Throughout human history, movement has functioned not only as a physical activity but also as a ritual, considered a healing practice linked to meaning-making and social balance. Bodily performances and ritual-based practices—such as folk dances and mystical rituals—have historically supported the physical and emotional integrity of individuals. This paper examines the historical continuity of...
This paper introduces Movement-informed Breathwork (MiB), a personalised breath-body approach with biofeedback that integrates a form of conscious connected breathwork (breathing without pauses) with targeted neuromuscular contraction and relaxation cycles. Drawing from neuromuscular torque chain dynamics, fascial research and sensorimotor trauma therapy principles, MiB aims to enhance...
Older adults in the U.S. have higher rates of depression, stress, and chronic diseases. There is an urgent need for effective interventions to reduce depressive symptoms and enhance overall health and well-being. Meditation presents an appealing therapeutic option due to its cost-effectiveness, minimal risks, ease of use, and active patient involvement, with growing evidence indicating its...
This paper presents a unifying transcultural perspective on human illness, health and wellbeing by integrating insights from cognitive psychology, existential psychotherapy, Zen philosophy, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), and quantum consciousness theory. Kahneman and Tversky’s work on heuristics and biases highlights cognitive constraints shaping decision-making, while Yalom’s existential...
Therapeutic Viniyoga is holistic and the treatment, starting point, progression, and goals are unique for each individual client. This study uses Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) and directed content analysis, combining theory and application to offer a tangible, conceptually grounded window into the process and practice of one-to-one Therapeutic Viniyoga. How Viniyoga is applied...
This study aims to investigate the barriers and facilitators to meditation in the general population. This research is significant because understanding these factors can inform the design of more effective public mental health interventions and support the integration of meditation into daily life. A qualitative thematic analysis was conducted on the qualitative component of wider survey...
This article examines the complex relationship between the autonomic nervous system, the prefrontal cortex, and spiritual life, providing an interdisciplinary analysis in light of Galatians 5:16-25. Through a combination of theological reflection and insights from neuroscience, it explores how spiritual practices, such as meditation and prayer, influence emotional regulation, impulse control,...
Auto-induced cognitive trance (AICT) is a method for voluntarily entering modified state of consciousness. The therapeutic implications of AICT are still unknown. Since complementary approaches based on modified states of consciousness are recognized to be beneficial for patients suffering from chronic pain (e.g., hypnosis, meditation), we here present the first case report of a 68-year-old man...
This is a conceptual paper comparing how narrative therapy and Buddhist mantra-based meditation promote mental healing. Narrative therapy promotes mental healing by shifting families’ attention to their subjugated stories of strengths and personal agencies. Whilst Buddhist meditation has been integrated into psychotherapy developed in the West, the application is primarily the focus on breath...
The aim of this article is to provide a quantitative assessment of the correlation between heightened mindfulness and stress reduction among cancer patients and survivors who engaged in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) interventions. Utilizing data from eight studies, we conducted quantitative analyses to provide the effectiveness scores of MBSR interventions on mindfulness, assessed...
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) impacts the physiological and psycho-emotional aspects of life. COPD-related secondary sequelae also synergistically interact with each other. For example, dyspnea affects the severity of breath, body functions, and the mind (e.g., anxiety, panic, fear). Such negative psycho-emotional states can further negatively impact the breath and the body...
This article aims to analyze how Western researchers can be influenced by their epistemic and ethical foundations, which are also expressed through a culturally shared idea of therapy, and how this influence can significantly hinder the understanding of a different cultural reality and its resources in terms of knowledge and practices. While examining a collection of research cases in the field...
This study evaluated the impact on student and staff well-being of a mindfulness-based cognitive-behavioral coping program, Be REAL (Resilient Attitudes & Living), delivered by campus staff using a task-sharing approach. The program was adapted for online delivery during COVID19. Study participants included 325 undergraduate students and 100 staff members at a large tri-campus university in the...
While there is abundant literature on the benefits of Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBI), data about factors associated with their Efficiency are scarce. Our study attempts to determine the moderators of efficacy and adherence in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) with a machine learning analysis. Seventy-six psychiatric outpatients at “university hospital mental health service” had...
This article examines the practice of combining explorations of regulated and dysregulated states through the Workable Ranges Model (WRM) with the skills and qualities taught in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). MBSR was designed to help participants to self-regulate stress. Didactic teaching about stress reactivity is part of the curriculum and may contribute to positive outcomes. A...
In this study, we present the results of a 48-hour mindfulness-based and compassion-based training for teachers (N = 59). This study included 3,250 students in two years. We strengthened the resources of teachers and students for health, especially for preventing addiction. The didactic approach was based on the concepts of embodiment and resonance. We first trained teachers and then encouraged...
Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) teaches mindfulness meditation to reduce stress, anxiety, depression, and related forms of distress among a variety of patients. Much research has documented statistically significant reductions across a variety of self-report measures following MBSR, but researchers rarely assessed and reported the clinical significance of MBSR symptom reduction in...
After the emergence of Mindfulness in the Western world, many studies proved its mental and physical benefits. However, implementing Mindfulness in psychotherapy has several challenges: therapists are not formal Mindfulness instructors; the Mindfulness course is a continuous eight-week course, which many patients do not attend during therapy, while others attend and drop out. Thus, Hypnosis was...
Mindfulness practices have exploded in popularity in public awareness and in therapeutic applications. While mindfulness in a therapeutic context is presented as a secular practice, its primarily Buddhist heritage may make some Christian clients wary of engaging. Research indicates that both reflection (co-creation) on poetry and creation of poetry can be therapeutic, and that both Buddhist and...
Meditation-Based Lifestyle Modification (MBLM) is a complex eight-week mind-body intervention based on the traditional eight-fold path of classical yoga. MBLM was developed for mental health care, and it combines ethical living, physical yoga, and meditation. In this qualitative study, the subjectively perceived efficacy of MBLM was compared to the perceived efficacy of an individually...
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is an evidence-based health education program for medical patients with a variety of chronic conditions. MBSR also benefits health care providers themselves, decreasing work-related stress and preventing burnout. The objectives of this study were to describe an abbreviated MBSR curriculum developed for health care providers and to present initial...
The growing population of older adults with depression is a significant public health concern, and effective treatments are necessary. Mindfulness meditation intervention offers effective treatment for depression, but little research has been conducted on the older population. This study aimed to evaluate if the combination of the Internet Mindfulness Meditation Intervention (IMMI) plus iMINDr...
Yogic breathing techniques are fundamental to the physical and mental practice of yoga. They are closely connected to meditation, which involves the observation of breath. There are many yogic techniques based on the active regulation of the breath. Breathing practices influence many processes in the body, e.g. heart rate variability, and the mind, e.g. relaxation and stress, through their...
The topic of resilience is of paramount importance. Although the term resilience was coined in the fields of physics and engineering, its use has spread to the fields of social sciences, biology, psychology, and psychiatry, as well as to the industry. Moreover, the term is now endowed with a wide range of meanings. The topic of resilience plays a central role in all critical life events. It is...
Hypnosis is a modified state of consciousness widely used to decrease pain perception in research protocols and clinical practice. In recent decades, hypnosis has been increasingly proposed to patients to re-engage their resources and capacities to modulate pain and emotional distress and to improve their treatment and recovery of well-being. Neuroimaging research helps clinicians to understand...