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2019
Stephan A. Schwartz
8 citations
This paper discusses the ancient anthropological linkage of water and wine with sacred rituals after these substances have been the focus of nonlocal perturbation. The paper reports the changes produced can be both physical, as well as a subjective aesthetic reaction arising when individuals have a sensorial interaction with such treated substances. In making this argument the paper presents...
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2019
Julie Beischel, Shawn Tassone, Mark Boccuzzi
Modern research with mediums-individuals who regularly experience and report communication from the deceased-includes investigations of mediums' accuracy, psychology, phenomenology, and electrophysiology and the therapeutic potential of mediumship readings for the bereaved. Anecdotal reports imply that chronic medical problems may be a serious concern for mediums. The aim of this study was...
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2019
Elena Salmoirago-Blotcher, Susan Druker, Florence Meleo-Meyer et al.
Since impulsivity is associated with unhealthy behaviors in adolescents, interventions targeting impulsivity could positively affect such behaviors. Whether integrating mindfulness training (MT) into standard school-based health education could improve impulsivity is unknown. To obtain preliminary estimates of effect of MT integrated in standard high school health education on impulsivity. Two...
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2019
J Santamaría-Dávila, L M Cantera-Espinosa, M Blanco-Fernández et al.
The aim of this paper is to theoretically explore the origins and possible psychotherapeutic applications of some neo-pagan, neo-shamanic, or psycho-spiritual women's movements that are currently spreading in Western countries. In spite of their great diversity, they are all encompassed within the term "ecofeminist spirituality." This article analyzes their ideological, historical, and cultural...
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November 2018
Roberto P Benzo, Paige M Anderson, Carrie A Bronars et al.
There is strong evidence in the literature that the cultivation of mindfulness through programs such as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) has a profound impact on perceived stress for healthcare providers. The mechanism of the latter association is still being studied. However, it has been hypothesized that in particular, the cultivation of non-reactivity as a mindfulness skill may be...
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November 1, 2018
Naresh K. Patel, L. Nivethitha, A. Mooventhan
HighlightsPractice of MEMT 45 min a day for 2 weeks improves emotional regulation, positive affect, self compassion and mindfulness and reduces negative affect.All the subjects were actively participated in intervention.No adverse effects were reported throughout the study period.Intervention is feasible, easy, safe and cost‐effective. Background: Emotion regulation is often a challenge for the...
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November 2018
Celine-Marie Pascale, Catherine M Schaeff
This pilot case study sought to examine the efficacy of subtle energy treatments as conducted by Buddhist healing master Segyu Rinpoche at his Juniper Integrative Clinic in Northern California. Over the course of a year, this study followed two patients with terminal diagnoses, their treating physicians, and Segyu Rinpoche as the patients underwent treatment at the Juniper Clinic. The patients...
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October 24, 2018
S. Schwartz
3 citations
"Most discussions of religion center on dogmas and beliefs, either of a particular religion or a comparison across denomina- tions. I would like to look at religion from the perspective of a consciousness experimentalist, setting aside the dogmas and beliefs. When I look at religion, any religion, as an experimentalist, what I see is a cohort of people consensually holding a world- view. The...
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September 2018
Apar Avinash Saoji, B R Raghavendra, Kshamashree Madle et al.
The practice of yoga is associated with enhanced psychological wellbeing. The current study assessed the correlation between the duration of yoga practice with state mindfulness, mind-wandering and state anxiety. Also, we examined if an additional 20 min of yoga breathing with intermittent breath holding (experimental group) for 8 weeks would affect these psychological variables more than...
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April 30, 2018
S. Schwartz
S omething very profound is happening in science, something not seen in more than a century is occurring: the paradigm of science is changing. Consciousness, particularly nonlocal non-physiological consciousness, is becoming mainstream. The world view of materialism is increasingly inconsistent with the reported experimental data in a spectrum of disciplines, as any search of PubMed,...
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2018
Helané Wahbeh, Amira Sagher, Wallis Back et al.
103 citations
Across cultures and throughout history, transcendent states achieved through meditative practices have been reported. The practices to attain transcendent states vary from transcendental meditation to yoga to contemplative prayer, to other various forms of sitting meditation. While these transcendent states are ascribed many different terms, those who experience them describe a similar unitive,...
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2018
Stephanie Hartwell, Jeroan Allison, Bonita Jones et al.
This study uses participatory research methods with survivors of homicide and their service providers to explore the feasibility and acceptability of a culturally adapted mindfulness intervention for stress reduction and resilience in homicide survivors. Our mixed methods approach included: (a) previewing a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program with providers and survivors; (b) using their...
