45 papers in the library · 2,285 citations · publishing 1996-2026
Frontiers in Psychology 2019 Jonathan Nash, Andrew B. Newberg, Bhuvanesh Awasthi correction
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00806.].
International Journal of Transpersonal Studies September 1, 2018 Andrew B. Newberg, Mark R. Waldman 9 citations
A neurotheological approach suggests an analysis of spiritual awakening experiences by combining phenomenological data with neuroscience. This paper presents a synthesis combining information on the thoughts, feelings, and experiences associated with spiritual awakening experiences and neurophysiological data, primarily from neuroimaging studies, to help assess which brain structures might be...
Review of General Psychology May 1, 2017 David Bryce Yaden, Jonathan Haidt, Ralph W. Hood et al. 682 citations
Various forms of self-loss have been described as aspects of mental illness (e.g., depersonalization disorder), but might self-loss also be related to mental health? In this integrative review and proposed organizational framework, we focus on self-transcendent experiences (STEs)—transient mental states marked by decreased self-salience and increased feelings of connectedness. We first identify...
Religion, Brain & Behavior March 22, 2017 Andrew B. Newberg, Nancy Wintering, David B. Yaden et al. 19 citations
Spiritual retreats are a commonly used intensive program of meditation and prayer, along with other elements, designed to provide participants with opportunities for spiritual and psychological growth. While individual elements of such retreats have been studied, there have been no reports in the literature regarding the neurophysiological effects of these retreats. This preliminary study...
Journal of Humanistic Psychology October 24, 2016 David B. Yaden, Khoa D. Le Nguyen, Margaret L. Kern et al. 125 citations
Experiences of profound existential or spiritual significance can be triggered reliably through psychopharmacological means using psychedelic substances. However, little is known about the benefits of religious, spiritual, or mystical experiences (RSMEs) prompted by psychedelic substances, as compared with those that occur through other means. In this study, 739 self-selected participants...
Journal of physiology, Paris December 2015 Andrew B. Newberg, Nancy Wintering, David B. Yaden et al.
This paper presents a case series with preliminary data regarding the neurophysiological effects of specific prayer practices associated with the Islamic religion. Such practices, like other prayer practices, are likely associated with several coordinated cognitive activities and a complex pattern of brain physiology. However, there may also be changes specific to the goals of Islamic prayer...
Psychology of Religion and Spirituality July 27, 2015 David B. Yaden, Johannes C. Eichstaedt, H. Andrew Schwartz et al. 68 citations
Mystical experiences are often described as “ineffable,” or beyond language. However, people readily speak about their mystical experiences if asked about them. How do people describe what is supposedly indescribable? In this study, we used quantitative linguistic analyses to interpret the writings of 777 participants (45.5% female, 51.0% male) who recounted their most significant spiritual or...
Adolescent Psychiatry 2015 Anup Sharma, Andrew B. Newberg
Background: Mind-Body practices constitute a large and diverse group of practices that can substantially affect neurophysiology in both healthy individuals and those with various psychiatric disorders. In spite of the growing literature on the clinical and physiological effects of mind-body practices, very little is known about their impact on central nervous system (CNS) structure and function...
Journal of Applied Gerontology December 9, 2014 Aleezé S Moss, Diane K. Reibel, Jeffrey M Greeson et al.
The purpose of this study was to test the feasibility and effectiveness of an adapted 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program for elders in a continuing care community. This mixed-methods study used both quantitative and qualitative measures. A randomized waitlist control design was used for the quantitative aspect of the study. Thirty-nine elderly were randomized to MBSR (n =...
Frontiers in Psychology March 18, 2014 Andrew B. Newberg 77 citations
The purpose of this paper will be to provide a perspective on the current state of the research evaluating the neurobiological correlates of spiritual practices and review the methodological issues that confront this research field. There are many types of spiritual practices that might be studied including prayer and meditation, as well as unusual practices such as mediumistic trance states,...
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences January 2014 Andrew B. Newberg, Mijail Serruya, Nancy Wintering et al.
