Meditation and interoception: a conceptual framework for the narrative and experiential self.
Frontiers in Psychology October 16, 2024 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1393969 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | Meditation |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Self-awareness Interoception Consciousness |
| Citations | 11 |
| Key findings | Meditation alters neural circuits linked to the narrative and experiential selves, providing a plausible mechanism for changes in the self. |
Abstract
The concept of the self is complex and there is no consensus on what the self is. However, there are emerging patterns in the literature that point to two different selves, the narrative and experiential self. The narrative self refers to a conceptual or representational knowledge of the self that extends across time and manifests in self-reflection and personality assessments. The experiential self refers to first-person perception, moment-to-moment awareness, embodiment, and a sense of agency. These two selves are reliably linked to two distinct neural circuits, the default mode network (DMN) and the insula and salience network (SN). One of the consistent themes in the meditative and mindfulness literature is a change in the perspective of the self. In this paper, I will review how meditation alters those neural circuits providing a plausible mechanism that can explain the changes in the self. I also propose a rudimentary conceptual framework to account for some of the mixed results found throughout meditation literature.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical populations | 2003 | Review | |
| Mindfulness: Theoretical Foundations and Evidence for its Salutary Effects | 2007 | Review | |
| Mindfulness Interventions | 2016 | Review | |
| Mind the Hype: A Critical Evaluation and Prescriptive Agenda for Research on Mindfulness and Meditation | 2017 | Review | |
| Mindfulness and acceptance: expanding the cognitive-behavioral tradition | 2005 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 12
- Two weeks to tune in: Evaluating the effects of a short‐term body scan on interoception Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being September 4, 2025
- The convergent neuroscience of Christian prayer and attachment relationships in the context of mental health: a systematic review. Frontiers in Psychology 2025
- Laboratory set-up for OBEs and projections Frontiers in Psychology October 1, 2026
- The Esoteric Mind in Modern Science and Medicine July 3, 2026
- Intense Meditation-Related Experiences (IMREs) and Perceived Impacts on Self and Worldview: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Mindfulness May 19, 2026
and 7 more in the library
Cites 46
- How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective Perspectives on Psychological Science October 14, 2011
- Interoceptive inference, emotion, and the embodied self Trends in Cognitive Sciences October 12, 2013
- Mind the Hype: A Critical Evaluation and Prescriptive Agenda for Research on Mindfulness and Meditation Perspectives on Psychological Science October 10, 2017
- Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences November 23, 2011
- Attending to the present: mindfulness meditation reveals distinct neural modes of self-reference Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience August 13, 2007
and 41 more in the library