June 4, 2025Dusana Dorjee, Thy Nguyen, Oliveira Martins1 citation
preprint
ObjectivesSelf-transcendent and non-dual states of awareness are increasingly investigated in research on mechanisms underpinning contemplative practices and their mental health applications. This study presents initial validation of a new measure of such states - Inventory of Modes of Existential Awareness (IMEA) - based on a typology of 15 distinct self-transcendent states - modes of...
When considering the numerous mindfulness-based and mindfulness-informed programs that have flourished in the past decades it is not always clear that they all refer to the same "mindfulness. " To facilitate more clarity and precision in describing, researching and teaching mindfulness in the secular settings, we propose a classification framework of mindfulness practices, intentions behind...
Abstract Objectives A positive association between trait mindfulness and cognitive reappraisal has previously been found. Using event-related potentials (ERPs), we investigated the impact of an 8-week MBSR course on early and late stages of emotion regulation using mindfulness and reappraisal. Methods Participants were allocated into an 8-week MBSR training group (n = 14 for task reports and...
Psychophysiological research on meditation examines modulations in brain and body physiology resulting from, or associated with, meditation. This chapter considers the available evidence regarding the effects of meditation on psychophysiological markers, including frontal electroencephalography (EEG) alpha asymmetry, event-related brain potentials (ERPs), heart-rate variability (HRV) and its...
In a non-randomized controlled study, we investigated the efficacy of a school-based mindfulness curriculum delivered by schoolteachers to older secondary school students (16-18 years). We measured changes in emotion processing indexed by P3b event-related potential (ERP) modulations in an affective oddball task using static human faces. ERPs were recorded to happy and sad face oddballs...
Our understanding of the effects of meditations developing existential insight is very limited. This chapter provides an in-depth examination of this type of meditation, starting with an overview of insight practice categories and conceptualizations. Neuroscientific evidence relevant to existential insight practices is discussed in four categories: attentional foundations of existential...
The last chapter introduces a framework of contemplative science as a new discipline investigating changes in the metacognitive self-regulatory capacity (MSRC) of the mind and shifts in modes of existential awareness (MEA) resulting from meditation training. Building on this framework, it further outlines the disciplines of contemplative psychology, contemplative psychotherapy, contemplative...
Studies investigating the feasibility and impact of mindfulness programs on emotional well-being when delivered by school teachers in pre-adolescence are scarce. This study reports the findings of a controlled feasibility pilot which assessed acceptability and emotional well-being outcomes of an 8-week mindfulness program (Paws b) for children aged 7-9 years. The program was delivered by school...
Mindfulness training is increasingly being introduced in schools, yet studies examining its impact on the developing brain have been scarce. A neurodevelopmental perspective on mindfulness has been advocated as a powerful tool to enhance our understanding of underlying neurocognitive changes that have implications for developmental well-being research and the implementation of mindfulness in...