Psychology, Meditation, and the Brain Across Contemplative Traditions
The Oxford Handbook of Psychology and Spirituality January 23, 2024 DOI: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190905538.013.19 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | The text reports that neuroscientific evidence links meditation to enduring changes in activity in specific brain areas, associated with increased attention and altered experience of self, and that clinical evidence links contemplative practice to positive psychological change, including use of "mindfulness-based cognitive therapy" for depression. The authors argue that further research and dialogue are needed to integrate spiritual, psychological, and biological understandings of contemplative practice. |
Abstract
Abstract Virtually all of the world’s major spiritual and religious traditions incorporate elements of meditation or contemplative prayer, although the nature, prominence, and precise features of such practices vary between traditions. Neuroscientific findings indicate that meditation is associated with significant, enduring alterations in patterns of activity in specific brain areas. These, in turn, are linked with the increased attention and alterations in experience of self associated with contemplative practice. Neuroscientific findings are complemented by clinical evidence of relationships between contemplative practice and positive psychological change, leading, for example, to the use of “mindfulness-based cognitive therapy” for depression (combining mindfulness-based techniques from Buddhist tradition with Western cognitive therapeutic approaches). Notwithstanding recent work, substantial potential remains for further research and ongoing dialogue aimed at developing deeper, more integrated understandings of the spiritual, psychological, and biological effects of contemplative practice.
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
Cites 31
- Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences November 8, 2004
- Mindfulness and Psychotherapy FOCUS: The Journal of Lifelong Learning in Psychiatry 2010
- Yoga Breathing, Meditation, and Longevity Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences August 1, 2009
- Meditation's impact on chronic illness. Holistic Nursing Practice 2003
- Mindfulness Meditation and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Intervention Reduces Pain Severity and Sensitivity in Opioid-Treated Chronic Low Back Pain: Pilot Findings from a Randomized Controlled Trial Pain Medicine March 10, 2016
and 26 more in the library