Mapping Meditative States and Stages with Electrophysiology: Concepts, Classifications, and Methods
Poppy L A Schoenberg, David R. Vago
October 18, 2018 DOI: 10.31231/osf.io/3r46u (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Intervention | Mindfulness and other contemplative practices |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Consciousness Contemplation Cognitive science Phenomenology philosophy Extant taxon Electroencephalography Cognitive psychology Epistemology Psychotherapist |
| Citations | 5 |
| Key points | Proposes that systematic classification of discrete mind states from contemplative practices may enable ontological quantification and mapping to neurobiological substrates via EEG. |
Abstract
Exploration of human consciousness remains a final frontier within basic neuroscience; that is, how the finite biological structure and function of the brain gives rise to the seemingly infinite expanse that encompasses the terrain of the mind. Contemporary mindfulness and other contemplative practices across historical and post-modern traditions involve systematic forms of mental training that allow the practitioner to develop the mind in very specific and quantifiable ways. Some fundamental questions pertain to this scientific enquiry; (1) how to concisely classify discrete and developmentally-specific “mind states” of consciousness that are in line with the subtle complex phenomenology of experience so to yield ontological quantifications? (2) what measures best represent such classification/quantification systems? (3) can the present electrophysiological purview map developmentally-specified mind states and stages to neurobiological substrates, based on extant contention (i.e. discrete EEG band functionality, phenomenological significance, and underlying mechanisms) regarding the interpretation of EEG physiology?
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
- Endogenous theta stimulation during meditation predicts reduced opioid dosing following treatment with Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement. Neuropsychopharmacology September 12, 2020
- Mindfulness and Nondual Well-Being – What is the Evidence that We Can Stay Happy? Review of General Psychology June 1, 2023
Cites 15
- Conceptual and methodological issues in research on mindfulness and meditation. American Psychologist October 1, 2015
- The Varieties of Self-Transcendent Experience Review of General Psychology May 1, 2017
- Mindfulness meditation–based pain relief: a mechanistic account Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences June 1, 2016
- Decreased electrophysiological activity represents the conscious state of emptiness in meditation Frontiers in Psychology 2014
- The Kantian brain: brain dynamics from a neurophenomenological perspective. Current Opinion in Neurobiology April 1, 2015
and 10 more in the library