Research published in Frontiers in Psychology

Prometheus unbound? Oceanic affectivity and the neuropsychodynamics of addiction.

Frontiers in Psychology 2026 Human-Friedrich Unterrainer

Altered states of consciousness range from psychotic disintegration to mystical union, with oceanic affectivity - experiences of ego dissolution, boundlessness, and affective merging - constituting a central feature. While such states can be induced by psychedelics, they also occur through trauma, meditative practices, or within compulsive addictive cycles. In addition, oceanic states may offer...

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1699816 Full text Addiction Default mode network Ego dissolution Existential neuroscience +3

Embodied neuroaesthetics and the psychotherapeutic relational field.

Frontiers in Psychology 2026 Sharon Vaisvaser

Aesthetic experiences are bodily-anchored, posited to evoke profound emotional responses and advance development, mental health and well-being. This paper reviews and conceptually analyzes the embodied aesthetic experience and its imperative contribution to the psychotherapeutic relational field, by integratively and interdisciplinarity interweaving neuroscientific and psychodynamic approaches...

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1759744 Full text Aesthetic experience Embodied cognition Embodied simulation Mental health +2

Neurophysiological and autonomic patterns associated with heartfulness and bell meditation: a three-arm exploratory study.

Frontiers in Psychology 2026 Sushil Prasad Mahato, Manickam Anjaladevi, Abinash Roy et al.

Meditation facilitates brain-body integration by synchronizing neural oscillations with autonomic rhythms. Nonetheless, the effects of heartfulness (heart-centered) and bell (sound-based) meditation on electroencephalography (EEG) and autonomic markers remain insufficiently explored. In this randomized, exploratory pilot study, nine healthy male university students were allocated to the...

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1787149 Full text Bell meditation Brain–body integration Electroencephalography EEG Gamma amplitude +3

Using chills-inducing music to augment self-transcendence, emotional breakthrough, and psychological insight during mindfulness and loving kindness meditation.

Frontiers in Psychology 2026 Leonardo Christov-Moore, Félix Schoeller, Mathilda Von Guttenberg et al.

Non-pharmacologically induced altered states of consciousness that promote mental health and wellbeing are a growing focus of clinical and basic research. Previous work has revealed the mood-augmenting, belief-altering, and self-transcendent effects of aesthetic-chills-inducing audiovisual stimulation. The current study investigated how a guided loving kindness meditation (LKM) combined with...

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1589132 Full text Meditation Non-ordinary states Chills Loving kindness +1

Did Orpheus have stage fright? To oneself, to the other, to the transcendent: steps for coping with music performance anxiety

Frontiers in Psychology December 17, 2025 Natalija Šimunovič

Orpheus, as an archetypal model of musical performance, enters our cultural consciousness not only as an exemplary performer but also as a figure whose fleeting glance into the visible shattered the magic of creation. Through this metaphor, for three millennia we have (re)interpreted the deeper projection of the conflict between the artistic idea and the performer's inner tension (Partridge,...

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1706198 Anxiety Mindfulness Performing arts Musical +13

Lived experiences of spiritual emotional intelligence: a Bhagavad Gitā-based indigenous model of psychological wellbeing

Frontiers in Psychology December 11, 2025 Sai Kiran Gannamraju, Venkatesh H. Chembrolu

This study explores the lived experiences of Spiritual Emotional Intelligence (SEI), a psychological framework rooted in the Bhagavad Gitā , a foundational text of Indian spiritual philosophy. Building on a previously proposed model comprising five dimensions—ā tma-bodha (self-awareness), samatva (equanimity), niṣkāma-karma (non-attached action), Dharma (virtuous duty), and bhakti (devotion)—we...

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1730103 Flourishing Indigenous Thematic analysis Spirituality +10

The neuroscience of algorithmic suffering: short comparative analysis between human and AI

Frontiers in Psychology December 4, 2025 Esen K. Tütüncü, Mar González-Franco

Across cultures and centuries, humans have sought to explain suffering, be it as moral failure, biological necessity, or existential condition. Today, as artificial intelligence begins to mimic aspects of thought and emotion, the question resurfaces: can a machine suffer? In this paper, we revisit suffering not as a sentimental analogy but as a comparative lens between human and algorithmic...

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1718823

Felt embodiment as a motive in flourishing

Frontiers in Psychology November 25, 2025 Lars‐gunnar Lundh, Lo Foster 1 citation

As individual persons, we are all embodied in the sense that we have a body with certain needs, sensory systems, feelings, and capacities. Humans and some other animals also have an experience of embodiment, defined as an experience of “ my body.” This is a combined experience of having a body (the body as an object that can be perceived, imagined, thought about, and evaluated according to...

