Using chills-inducing music to augment self-transcendence, emotional breakthrough, and psychological insight during mindfulness and loving kindness meditation.
Leonardo Christov-Moore, Félix Schoeller, Mathilda Von Guttenberg, Tiffany Durinski, Mordechai Walder, Felipe A Jain, Marco Iacoboni, Nicco Reggente
Frontiers in Psychology 2026 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1589132 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 398 |
| Population | Online participants |
| Interventions | Loving kindness meditation Mindfulness-based control Chills-inducing music |
| Topics | Altered states of consciousness Meditation |
| Keywords | Chills Loving kindness Technodelics |
| Key findings | Adding chills-inducing music to loving kindness meditation or mindfulness-based control enhances self-transcendence, mood, emotional breakthrough, and psychological insight. |
Abstract
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 uplifting, chills-inducing music (henceforth: chills-augmented) affected participants' mood, self-transcendence (ST), psychological insight, and emotional breakthrough. We conducted a randomized, controlled online study (n = 398) using a 2 × 2 design comparing a validated loving kindness meditation (LKM) to mindfulness-based control (MC), each with chills augmentation (+) and without (-). As hypothesized, LKM, compared to MC, increased connectedness to others, while chills augmentation to either stimulus (LKM+/MC+) enhanced ST, mood, emotional breakthrough, and psychological insight. Mediation analyses confirmed that the occurrence of aesthetic chills during meditation predicted these downstream effects. They also found trait measures that independently (of main effects) contributed to distinct outcomes: absorption predicted feelings of ego-dissolution, connectedness to the world and self, and moral elevation; interoceptive awareness predicted ego-dissolution and connectedness to self; and vividness of internal imagery predicted connectedness to the world and others. Chills augmentation appears a viable method for enhancing the immersiveness, salience, and downstream positive impact of guided contemplative interventions, without interfering with the intended outcome. This work can further our understanding of and access to non-ordinary experiences that beget salutogenic, prosocial outcomes.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Healthy employees in a work environment | 2003 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 41 |
| Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2000 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 145 |
| Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Working adults | 2008 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 139 |
| Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Undergraduate Chinese students | 2007 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 40 |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Replication and Exploration of Differential Relapse Prevention Effects. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2004 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 73 |
Citations in the library
Cites 38
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- Ego-Dissolution and Psychedelics: Validation of the Ego-Dissolution Inventory (EDI) Frontiers in Human Neuroscience June 14, 2016
- Psychedelics, Mystical Experience, and Therapeutic Efficacy: A Systematic Review Frontiers in Psychiatry July 12, 2022
and 33 more in the library