Frontiers in Psychology
January 1, 2025
Lis Johles, Peter Molander, Carolina Lundqvist
4 citations
A 4-week body scan intervention did not improve quality of life among Swedish student-athletes compared with a relaxation control. The study, involving 99 student-athletes from six high schools, found no significant differences between the two groups in quality-of-life change, and no evidence that changes in five facets of mindfulness (acting with awareness, describing, non-judgment, non-reactivity, and observing) mediated any effect. The results indicate that body scans had no effect on student-athletes' quality of life in this pilot study, suggesting that future research should refine mindfulness interventions and explore other practices.
Frontiers in Psychology
January 1, 2024
Zhang Li, Dong Lei, Li Ting et al.
4 citations
A meta-analysis of 11 randomized controlled trials with 993 patients found that mindfulness interventions reduced anxiety and depression and improved quality of life in people with malignant tumors. Compared with usual care, mindfulness produced a large reduction in anxiety and in depression, and a moderate improvement in quality of life. The results suggest mindfulness can alleviate negative emotions and enhance well-being in this population.
Frontiers in Psychology
May 16, 2023
Oliver Davis
4 citations
The French poet, writer, and artist Henri Michaux produced an extensive body of work—five books, dozens of drawings, and a film—documenting his experiences with mescaline, psilocybin, LSD, and cannabis over roughly a decade from the mid-1950s. His aesthetic reconstruction of psychedelics' effects on his creative brain can be read as a program for the emerging field of psychedelic humanities. Michaux's work addresses three core concerns: psychedelics' role in enhancing creativity, the politics of psychedelics, and the meaning of psychedelic mysticism. Though less known than Huxley's writings, Michaux's exploration is more extensive, complex, and demanding, and deserves wider recognition.
Frontiers in Psychology
January 1, 2023
Shigeru Taguchi, Hayato Saigo
4 citations
Human consciousness constantly shifts through time, yet each moment is experienced as "now." This duality, called "the standing-streaming now" in Husserlian phenomenology, can be precisely formalized using category theory: the structure of the "now" corresponds to a monoid, while viewing present moments as discrete points on a timeline corresponds to a coslice category. This mathematical framework clarifies differences between ordinary consciousness and meditative states, such as the "eternal now" described in early Buddhist scriptures (Pali Canon) and Dōgen's Shōbōgenzō, which remarkably reflect a monoid structure.
Frontiers in Psychology
January 1, 2023
Otto Simonsson, Cecilia U.D. Stenfors, Simon B. Goldberg et al.
4 citations
Mindfulness meditation and psychedelic use are both associated with positive impacts on leadership, though through different mechanisms. In a representative sample of 3,150 managers in the US and UK, more lifetime hours of mindfulness meditation and greater psychological insight during the most intense psychedelic experience each independently predicted a positive leadership impact (odds ratios 2.33 and 3.49, respectively). Both practices shared subthemes such as improved focus, creativity, patience, empathy, and compassion. Unique to mindfulness were better sleep, stress reduction, and calming effects; unique to psychedelics were greater self-understanding, less hierarchical attitudes, and positive interpersonal changes. The cross-sectional design precludes causal conclusions, but the findings suggest complementary benefits for leadership development.
Frontiers in Psychology
January 1, 2021
Javier García-campayo, Nieves Moyano, Marta Modrego-Alarcón et al.
4 citations
A Spanish version of the Lucidity and Consciousness in Dreams scale (LuCiD) was validated in 367 Spanish adults, 40.3% of whom had meditation experience. The scale’s original eight-factor structure (insight, control, thought, realism, memory, dissociation, negative emotion, positive emotion) was confirmed, with adequate internal consistency and test-retest reliability after removing one poorly performing item. Meditators scored higher on the insight and dissociation factors than non-meditators. The mindfulness facet of observing was positively linked to most LuCiD factors, while acting with awareness correlated negatively with realism. Positive and negative affect corresponded to the respective LuCiD emotion factors. The scale provides a reliable tool for measuring dream lucidity and consciousness in Spanish populations, and the results suggest connections between meditation experience, mindfulness traits, and dream characteristics.
