The Perspective of Psychological Action Mechanism of Mindfulness Meditation: Mindfulness Meditation Blurs the Transparent Boundary Between the Unconscious and the Conscious Mind
Darya Rostam Ahmed
Psychiatry Investigation May 25, 2023 DOI: 10.30773/pi.2023.0032 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | Mindfulness meditation |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key points | Proposes that mindfulness meditation works by blocking pathogenic thoughts and emotions from entering conscious awareness, akin to neuronal inhibitory and excitatory mechanisms. |
Abstract
Based on the author’s clinical experience, the aim of this paper is to conceptually analyse the theory of psychological functioning and action mechanisms in the way mindfulness meditation works. Meditation is a method of revealing unconsciousness. It works in a similar way to the inhibitory and excitatory mechanisms of neurones. Block pathogenic thoughts and emotions that reach the unconscious to the conscious mind. The long-term implementation of mediation may be more effective than the short-term and interrupted implementation.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. | 2004 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mechanisms of mindfulness | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective | 2011 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression | 2006 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART): a framework for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness | 2012 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
- From Confound to Clinical Tool: Mindfulness and the Observer Effect in Research and Therapy. Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging April 1, 2025
- Applying Virtual Reality in Mindfulness Exercises for Emotion Regulation and Mental Health Among Inpatients With Behavioral Issues: A Feasibility Study. American Journal of Health Promotion June 1, 2026
Cites 4
- Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being JAMA Internal Medicine January 6, 2014
- The neuroscience of meditation: classification, phenomenology, correlates, and mechanisms. Progress in Brain Research 2019
- Mindfulness meditation and consciousness: An integrative neuroscientific perspective. Consciousness and Cognition February 2016
- [Review of the effects of mindfulness meditation on mental and physical health and its mechanisms of action]. Santé mentale au Québec 2013