August 26, 2026
Jonathan M. Lieberman
This systematic review synthesizes evidence on the effects of meditation on physical and mental health in adults (ages 18 to 75) living with chronic physical health conditions. Meditation research in medical contexts has concentrated almost entirely on brief structured mindfulness programs such as MBSR and MBCT. Preliminary evidence from this literature indicates that mindfulness practice can...
Neuron
May 6, 2026
Matthew D. Sacchet, Jonathan M. Lieberman
Third wave meditation research-the study of advanced meditation-investigates states, stages, and endpoints of meditation practice that emerge with increasing mastery. We review current neuroscientific progress, outline future research directions, and highlight far-reaching implications of this emerging scientific subfield.
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews
February 1, 2026
Jonathan M. Lieberman, Matthew D. Sacchet
2 citations
Despite decades of progress in the neuroscience of consciousness, prevailing empirical paradigms remain largely anchored in the study of typical, content-rich states that are characterized by layered perceptual, cognitive, affective, and self-referential processes. Such complexity may obscure the neural mechanisms that give rise to conscious experience. Here, we propose that advanced...
Imaging Neuroscience
2025
Jonathan M. Lieberman, Patrick A. McConnell, Mar Estarellas et al.
9 citations
Focused attention meditation (FA) is a foundational and widely studied practice that cultivates sustained concentration by focusing on a specific object, such as the breath, while disengaging from distractions. Numerous studies have investigated the neurophysiological mechanisms of FA, examining aspects such as spectral power, connectivity patterns, and neural entropy. However, despite this...