Frontiers in Psychology
January 1, 2020
Thomas Netland
4 citations
The article argues that Merleau-Ponty's philosophy supports integrating transcendental phenomenology with empirical science, contrary to the claim that they are fundamentally separate. The author proposes an "Integrationist View" where consciousness is understood as a structure of behavior that precedes the distinction between objective and subjective, and first- and third-person perspectives. On this view, the transcendental is not separate from science but consists of contingent organizational norms of empirical nature, best illuminated through dialogue between phenomenological and scientific approaches. Merleau-Ponty's analysis of the Schneider case is presented as an example of this integration.
Frontiers in Psychology
May 10, 2019
Marek Havlík, Eva Kozáková, Jiřı́ Horáček
4 citations
Intrinsic conscious experiences—thoughts, daydreams, and mind-wandering—make up as much as half of conscious life but are largely ignored in consciousness research because they are methodologically difficult and lack dedicated experimental paradigms. This hypothesis and theory article proposes a new paradigm for studying intrinsic consciousness, modeled on methods used for perceptual consciousness. The authors present exploratory proof-of-concept data, discuss how the paradigm could be used, and address its limitations and possible solutions. They argue that intrinsic consciousness will soon become a standard topic in consciousness studies once suitable experimental tools are developed.
Frontiers in Psychology
April 6, 2018
Jia Xi Wang, He Yong Shen
4 citations
Dreaming often reflects waking life events, thoughts, and emotions, and sleep may help consolidate memories. Most research on this link relies on self-reports, where participants judge connections between their own experiences and dreams—a method that can introduce errors when comparing groups due to individual differences. To address this, the authors developed two operationalized definitions—descriptive incorporation and metaphorical incorporation—for independent judges to match conscious experiences with dreams. Two judges linked 212 paired event-dreams. Almost half of the dreams could be matched by independent judges, and this method yielded similar proportions of matches as the self-report method.
Frontiers in Psychology
October 16, 2025
Bruce Greyson, Jeffrey Long, Janice Miner Holden et al.
3 citations
A new scale, the veridical Near-Death Experience Scale (vNDE Scale), was developed to assess how strong the evidence is for perceptions reported during near-death experiences. Thirteen experts used a Delphi method to agree on eight criteria, including timing of investigation, medical conditions, third-party verification, and the number and quality of perceptions, scored on a four-level Likert scale. The scale was then tested on 17 cases of potentially veridical NDEs by 11 human raters and three artificial raters using large language models. In 14 of the 17 cases (82.3%), human and artificial raters agreed at over 75% when considering two adjacent evidence levels, such as moderate plus strong or low plus very low. The scale offers a practical way to evaluate the evidential strength of reported NDE perceptions.
Frontiers in Psychology
September 24, 2025
Aamer Aldbyani, Afnan Alhimaidi, Zhang Chuanxia
3 citations
In a cross-sectional study of 321 Yemeni internally displaced persons, all facets of mindfulness—observing, describing, acting with awareness, non-reactivity, and non-judgment—were positively associated with both distress tolerance and trauma recovery. Distress tolerance partially mediated the relationship between mindfulness and trauma recovery, suggesting that mindfulness may support recovery partly by enhancing the ability to tolerate distress. The authors indicate the potential value of incorporating mindfulness and distress-tolerance components into interventions for internally displaced populations.
Frontiers in Psychology
July 1, 2025
Tore Nielsen, Jade Radke, Claudia Picard-Deland et al.
3 citations
A survey of 1,082 people found that 40.2% reported certain foods worsened or improved their sleep, and 5.5% said food affected their dreams. Desserts/sweets (31%) and dairy (22%) were most often blamed for dream changes. Perceived food effects on dreams linked to higher nightmare recall and Nightmare Disorder Index scores, and were associated with food allergies and gluten intolerance. Worse sleep perceptions tied to lactose intolerance, with gastrointestinal symptoms mediating the link to nightmares. Healthy eating habits like less evening eating predicted higher dream recall, while unhealthy eating predicted nightmares and dream negativity. The findings suggest dairy-induced gastrointestinal symptoms may underlie some bizarre or disturbing dreams.
Frontiers in Psychology
January 1, 2025
Jutta M Tobias Mortlock, Hotri Himasri Alapati, Trudi Edginton
3 citations
Shared mindfulness practice in an online community during the COVID-19 pandemic may foster pillars of connection and interbeing, including improved mind-body awareness, trust, collective alignment, and a sense of common humanity. These findings, from semi-structured interviews, are discussed through interdependence theory, leading to exploratory propositions for creating a mindful community of practice. The study calls for more research and invites testing of these propositions in workplaces, educational settings, or neighborhoods.
