Deep rest: An integrative model of how contemplative practices combat stress and enhance the body's restorative capacity.
Alexandra D Crosswell, Stefanie E Mayer, Lauren N Whitehurst, Martin Picard, Sheyda Zebarjadian, Elissa S Epel
Psychological Review December 25, 2023 DOI: 10.1037/rev0000453 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Humans Yoga |
| Key points | Argues that contemplative practices such as meditation, yoga, and prayer produce a restorative state termed "deep rest," largely via safety signaling, redirecting energetic resources toward cellular optimization and away from energy-demanding stress states. Proposes this as a unified biopsychosocial model linking contemplative practice, stress science, and mitochondrial biology to explain how such practices improve psychological and physical functioning by optimizing cellular energy consumption. |
Abstract
Engaging in contemplative practice like meditation, yoga, and prayer, is beneficial for psychological and physical well-being. Recent research has identified several underlying psychological and biological pathways that explain these benefits. However, there is not yet consensus on the underlying overlapping physiological mechanisms of contemplative practice benefits. In this article, we integrate divergent scientific literatures on contemplative practice interventions, stress science, and mitochondrial biology, presenting a unified biopsychosocial model of how contemplative practices reduce stress and promote physical health. We argue that engaging in contemplative practice facilitates a restorative state termed "deep rest," largely through safety signaling, during which energetic resources are directed toward cellular optimization and away from energy-demanding stress states. Our model thus presents a framework for how contemplative practices enhance positive psychological and physiological functioning by optimizing cellular energy consumption. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
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 11
- Psychoneuroimmunology of Mindfulness: What works, how it works, and for whom? Brain, Behavior, & Immunity - Health July 1, 2025
- Daily mindfulness practice with and without slow breathing has opposing effects on plasma amyloid beta levels. medRxiv March 11, 2025
- "It's a Really Big Privilege to be Able to Take Care of Ourselves": A Mixed Methods Study of Integrating Mindfulness for Mental Health into a Job Training Program for Low-Income Emerging Adults. Global Advances in Integrative Medicine and Health 2025
- Neurobiological substrates of altered states of consciousness induced by high ventilation breathwork accompanied by music PLoS One August 27, 2025
- Vipassanā Meditation in Contemporary Psychiatry: Transformation of a Buddhist Practice into a Mental Health Intervention Kamali: Jurnal Ilmu Agama June 26, 2026
and 6 more in the library
Cites 39
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective Perspectives on Psychological Science October 14, 2011
- Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being JAMA Internal Medicine January 6, 2014
- Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Stress Management in Healthy People: A Review and Meta-Analysis The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine May 1, 2009
- Physiological Effects of Transcendental Meditation Science March 27, 1970
and 34 more in the library