Neurodegenerative diseases pose a significant problem for the healthcare system, doctors, and patients. With an aging population, more and more individuals are developing neurodegenerative diseases and there are few treatment options at the present time. Meditation techniques present an interesting potential adjuvant treatment for patients with neurodegenerative diseases and have the advantage...
Frontiers in Psychology 2013 Jonathan Nash, Andrew B. Newberg 182 citations
One of the well-documented concerns confronting scholarly discourse about meditation is the plethora of semantic constructs and the lack of a unified definition and taxonomy. In recent years there have been several notable attempts to formulate new lexicons in order to define and categorize meditation methods. While these constructs have been useful and have encountered varying degrees of...
Stress and Health December 2012 Daniel A Monti, Kathryn M Kash, Elisabeth J S Kunkel et al.
This study employed functional magnetic resonance imaging to evaluate changes in cerebral blood flow (CBF) associated with the Mindfulness-based Art Therapy (MBAT) programme and correlate such changes to stress and anxiety in women with breast cancer. Eighteen breast cancer patients were randomized to the MBAT or education control group. The patients received the diagnosis of breast cancer...
Consciousness and Cognition December 2010 Andrew B. Newberg, Nancy Wintering, Mark R. Waldman et al.
We have studied a number of long-term meditators in previous studies. The purpose of this study was to determine if there are differences in baseline brain function of experienced meditators compared to non-meditators. All subjects were recruited as part of an ongoing study of different meditation practices. We evaluated 12 advanced meditators and 14 non-meditators with cerebral blood flow...
Archives of General Psychiatry August 1, 2010 Nancy Diazgranados, Lobna Ibrahim, Nancy E. Brutsché et al. 969 citations
CONTEXT: Existing therapies for bipolar depression have a considerable lag of onset of action. Pharmacological strategies that produce rapid antidepressant effects-for instance, within a few hours or days-would have an enormous impact on patient care and public health. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether an N-methyl-D-aspartate-receptor antagonist produces rapid antidepressant effects in subjects...
Journal of Alzheimer's Disease 2010 Andrew B. Newberg, Nancy Wintering, Dharma S Khalsa et al.
This preliminary study determined if subjects with memory loss problems demonstrate changes in memory and cerebral blood flow (CBF) after a simple 8-week meditation program. Fourteen subjects with memory problems had an IV inserted and were injected with 250 MBq of Tc-99m ECD while listening to a neutral stimulus CD. They then underwent a pre-program baseline SPECT scan. Then subjects were...
Nuclear medicine communications December 2009 Dharma Singh Khalsa, Daniel Amen, Chris Hanks et al.
To examine changes in brain physiology during a chanting meditation practice using cerebral blood flow single-photon emission computed tomography. Single-photon emission computed tomography scans were acquired in 11 healthy individuals during either a resting state or meditation practice randomly performed on two separate days. Statistical parametric mapping analyses were conducted to identify...
The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine January 2009 Debbie L Cohen, Nancy Wintering, Victoria Tolles et al.
Experienced practitioners of yoga have been shown to alter brain function, but this case series measured cerebral blood flow before and after a 12-week training program in Iyengar yoga (IY) for naïve subjects. On the first day, each of the 4 subjects listened to the teacher speaking on the history and background of the yoga program while they were injected with 250 MBq of (99m)Tc-bicisate and...
Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine December 27, 2007 E. Short, S. Kose, Q. Mu et al.
Meditation involves attentional regulation and may lead to increased activity in brain regions associated with attention such as dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we examined whether DLPFC and ACC were activated during meditation. Subjects who meditate were recruited and scanned on a 3.0 Tesla scanner....
Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science June 2, 1996 Eugene G. D'Aquili, Andrew B. Newberg
Abstract. We consider only the relationship of consciousness to physical reality, whether physical reality is interpreted as the brain, artificial intelligence, or the universe as a whole. The difficulties with starting the analysis with physical reality on the one hand and with consciousness on the other are delineated. We consider how one may derive from the other. Concepts of universal or...