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1687553 Embodied cognition Feeling Flourishing Object grammar +14

Enhancing academic resilience through mindfulness training: an experimental study with Chinese undergraduates and the mediating role of psychological flexibility

Frontiers in Psychology November 5, 2025 Ming Yuan, Zhe Hu 5 citations

Introduction: This study investigates the impact of mindfulness on academic resilience among university students, with a particular focus on the mediating roles of self-compassion and psychological flexibility. Methods: Using a post-test-only control group experimental design, 200 undergraduate students from a Chinese university were randomly assigned to either an intervention group, which...

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1692295 Mindfulness Generalizability theory Psychological intervention Flexibility engineering +10

Mindfulness-based music therapy for mental health in senior college students: a randomized controlled trial

Frontiers in Psychology October 29, 2025 Long Wang, Xiaoyan Zhang, Lei Pan et al. 1 citation

Background: Senior college students face a heightened risk of mental health problems, indicating the need for effective interventions. Mindfulness-based music therapy (MBMT) has been shown to improve mental health outcomes across various populations, yet evidence of its effectiveness in senior college students remains scarce. This randomized controlled trial aimed to test the efficacy of MBMT...

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1649395 Mental health Randomized controlled trial Music therapy Curriculum +7

“I was trying to save the world”: delusion-like ideation and associated impacts reported by Western practitioners of Buddhist meditation

Frontiers in Psychology October 24, 2025 Elizaveta Solomonova, Jared R. Lindahl, Ian Gold et al. 1 citation

Delusional ideation is characteristic of psychopathology (e.g., psychosis, bipolar disorder) and is also found among the general population. Contemporary case studies have documented delusional ideation as a feature of meditation-induced psychosis, and Buddhist literature on the side effects and adverse effects of meditation also includes discussion of transient experiences that could be...

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1644684 Buddhism Context archaeology Typology Ideation +7

Dance-based interventions in clinical populations: not all are the same

Frontiers in Psychology October 17, 2025 Michail Elpidoforou, Antonios Boultadakis, John Parissis et al. 1 citation

Introduction Dance is described as a phenomenon in which the human body and its movement, that may have a symbolic or aesthetic value within a variable cultural and rhythmical context, are the primary tools for the human expression and communication under artistic, educational, training, recreational, therapeutic, religious, or other purposes (Basso et al., 2020; Elpidoforou, 2016; Elpidoforou...

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1668357 Music therapy Psychological intervention Dance therapy Autonomy +10

Why mindfulness matters in musculoskeletal therapies: a narrative review

Frontiers in Psychology October 17, 2025 Peter Bablis, Ryan R. Day, Sophia Bablis et al. 1 citation

This narrative review explores the integration of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) into musculoskeletal (MSK) care, based on the premise that addressing the mind-body interface can enhance patient outcomes. First, we outline how chronic stress affects twelve physiological systems and contributes to the onset and persistence of MSK conditions. Second, we synthesise evidence showing that...

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1518141 Mindfulness Biopsychosocial model Narrative review Psychological intervention +6

The veridical Near-Death Experience Scale: construction and a first validation with human and artificial raters

Frontiers in Psychology October 16, 2025 Bruce Greyson, Jeffrey Long, Janice Miner Holden et al. 3 citations

Introduction: In this study, we describe the construction of the veridical Near-Death Experience Scale (vNDE Scale), a structured instrument for evaluating the evidential strength of perceptions reported during near-death experiences (NDEs), and its first validation by human and artificial raters. Methods: The construction was implemented using a typical Delphi Method. The first draft of the...

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1661390 Scale ratio Perception Preference Cognitive psychology +1

Reperceiving depression: how trait mindfulness enhances perceived support through improved doctor–patient relationships and stigma alleviation in depressed young adults

Frontiers in Psychology October 14, 2025 Danhong Zhu, Yufeng Yang, Jing Wen et al.

ObjectiveDepression, a prevalent mental health disorder among global youth, adversely impacts educational attainment, social functioning, and psychological wellbeing. Given the established protective function of perceived social support against depressive symptoms, this study investigates how trait mindfulness enhances such support through three mediating factors: therapeutic alliance...

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1589931

Measuring mindfulness in children: breath counting is unrelated to self-reported mindfulness but improves after mindfulness practice in 9–13 year-olds

Frontiers in Psychology September 30, 2025 Winnie Zhuang, Laura Michaelson, Sona Dimidjian et al. 1 citation

Recent calls for mindfulness measures beyond self-report abound, especially for children. Because breath awareness is central to many mindfulness practices, the breath counting task has been proposed as a behavioral measure of mindfulness for adults. In the current study, we investigated whether the breath counting task can also serve as a valid behavioral measure of children’s mindfulness. We...

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1644127 Mindfulness Task project management Cognition Psychometrics +2

Mindfulness and trauma recovery among internally displaced individuals: the mediating role of distress tolerance in a cross-sectional mediation model

Frontiers in Psychology September 24, 2025 Aamer Aldbyani, Afnan Alhimaidi, Zhang Chuanxia 3 citations

Background: Mindfulness has gained increasing attention for its role in fostering emotional regulation and psychological resilience. In contexts of displacement and trauma, mindfulness may be associated with improved adaptive coping and recovery. This cross-sectional study investigated the relationships among mindfulness, distress tolerance, and trauma recovery in internally displaced...