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2018
Roxane Raffin Chan, Jamie Beaulieu, Carolyn E Z Pickering
For persons with chronic disease, participation in meditation interventions can reduce anxiety, depression, and chronic disease symptoms in a dose dependent fashion. Unfortunately, information about how to support long-term participation in such an intervention is lacking. Therefore, a recent discovery of persons with chronic lung disease who have maintained a self-led meditation group for more...
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2018
Jason A Kaufman
The human mind-body possesses a remarkable innate ability to heal. Grounded in the evolutionarily conserved systems of the brain and body, nature appears to function as the fundamental source of wellness along the two vectors of attention and relaxation. Yet, our species is moving away from nature at a time when humanity is just beginning to rediscover its benefits. Exposure to natural...
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2018
Fatemeh Torkamani, Alireza Aghayousefi, Ahmad Alipour et al.
Based on existing psychoneuroimmunological insights, the present study aimed at investigating possible effects of a single-session group mantra-meditation on salivary immunoglobulin A (s-IgA) and affective states. A controlled pretest-posttest study enrolled 30 healthy women (mean age 44 ± 3 years) through a multi-stage random sampling method from yoga clubs in Shiraz (Feb-Dec, 2016). Subjects...
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September 1, 2017
Giovanni Caputo
Strange-face illusions are produced when two individuals gaze at each other in the eyes in low illumination for more than a few minutes. Usually, the members of the dyad perceive numinous apparitions, like the other's face deformations and perception of a stranger or a monster in place of the other, and feel a short lasting dissociation. In the present experiment, the influence of the...
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February 24, 2017
Roberto P Benzo, Janae L Kirsch, Carlie Nelson
Context: Decreased well-being of healthcare workers expressed as stress and decreased job satisfaction influences patient safety, patient satisfaction, and cost containment. Self-compassion has garnered recent attention due to its positive association with well-being and happiness. Discovering novel pathways to increase the well-being of healthcare workers is essential. Objective: This study...
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2017
Helané Wahbeh, Lauri Shainsky, Angela Weaver et al.
13 citations
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a serious health concern. Current evidence-based treatments for PTSD are efficacious; however, they are not appropriate or tolerated by everyone who needs them. Alternative treatment approaches are needed. Shamanic healing is one such therapy that may potentially be beneficial but no systematic research has been conducted on it for PTSD. The objectives of...
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2017
Enrico Facco, Daniela Lucangeli, Patrizio Tressoldi
Consciousness has been one of the most important and tantalizing issues ever since the origin of philosophy and medicine. The concept of consciousness and the so-called "hard problem" (i.e., the mind-brain relationship) are highly complex topics that have yet to be elucidated, involving the realms of both science and philosophy with profound epistemological implications. In the lively debate on...
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2017
Emmylou Rahtz, Sian Bonnell, Sarah Goldingay et al.
Dramatic self-change is a familiar concept within religious experience and is recognized within psychotherapy and some fields of nursing. However, it has been given limited consideration in wider health research, including healing research. We sought to explore the phenomenon of "healing moments". Alternative medicine practitioners attending a continuing professional development course for...
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October 24, 2016
Janet C. McConville, Rachael McAleer, Andrew J. Hahne
Background: High levels of stress have been identified in medical students and increasingly in other health profession student population groups. As stress can affect psychological well-being and interfere with learning and clinical performance, there is a clear argument for universities to include health professional student well-being as an outcome in core curriculum. Mindfulness training is...
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August 18, 2016
Jacinda K Dariotis, Fallon Cluxton-Keller, Roxanne Mirabal-Beltran et al.
Context: School-based mindfulness and yoga studies generally measure stress-related outcomes using quantitative measures. Objective: This study answers the following research questions: How do youth define stress and in what ways, if any, was a mindful yoga intervention helpful to youth during stress experiences? Design and subjects: To explore youths' own perspectives on stress, stressors in...
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April 18, 2016
Michael Nahm
Swiss geologist Albert Heim is well known for his pioneering contributions to several aspects of geology, and for his role in establishing the breeding of different kinds of Swiss mountain dogs. In the field of near-death research, it is also recognized that he performed a pioneering study into near-death states of falling mountaineers. It seems hardly known, however, that Heim also influenced...
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2016
Edward J Modestino
15 citations
A research participant came to our lab with self-proclaimed, ecstatic, Kundalini meditative experiences. Using neurophenomenology and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we were able to identify brain activation in the left prefrontal cortex [primarily in left Brodmann׳s areas (BAs) 46 and 10, but also extending into BAs 11, 47, and 45] associated with this experience. The...
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2016
Bethann Mangel Pflugeisen, Dike Drummond, Drew Ebersole et al.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of implementing a video-module-based mindfulness pilot program intended to reduce stress, improve well-being, and develop mindfulness skills in physicians in a community hospital setting. Preliminary findings are presented. Using a single-sample, pre-post study design, we administered an eight-week mindfulness training offered as part of...