MindfulnessJuly 14, 2026Karina Solovieff, Miguel Angel Murua, María Arqueros et al.
Mental health professionals are at elevated risk for psychological distress and reduced well-being, yet the effects of intensive Zen retreats in this population remain understudied. This study tested whether a 5-day silent, residential Zen-style mindfulness retreat yielded greater improvement than a time- and content-matched Dharma-talk comparator in distress, well-being, self-compassion, and...
BACKGROUND Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is characterized by emotion dysregulation, interpersonal difficulties, and high levels of self-criticism, which may hinder engagement with compassion-based therapeutic practices. Oxytocin has been proposed as a modulator of social-affective processes and may facilitate specific mechanisms involved in psychotherapy. METHODS In this pilot study, 18...
Introduction: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic condition where many patients remain symptomatic despite first-line treatments such as cognitive behavioural therapy and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. This randomised controlled trial evaluated mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) efficacy as an augmentation strategy and its impact on brain functional connectivity....
Mindfulness skills training is a core component of Dialectical Behavior Therapy and aims to improve emotion dysregulation (ED) in people with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). However, the underlying mechanisms of change are not fully understood. A total of 75 BPD outpatients participated in a 10-week mindfulness skills training. Multilevel models with a time-lagged approach were conducted...
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has a global mean prevalence of 5%. Cognitive Training (CT) and Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs) have shown promising results in managing ADHD symptoms, but they are not its Treatment-As-Usual (TAU). The NeuroMind Study aims to evaluate the preliminary effectiveness and feasibility of three interventions: Mindfulness for Health (M4H), CT...
The Toronto Mindfulness Scale (TMS) and the State Mindfulness Scale (SMS) are two relevant self-report measures of state mindfulness. The purpose of this study was to examine the internal structure and to offer evidence of the reliability and validity of the Spanish versions of the TMS and SMS. Data from six distinct non-clinical samples in Spain were obtained. They responded to the TMS (n =...
Objectives: Mindfulness has been defined differently in academic scientific contexts and in Buddhist academic contexts. An under-studied area is that of lay (non-academic) theories of mindfulness. The goal of this article is to identify, organize, analyze in detail, and provide themes from the meditators' definitions of mindfulness. Possible differences and similarities of the collected...
Abstract Objective Ayahuasca is a psychedelic brew that originated in the Amazon basin. The psychological effects of this drug are becoming better understood due to the growing research interest in identifying new potential therapeutic agents for the treatment of emotion dysregulation and other disorders. Previous studies suggest that ayahuasca enhances mindfulness‐related capacities...
ABSTRACT The ZNF804A gene and cannabis use are risk factors for psychosis and both have also been associated with schizotypal traits. This study aimed to investigate: i) the association of lifetime cannabis use (and its dose effect) with schizotypal personality traits, and ii) whether the genetic variability at ZNF804A gene modulates that association. Our sample consisted of 385 Spanish...
There has been increased interest in the relationships between religiosity, meditation practice and well-being, but there is lack of understanding as to how specific religious components and distinct meditation practices could influence different positive and negative psychological adjustment outcomes. The aim of this study was to assess the explanatory power of religious beliefs and the...
BackgroundResearch suggests that mindfulness-based interventions may improve mindfulness-related capacities (e.g., decentering, non-judging, and non-reacting) and emotion regulation. Previously, our group reported that ayahuasca could be a potential analogue of mindfulness practice. The main aim of the current study was to examine the effects of ayahuasca on emotional regulation and...
As dimensions of effortful control (EC), activation control, attentional control, and inhibitory control could mediate the relationship between mindfulness meditation practice and the facets of mindfulness (i.e., observing, describing, acting with awareness, non-judging and non-reacting to inner experience). In this study, we tested whether participant status: meditators (n = 330), healthy...
Ayahuasca is a psychedelic decoction originating from Amazonia. The ayahuasca-induced introspective experience has been shown to have potential benefits in the treatment of several pathologies, to protect mental health and to improve neuropsychological functions and creativity, and boost mindfulness. The underlying psychological processes related to the use of ayahuasca in a psychotherapeutic...
Background: The therapeutic effects of the Amazonian plant tea ayahuasca may relate to its ability to enhance mindfulness capacities. Ayahuasca induces a modified state of awareness through the combined action of its active principles: the psychedelic N,N- dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and a series of centrally acting β-carbolines, mainly harmine and tetrahydroharmine. To better understand the...
OBJECTIVES: Despite the long-term use and evidence-based efficacy of meditation and mindfulness-based interventions, there is still a lack of data about the possible unwanted effects (UEs) of these practices. The aim of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of UEs among meditation practitioners, considering moderating factors such as the type, frequency, and lifetime duration of the...
BackgroundDialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) skills have become increasingly used to treat several psychiatric conditions, including major depressive disorder (MDD). The aim of the study was to investigate the efficacy of an intervention that combines emotion regulation and mindfulness skills of DBT to prevent depression relapse/recurrence.MethodsA total of 75 individuals (79% females; mean...
Background: Ayahuasca is a plant tea containing the psychedelic 5-HT2A agonist N,N-dimethyltryptamine and harmala monoamine-oxidase inhibitors. Acute administration leads to neurophysiological modifications in brain regions of the default mode network, purportedly through a glutamatergic mechanism. Post-acutely, ayahuasca potentiates mindfulness capacities in volunteers and induces rapid and...
Several meditation practices are associated with mindfulness-based interventions but little is known about their specific effects on the development of different mindfulness facets. This study aimed to assess the relations among different practice variables, types of meditation, and mindfulness facets. The final sample was composed of 185 participants who completed an on-line survey, including...
Although mindfulness is included in many positive psychology manuals as a “positive” technique, the implications of its use have scarcely been developed and the relationship between mindfulness and human well-being has barely been researched. Analyzing the main strengths of the two fields, the possibilities for their integration and the potential contradictions between their messages is...
Mindfulness-based interventions, rooted in old Buddhist practices, have been updated and adapted to the western context. In the present review, the most frequently used mindfulness interventions will be described as well as the psychological mechanisms activated by them. Afterwards, applied studies will be reviewed. First, clinical trials and meta-analytic studies focused on interventions for...
Ayahuasca is the Quechua name for a tea obtained from the vine Banisteriopsis caapi, and used for ritual purposes by the indigenous populations of the Amazon. The use of a variation of the tea that combines B. caapi with the leaves of the shrub Psychotria viridis has experienced unprecedented expansion worldwide for its psychotropic properties. This preparation contains the psychedelic 5-HT2A...
The aim of this randomized pilot study is to investigate the effects of a short training programme in loving-kindness and compassion meditation (LKM/CM) in patients with borderline personality disorder. Patients were allocated to LKM/CM or mindfulness continuation training (control group). Patients in the LKM/CM group showed greater changes in Acceptance compared with the control group....
Background: Impulsivity is considered a core characteristic of borderline personality disorder (BPD). Previous research on the effects of mindfulness training (MT) has shown that it might modify impulsivity-related aspects of BPD. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the impact of MT on various facets of impulsivity in BPD patients. Methods: Subjects with BPD diagnosis (n = 64)...