Biophoton Emission from Palm during Meditation: A Multi-Method Complexity Analysis
E. Pace, L. de Paolis, G. Felici, I. Vaglini, M. Sandrini, M. Pettini, Angelo Gemignani, M. Benfatto
arXiv Preprint Archive May 26, 2026 preprint
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case study Case report |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1 |
| Population | Human subject |
| Duration | Four consecutive 15-minute phases per session, three sessions on different days |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Physics.bio-ph Q-bio.ot |
| Key findings | Meditation based on the Sama Vritti box-breathing protocol systematically reduces intermittency of ultraweak photon emissions from the human palm, with a decreased scaling exponent in the non-ergodic renewal regime and increased sequential pattern structure. |
Abstract
Biophotons are ultra-weak photon emissions in the visible spectrum produced by living organisms. While extensively studied in plants, germinating seeds, and cell cultures, no systematic multi-method complexity analysis of human ultraweak photon emission (UPE) under physiological modulation has been reported. We address this gap by applying a comprehensive analytical framework to UPE measurements from the right palm of a human subject. Three independent sessions were conducted on different days, each comprising four consecutive 15-minute phases: Dark reference, pre-meditation resting state (Pre), structured meditation based on the Sama Vritti box-breathing protocol, and post-meditation recovery (Post). Photon count series are analysed with four complementary methods: distributional statistics (Fano factor, skewness, tail Expected Shortfall); multiscale Fano factor and Allan deviation; stripe-filtered Diffusion Entropy Analysis (DEA); and Renyi entropy with a Time Reversal test. The methods show complementary sensitivities, converging on a coherent picture: a systematic reduction of emission intermittency during meditation, consistently detected across all three sessions. Stripe-filtered DEA places the emission in the non-ergodic renewal regime with a Pre-to-Meditation decrease of the scaling exponent. Renyi analysis reveals two effects: reduced marginal amplitude burstiness (Tdir) and increased sequential pattern structure (Tseq), interpreted as entrainment to the Sama Vritti rhythm. These findings are consistent with cardiac complexity transitions during meditation reported by Tuladhar et al. and with EEG reorganization during Sama Vritti breathing by Zaccaro et al., suggesting a coordinated multi-channel physiological response. The results establish a proof-of-concept framework for complexity analysis of human UPE under physiological modulation.
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| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Problem Gambling A female problem gambler | 2011 | Case study | n = 1 |