here we investigated the effects of a month-long silent meditation retreat on changes in oxytocin, and the related hormone and vasopressin, in relation to psychosocial changes...
Brain Behavior and Immunity Integrative
September 1, 2023
Quinn A Conklin, Cavan E. Patterson, Brandon G King et al.
Background: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a modulatory neuroprotein implicated in learning, memory, and neuroplasticity. Studies have found increased peripheral BDNF in participants of meditation interventions, indicating that BDNF may play a role in the learning and habit formation that occurs with meditation training. In this study, we assessed changes in peripheral BDNF protein...
Mindfulness
January 30, 2023
Anthony P Zanesco, Brandon G King, Quinn A Conklin et al.
Objectives Contemplative practice can occasion powerful psychological experiences. Yet few empirical studies have investigated whether their occurrence is associated with intensive meditation-based interventions. Here, we assess the prevalence of profound, meaningful, and mystical experiences in experienced meditators during a month-long insight meditation retreat compared to a control group of...
Comprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology
August 1, 2022
María Jesús Álvarez-López, Quinn A Conklin, Marta Cosín-Tomás et al.
Meditation retreats are characterized by intensive or concentrated periods of meditation practice, commonly undertaken in a residential setting. Although research indicates that meditation training can positively influence physical and mental health outcomes, the biological consequences of meditation retreat interventions are relatively understudied. In this study, we examined the influence of...
Current Opinion in Psychology
August 1, 2019
Brandon G King, Quinn A Conklin, Anthony P Zanesco et al.
Contemporary investigations of mindfulness and meditation have predominately emphasized the short-term effects of brief inductions or standardized, multi-week interventions in people with little to no prior meditation experience. Considerably less is known about the effects of continued or intensive meditation practice as proficiency and expertise are acquired over time. In this article, we...
Current Opinion in Psychology
November 19, 2018
Quinn A Conklin, Alexandra D Crosswell, Clifford D Saron et al.
Both theoretical and empirical work support the notion that meditation training can improve telomere regulation, which may ultimately contribute to healthy aging. Yet, the psychological and biological mechanisms underlying these changes remain underspecified, as do the contexts and boundary conditions in which these changes occur. Here we summarize studies investigating the effects of various...
Brain, Behavior, and Immunity
August 1, 2018
Quinn A Conklin, Brandon G King, Anthony P Zanesco et al.
correction
a Center for Mind and Brain, University of California, Davis, 267 Cousteau Place, Davis, CA 95618, United States Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, 135 Young Hall, Davis, CA 95616, United States c Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, 600 16th St, San Francisco, CA 94158, United States d Center for Neuroscience, University of...
Brain, Behavior, and Immunity
May 1, 2018
Quinn A Conklin, Brandon G King, Anthony P Zanesco et al.
A growing body of evidence suggests that meditation training may have a range of salubrious effects, including improved telomere regulation. Telomeres and the enzyme telomerase interact with a variety of molecular components to regulate cell-cycle signaling cascades, and are implicated in pathways linking psychological stress to disease. We investigated the effects of intensive meditation...