Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology
February 1, 2022
Michael Moore, Mark A. Lau, Emily A. P. Haigh et al.
33 citations
Decentering—the ability to observe thoughts and feelings as temporary events in the mind—may help reduce relapse in major depression, but it is not unique to mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT). In a randomized trial, 227 formerly depressed adults received MBCT, relaxation group therapy (RGT), or treatment as usual (TAU). During acute treatment, depression levels increased in RGT and TAU but not in MBCT. Gains in decentering from mid- to posttreatment predicted reduced depression in MBCT and TAU, but not RGT, and were linked to lower relapse rates across all groups over 12 months. These exploratory findings suggest decentering is a potent but nonspecific mechanism.
Sleep Medicine
August 1, 2023
David A Kalmbach, Philip Cheng, Anthony N Reffi et al.
15 citations
A proof-of-concept trial of a treatment combining mindfulness with behavioral sleep strategies (PUMAS) for pregnant women with insomnia found large reductions in insomnia, depression, and cognitive arousal. Among 12 participants with insomnia disorder (five also had depression), 83.3% achieved insomnia remission after six telemedicine sessions. All five depressed patients remitted from depression. Nocturnal cognitive arousal, perinatal-focused rumination, and sleep effort all showed large improvements. Patients rated sleep restriction and guided meditations as most helpful and were highly satisfied with the telemedicine format and meditation app.
Biological psychiatry. Cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging
April 1, 2025
Saampras Ganesan, Fernando A Barrios, Ishaan Batta et al.
6 citations
Meditation practices, which have shown therapeutic benefits for conditions like depression, pain, addiction, and anxiety, have been studied with neuroimaging over the past decade. However, existing neuroscientific models are based on small, heterogeneous datasets, limiting generalizability and replicability. The ENIGMA-Meditation consortium is the first worldwide collaborative effort to conduct systematic meta- and mega-analyses of globally distributed neuroimaging data using standardized methods. This framework aims to improve statistical power and address multidomain heterogeneity in meditation practice types, experience, and experimental design. The consortium will generate rigorous neuroscientific insights into the mechanisms underlying meditation's therapeutic effects on psychological and cognitive attributes.
April 8, 2024
Saampras Ganesan, Aki Tsuchiyagaito, Greg J Siegle et al.
2 citations
preprint
Meditation practices, which have been adapted into manualized interventions for conditions like depression, pain, addiction, and anxiety, show therapeutic promise, but their neuroscientific basis remains unclear. Current neuroimaging studies rely on small, heterogeneous datasets that vary in practice types, participant experience, clinical targets, and imaging methods, limiting generalizability and replicability. To address this, the ENIGMA-Meditation consortium was formed as a global collaboration to conduct systematic meta- and mega-analyses of distributed neuroimaging data using standardized methods. This framework aims to improve statistical power and rigorously characterize the neural mechanisms underlying meditation's effects on psychological and cognitive attributes, advancing the field of contemplative neuroscience.
January 31, 2022
Michael Moore, Mark A. Lau, Emily A. P. Haigh et al.
2 citations
Decentering, the ability to view thoughts and feelings as temporary mental events, may help prevent relapse in major depression. In a randomized trial, 227 formerly depressed adults received mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), relaxation group therapy, or treatment as usual. During acute treatment, depression symptoms increased in the relaxation and treatment-as-usual groups but not in MBCT. Gains in decentering from mid- to post-treatment predicted reduced depression across MBCT and treatment as usual, but not relaxation therapy. Those who improved in decentering had the lowest relapse rates over 12 months, regardless of group. Results suggest decentering is a non-specific mechanism for reducing depression relapse.
Progress in Brain Research
January 1, 2019
Marieke K. van Vugt, Amir Moye, Joshua Pollock et al.
Analytical meditation and monastic debate, contemplative practices central to Tibetan Buddhist monastic training at Sera Jey Monastic University, have been largely unexplored in Western science. Based on discussions with teachers and senior students and preliminary experiments, the authors outline a theory of the psychological mechanisms underlying this highly physical form of debate. They propose that successful debating requires reasoning, critical thinking, attentional focus, working memory, emotion regulation, confidence in reasoning, and social connectedness. The cumulative hours of debate practice over 20+ years of monastic training likely cultivate these skills. Scientific research is needed to test these hypotheses and determine debate's role in psychological wellbeing and educational achievement.