Trauma, early life stress, and mindfulness in adulthood.
BMC Psychology February 14, 2024 DOI: 10.1186/s40359-024-01563-6 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | The author argues that findings linking early life stress to higher self-reported mindfulness are surprising and conflict with a broader literature tying trauma and ELS to emotional dysregulation, alexithymia, and psychopathology. The paper reviews trauma's effects on neural circuits involved in mindfulness, interoception, attachment, and alexithymia to offer context and a framework for reconciling these conflicting results. |
Abstract
Abstract: This article is a review that was inspired by recent studies investigating the effects of childhood trauma or early life stress (ELS) and mindfulness in adulthood. One recent study found that some forms of abuse and neglect led to higher scores in several subscales of a self-report measure of mindfulness. The authors concluded that some forms of ELS can help cultivate certain aspects of mindfulness in adulthood. However, and in contrast to this recent finding, much of the extant literature investigating ELS and trauma are linked to emotional dysregulation, alexithymia, and a host of psychopathologies in adulthood which makes the results of this study surprising. Central to the mindfulness literature is cultivating an open, non-reactive, or non-judgment awareness of inner experiences which are important for emotional regulation. In this paper, I review some of the effects of trauma or ELS on critical neural circuits linked to mindfulness, interoception, attachment, and alexithymia which I hope may clarify some of the conflicting findings from this study and throughout the literature and provide additional context and a framework that may inform research investigating these two constructs going forward.
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 4
- Meditation and interoception: a conceptual framework for the narrative and experiential self. Frontiers in Psychology October 16, 2024
- Trait mindfulness buffers depersonalization symptoms among young adults exposed to childhood abuse Frontiers in Psychology July 9, 2026
- Unlocking the Tyranny of Modern Thinking: Keys From Anthropology, Psychology, Neuroscience, and Buddhism Anthropology of Consciousness October 28, 2025
- Mindfulness-based interventions for preventing childhood maltreatment and restoring health among survivors: a public health perspective. Mindfulness June 1, 2025
Cites 28
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Assessment January 27, 2006
- How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective Perspectives on Psychological Science October 14, 2011
- Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Assessment February 29, 2008
- Interoceptive inference, emotion, and the embodied self Trends in Cognitive Sciences October 12, 2013
and 23 more in the library