Frontiers in Psychology
January 1, 2025
Fereshteh Mehrabi, Shadi Beshai
3 citations
Three distinct profiles of dispositional mindfulness were identified in a sample of 604 adults recruited online. The profiles—Judgmentally Describing, Low Mindfulness, and Non-Judgmentally Describing—differed in their associations with anxiety and depressive symptoms. Women were more likely than men to belong to the Low Mindfulness profile. People in the Low Mindfulness group reported the highest levels of anxiety and depression, while those in the Non-Judgmentally Describing group reported the lowest. These findings suggest that considering mindfulness profiles could help tailor mindfulness-based interventions to individual needs.
Frontiers in Psychology
January 1, 2025
Sarah Straßnig, Tobias Herzl, Afrodita Latifi et al.
3 citations
Oceanic feelings—experiences of boundlessness, unity, or fragmentation—can foster spiritual experiences but also contribute to psychosis proneness. In a survey of 480 non-clinical adults, positive oceanic feelings were strongly linked to increased connectedness and general religiosity, while negative oceanic feelings showed weak to moderate associations with schizotypy and personality organization. Personality organization fully mediated the relationship between negative oceanic feelings and both schizotypy and general religiosity, and partially mediated the link with connectedness. Positive oceanic feelings enhanced religiosity and connectedness independently of personality organization. Strengthening personality organization may protect against destabilizing effects of negative oceanic experiences, informing psychotherapy and spiritual counseling.
Frontiers in Psychology
January 1, 2024
Charlotte Hohnemann, Florian Engel, Corinna Peifer et al.
3 citations
Over eight weeks, mindfulness and flow experience increased linearly while perceived stress decreased among participants in a mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program compared to an inactive control group. Emotional exhaustion amplified the beneficial effects: the more emotionally exhausted individuals were, the stronger the positive link between growing mindfulness and increasing flow, and the stronger the negative link between growing mindfulness and decreasing stress. These results suggest that mindfulness training can both reduce stress and enhance the autotelic experience of flow, particularly for chronically depleted people. The quasi-experimental design, self-report measures, and participant dropout limit the conclusions.
Frontiers in Psychology
January 1, 2024
Ronald P Endicott
3 citations
Inner speech, the experience of a voice inside the mind, may arise from a cross-modal illusion. The Body Error Theory (BET) proposes that subtle, confirmed activities in the speech musculature during inner speech combine with ordinary quiet nonverbal sounds—such as breathing or background noise—to create a mistaken perception of speech sounds. This illusion explains the 'voice within the mind' without requiring a suppressed copy of overt speech. The theory integrates with standard speech-monitoring accounts, accommodates insights from leading theories, and is supported by experience-sampling data. BET offers a testable alternative to existing explanations.
Frontiers in Psychology
January 1, 2024
Jamie L Tully, Oliver Bridge, Joseph Rennie et al.
3 citations
During the first year of COVID-19 social restrictions (March 2020–February 2021), use of psychoactive substances for cognitive enhancement rose significantly among UK university students and staff compared to the previous year. Modafinil use increased by 42%, nutraceuticals by 30.2%, and microdose LSD by 22.2%. Polydrug use with modafinil and other prescription stimulants also rose. Personality factors—particularly lower agreeableness, male gender identity, and lower conscientiousness—reliably predicted use, while academic self-efficacy and student/staff status did not. The authors suggest increased pressures from lockdown and reduced access to university resources drove the rise.
Frontiers in Psychology
January 1, 2024
Dan Zhang, Jianbo Shen, Hongyu Ma
3 citations
The Chinese version of the Comprehensive Inventory of Mindfulness Experiences (CHIME-37) shows impressive reliability and validity as a mindfulness measurement tool. In a study involving 1,785 college students, it revealed an eight-factor structure that explained over 70% of variance. Internal consistency scores ranged from 0.848 to 0.914, while test-retest reliability was between 0.746 and 0.885. Positive correlations were found with well-being measures, while negative correlations appeared with mental health issues, confirming its effectiveness for assessing mindfulness in this population.
