Psychology of Addictive Behaviors
August 28, 2006
Sarah Bowen, Katie Witkiewitz, Tiara M Dillworth et al.
495 citations
A Vipassana meditation course given in jail led to significant reductions in alcohol, marijuana, and crack cocaine use after release, compared to standard treatment. Participants also experienced fewer alcohol-related problems and psychiatric symptoms, along with improvements in positive psychosocial outcomes. The findings suggest mindfulness-based practices offer a viable alternative for individuals who have not succeeded with or do not wish to attend traditional addiction treatments.
International journal of clinical and health psychology : IJCHP
January 1, 2023
Fabio Giommi, Prisca R. Bauer, Aviva Berkovich-Ohana et al.
70 citations
Rigidity, or inflexibility, is a core feature of transdiagnostic processes underlying many mental health disorders. The pattern theory of self (PTS) defines the self as a dynamic, nonlinear pattern of multiple interacting processes. Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs) can reduce rigid, habitual self-patterns, thereby improving mental health. MBIs alter psychological and behavioral aspects of the self-pattern and can shift the entire self-pattern as a gestalt. Neuroscientific evidence shows that the phenomenology of the self is reflected in cortical networks, and meditation alters these networks. Combining PTS and neuroscientific findings may deepen understanding of psychopathology and improve diagnosis and treatment.
Mindfulness
April 11, 2023
Shaun Gallagher, Antonino Raffone, Aviva Berkovich-Ohana et al.
49 citations
Buddhist psychology's insights into mind-body phenomena and non-self align with the pattern theory of self, which describes the self as a dynamic, temporal, and enactive pattern of processes. Although Buddhist concepts do not map directly onto the self-pattern, both frameworks share similarities in explaining experiences of self and non-self through pragmatic, relational processes. This mutual perspective offers implications for well-being and flexibility that reduce anxiety, attachment, craving, and suffering.
Mindfulness
August 1, 2024
Aviva Berkovich-Ohana, Kirk Warren Brown, Shaun Gallagher et al.
22 citations
A selfless state of consciousness, reported for centuries in wisdom traditions, involves both temporary and lasting conditions. In psychology, the healthy self is typically emphasized, and the idea of selfless modes is sometimes dismissed, hindering empirical progress. This paper offers an interdisciplinary conceptual discussion grounded in the pattern theory of self (PTS), which views the self as a complex pattern of dynamically related processes. It proposes that meditative practices induce a reorganization of the self-pattern, enabling temporary or persistent selfless experience. The authors present a heuristic model, the pattern theory of selflessness (PTSL), with six nonlinear transformations: consolidating and integrating the self-pattern; cultivating concentration and present-moment awareness; cultivating mindful awareness; self-deconstruction states; self-flexibility; and self-liberation as a trait. This integrative view advances understanding of non-self experience and guides empirical research.
Mindfulness
May 1, 2024
Ivan Nyklı́ček, Brian D. Ostafin, Myrthe G. B. M. Boekhorst
3 citations
Mindfulness meditation is often claimed to reduce egoic functioning, but empirical evidence is mixed. Three studies examined these associations: a cross-sectional survey of 796 people, an experiment with 84 students who practiced mindfulness meditation, and an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program with 165 participants. In the cross-sectional study, most mindfulness facets were positively or not significantly associated with egoic functioning facets. The experiment found that mindfulness meditation lowered self-enhancement of positive traits. In the MBSR intervention, some egoic aspects decreased (e.g., demanding control) while others increased (e.g., refusal to comply), and these changes correlated with shifts in self-reported mindfulness and well-being. Aspects of egoic functioning relate differently to mindfulness and respond differently to brief versus longer interventions.
Mindfulness
March 6, 2026
Christopher J. May, Rhoda Schuling, Liv Ziegfeld et al.
A daily diary study with a randomized controlled design assigned couples to either an 8-week mindfulness-based course or an active control positive psychology course, with only one partner participating. Both course participants and their non-meditating partners in the mindfulness condition showed reductions in negative emotion over time. Partners in the mindfulness condition also showed a significant increase in nonreactivity, a facet of mindfulness not seen in the control group. The previous day's nonreactivity of the course-participating partner predicted the non-meditating partner's negative emotion, suggesting nonreactivity may be an important interpersonal outcome and mechanism of meditation interventions.
British Journal of Clinical Psychology
September 17, 2025
Nina K. Vollbehr, Brian D. Ostafin, Agna A. Bartels‐Velthuis et al.
In a qualitative study alongside a randomized controlled trial in the Netherlands, most young women with major depressive disorder who completed a 9-week mindful yoga intervention reported both positive (81.0%) and negative (65.5%) experiences. Positive effects most often included positive affect, meta-cognition, and physical relaxation; negative effects most often included meta-cognition, agitation or irritability, and physical inflexibility. The findings suggest that mindful yoga can yield a range of outcomes, and the authors argue that future research should assess both positive and negative effects more broadly and systematically.
Journal of Anxiety Disorders
January 1, 2021
Inka Papenfuss, Miriam J. J. Lommen, Christian Grillon et al.
People who are more mindful tend to report less anxiety, and this relationship is partly explained by lower intolerance of uncertainty (IU). In a study of 53 healthy adults, participants completed self-report measures of mindfulness, anxiety, and IU, and also underwent a threat-of-shock task (NPU-threat test) that measured physiological and subjective responses to uncertain threat. IU mediated the effect of mindfulness on some anxiety symptoms. However, physiological and subjective reactions to uncertain threat were largely unrelated to mindfulness, anxiety, or IU. The findings suggest that reactions to uncertainty may help explain how mindfulness reduces anxiety, but the laboratory threat measure did not capture this link.