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...
OBJECTIVE: 'Ego dissolution' refers to a temporary state characterized by diminished self-referential processing, which leads to a breakdown of personal boundaries and an enhanced sense of unity with the environment. Both psychedelics, such as ayahuasca, and contemplative practices, like meditation, have been proposed as mechanisms for modulating the ego. While ayahuasca induces transient...