Neurophenomenological Investigation of Mindfulness Meditation "Cessation" Experiences Using EEG Network Analysis in an Intensively Sampled Adept Meditator.
Remko Van Lutterveld, Avijit Chowdhury, Daniel M. Ingram, Matthew D. Sacchet
Brain Topography September 1, 2024 DOI: 10.1007/s10548-024-01052-4 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Intensive single-subject observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1 |
| Population | Single advanced meditator with over 6,000 hours of retreat mindfulness meditation training |
| Intervention | Mindfulness meditation |
| Duration | 29 sessions between November 12, 2019 and March 11, 2020 |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Cessation EEG Fruition Nirodha |
| Citations | 29 |
| Key findings | From 21 seconds prior to cessation events, whole-brain alpha-band functional connectivity decreased linearly and then returned to prior levels in the 40 seconds following, with no modulation of network integration. |
Abstract
Mindfulness meditation is a contemplative practice that is informed by Buddhism. It has been proven effective for improving mental and physical health in clinical and non-clinical contexts. To date, mainstream dialogue and scientific research on mindfulness has focused primarily on short-term mindfulness training and applications of mindfulness for reducing stress. Understanding advanced mindfulness practice has important implications for mental health and general wellbeing. According to Theravada Buddhist meditation, a "cessation" event is a dramatic experience of profound clarity and equanimity that involves a complete discontinuation in experience, and is evidence of mastery of mindfulness meditation. Thirty-seven cessation events were captured in a single intensively sampled advanced meditator (over 6,000 h of retreat mindfulness meditation training) while recording electroencephalography (EEG) in 29 sessions between November 12, 2019 and March 11, 2020. Functional connectivity and network integration were assessed from 40 s prior to cessations to 40 s after cessations. From 21 s prior to cessations there was a linear decrease in large-scale functional interactions at the whole-brain level in the alpha band. In the 40 s following cessations these interactions linearly returned to prior levels. No modulation of network integration was observed. The decrease in whole-brain functional connectivity was underlain by frontal to left temporal and to more posterior decreases in connectivity, while the increase was underlain by wide-spread increases in connectivity. These results provide neuroscientific evidence of large-scale modulation of brain activity related to cessation events that provides a foundation for future studies of advanced meditation.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Undergraduate students | 2006 | Observational cohort | |
| Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders Patients with generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder with or without agoraphobia | 1992 | Observational cohort | n = 22 |
| Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 20 |
| Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Experienced meditators and matched meditation-naive controls | 2011 | Observational cohort | |
| Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Long-term Buddhist practitioners and controls | 2004 | Observational cohort |
Citations in the library
Cited by 26
- A beautiful loop: An active inference theory of consciousness. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews September 1, 2025
- Mindfulness Meditation and Network Neuroscience: Review, Synthesis, and Future Directions. Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging April 1, 2025
- Investigating the complex cortical dynamics of an advanced concentrative absorption meditation called jhanas (ACAM-J): a geometric eigenmode analysis. Cerebral Cortex February 5, 2025
- Neurophysiological mechanisms of focused attention meditation: A scoping systematic review Imaging Neuroscience 2025
- Mindfulness, cognition, and long-term meditators: Toward a science of advanced meditation. Imaging Neuroscience 2025
and 21 more in the library
Cites 14
- REBUS and the Anarchic Brain: Toward a Unified Model of the Brain Action of Psychedelics Pharmacological Reviews June 20, 2019
- A systematic review of the neurophysiology of mindfulness on EEG oscillations Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 2015
- Broadband Cortical Desynchronization Underlies the Human Psychedelic State Journal of Neuroscience September 18, 2013
- Ego-Dissolution and Psychedelics: Validation of the Ego-Dissolution Inventory (EDI) Frontiers in Human Neuroscience June 14, 2016
- Psychedelics, Meditation, and Self-Consciousness Frontiers in Psychology September 4, 2018
and 9 more in the library