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1677965 Mindfulness Psychological intervention Moderated mediation Posttraumatic stress +5

Preliminary validation and refinement of the psychedelic aesthetic experience questionnaire

Frontiers in Psychology September 15, 2025 Judith Hooper, Jarrod M. Ellingson, Kent E. Hutchison 2 citations

Introduction Aesthetic experiences under psychedelics are often described as vivid, emotionally powerful, and meaningful, yet they remain under-measured in psychometric research. This study aimed to refine and validate the Psychedelic Aesthetic Experience Questionnaire (PAEQ), a novel instrument designed to assess the aesthetic dimensions of acute psychedelic experiences. Methods A total of 365...

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1648968

The central clinical relevance of near-death experiences in acute care contexts: identification, prediction, and management

Frontiers in Psychology July 22, 2025 Pascal Michael, Pauline Fritz, Olivia Gosseries et al. 1 citation

Near-death experiences (NDEs), a syndrome of experiences with mystical-type content classically arising in the context of life-threatening situations, are under-researched in terms of their relevance for acute medical care. We here discuss several reasons to raise the importance of conducting more comprehensive NDE research in emergency and critical care contexts, including but not limited to...

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1544438 Relevance law Context archaeology Identification biology Acute care +2

More dreams of the rarebit fiend: food sensitivity and dietary correlates of sleep and dreaming

Frontiers in Psychology July 1, 2025 Tore Nielsen, Jade Radke, Claudia Picard-Deland et al. 3 citations

Background: d cartoon series-the topic has only rarely been researched. Methods: We asked 1,082 participants to complete an online survey to test specific hypotheses on why people perceive that food affects their dreams, including whether specific foods influence dreams directly (food-specific effects), through physiological symptoms (food distress), or via altered sleep quality (sleep...

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1544475 Nightmare Evening Dream Clinical psychology +4

The feasibility of a two-day intensive forest therapy incorporating mindfulness practices for natural disaster-affected individuals: a brief report

Frontiers in Psychology June 20, 2025 Yongjun Lee, Yeji Yang, Ji-Eun Pyo et al.

This study investigated the feasibility and psychological benefits of a two-day intensive forest therapy program incorporating mindfulness practices for individuals affected by natural disasters. The sample comprised 110 participants, including those who had either experienced wildfires or floods or served as first responders. The results revealed significant reductions in depression, anxiety,...

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1603924 Full text

Enhanced meaning in life following psychedelic use: converging evidence from controlled and naturalistic studies

Frontiers in Psychology June 6, 2025 William Roseby, Hannes Kettner, Leor Roseman et al. 6 citations

Introduction Psychedelics, such as psilocybin, are increasingly recognized for their propensity to elicit powerful subjective experiences that carry personal meaning. While research has demonstrated the capacity for these compounds to promote psychological wellbeing, it has yet to be shown to what extent they modulate "meaning in life", a specific contributor to mental and physical health....

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1580663 Naturalism Meaning existential Cognitive psychology Psychotherapist +3

Ancient Indian perspectives and practices of mental well-being

Frontiers in Psychology June 3, 2025 Ruchi Bhati, M. P. Mandal, Tripti Singh 5 citations

In today's fast-paced world, mental health issues are rising due to lifestyle changes, social media use, workplace burnout, and geopolitical events. Despite the urgent need to address the concern, mental health remains stigmatized, inaccessible, and undertreated. Contemporary mental health focuses more on symptoms rather than overall mental well-being. The holistic nature of ancient Indian...

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1616802 Cognitive psychology

Aesthetic quality of psychedelic experience is linked to insight and psychological outcomes

Frontiers in Psychology May 15, 2025 Jake Hooper, Emily L Gyongyosi, Kent E. Hutchison et al. 5 citations

Introduction The aesthetic qualities of psychedelic experiences have long been documented, but their specific contribution to therapeutic outcomes remains understudied. Aesthetic experiences may facilitate emotional breakthroughs and cognitive shifts, potentially playing a crucial role in the lasting psychological benefits observed following psychedelic use. Methods This cross-sectional study...

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1533055 Aesthetic Emotion Insight Psychedelics +4

The phenomenology of psilocybin: transformative insights for research and clinical practice

Frontiers in Psychology April 25, 2025 Antonio Metastasio, Elisabeth Prevete, Sofia Venturini et al. 8 citations

Introduction Considering the increasing evidence supporting psilocybin’s efficacy in therapeutic settings, it is essential to deepen our understanding of its subjective meanings and effects to enhance its integration into psychotherapy. Current knowledge is primarily based on psychometric assessments or unstructured personal reports, leaving a gap in the qualitative analysis of subjective...

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1455902 Psilocybin Magic mushrooms Lived experiences Psychopathology +10

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