Frontiers in Psychology
January 1, 2024
Masahiro Fujino, Yuuki Ooishi, Yoshiyuki Ueda et al.
3 citations
Thirty minutes of focused attention or open monitoring meditation reduces the tendency to inhibit distracting face images during a cognitive interference task, as shown by the persistence of the mere exposure effect—where repeated exposure increases preference—only in meditation groups. In a control group, the mere exposure effect disappeared, indicating that distractors were inhibited. A positive correlation between the mere exposure effect and state relaxation, and a negative correlation with state anxiety, were found only in the focused attention meditation group, suggesting different mechanisms for reducing inhibition between the two meditation types.
Frontiers in Psychology
September 1, 2023
Zoë Dubus, Elise Grandgeorge, Vincent Verroust
3 citations
From the 1920s to the 1960s, French physicians administered mescaline, LSD, and psilocybin in highly controlled, anxious sessions often described by patients as torture, with only rare cases of recovery. The Sainte-Anne school dominated this research, framing hallucinogens as psychodysleptics (mind disruptors) rather than psychedelics, and using them as diagnostic tools within a biological, shock-oriented conception of therapy. Because researchers rarely determined optimal doses or attended to the administration context and patient relationship, clear therapeutic benefits were not demonstrated. These early negative representations continue to influence French health professionals' reluctance toward the current psychedelic renaissance.
Frontiers in Psychology
April 12, 2022
Celia Ceballos-Munuera, Cristina Senín‐calderón, Sandra Fernández-león et al.
3 citations
Ideas of reference (IR) are common in psychotic disorders, and their frequency and associated preoccupation relate to the psychotic dimension. Aberrant salience (AS) is considered an early indicator of psychosis. This study tested whether AS and disorganized symptoms mediate the link between IR and the psychotic dimension. In 330 participants (116 university students, 214 patients; 62.4% women, ages 18–79), a partial mediation model showed that AS and the disorganized dimension jointly mediated the relationship between IR and the psychotic dimension, while preoccupation about IR no longer played a role. Age significantly influenced this relationship. The model explained 54.16% of the variance in the psychotic dimension. Findings suggest that unusual thought content may predict proneness to psychosis, with implications for early detection and prevention.
Frontiers in Psychology
April 11, 2022
Karleth Costa Spindola-Rodrigues, Renandro de Carvalho Reis, Caio Macedo de Carvalho et al.
3 citations
Mediums who practice trance mediumship in Brazil show generally healthy cognitive function. In a sample of 19 mediums split into a more experienced group (11 subjects, over 10 years of practice) and a less experienced group (8 subjects, 1–5 years), most scored at or above the median on tests of memory, attention, and executive function compared to Brazilian norms. On the five-digit test, those who first recognized trance before age 21 performed better on the choice stage. No participant met criteria for major depression, but 21% reported common mental disorders, more prevalent in the less experienced group. Executive dysfunction may be a tendency in less experienced mediums.
Frontiers in Psychology
January 1, 2022
Asger Kirkeby-Hinrup
3 citations
Misrepresentation, as proposed by some higher-order theories of consciousness, is plausible because conscious states are generated by brain processes that can be corrupted. Drawing on cognitive and behavioral neuroscience, brain state corruption is both possible and relatively frequent, and such corruption may occasionally lead to misrepresentation. The main alternative view, the no-consciousness reply, appears less supported by current knowledge. This meta-level argument rests on a general premise acceptable to most participants in the debate, distinguishing it from other empirically based arguments.
Frontiers in Psychology
January 1, 2022
Javier García-campayo, Rinchen Hijar-Aguinaga, Alberto Barceló-soler et al.
3 citations
People who meditate are more likely to report having had a peak experience—an intense moment of joy, unity, or transcendence—than those who do not meditate. In a survey of 237 Spanish adults, 71.8% of meditators reported at least one peak experience compared to 46.8% of non-meditators. However, among those who had such experiences, the number, intensity, and ability to self-induce them did not differ between the two groups. Meditators also scored higher on measures of non-dual awareness, mindfulness, and absorption, but not on all aspects of dream lucidity. Being a meditator predicted having had a peak experience but not lucid dreaming scores, suggesting meditation may facilitate peak experiences while its effect on lucid dreams remains unclear.