Shinshu mindful study: can mindfulness training change the retrieval mode of autobiographical memory?
Memory February 9, 2026 DOI: 10.1080/09658211.2026.2628213 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Non-randomized controlled trial (mindfulness group vs waitlist control) Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 56 |
| Population | Community sample of adults (mean age 34.80 ± 12.68 years) |
| Intervention | Mindfulness training |
| Duration | Four sessions over eight weeks |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Mindfulness training was associated with involuntary memories being perceived as less sudden and more effortful and voluntary memories as more generative, while retrieval latency, frequency, and specificity did not change. Heart rate acceleration before directly retrieved memories also remained unchanged. The authors suggest mindfulness training leads to more deliberate, effortful memory retrieval, but that changes in interoceptive processing may not support changes in retrieval. |
Abstract
Researchers have suggested that interoception can trigger the retrieval of autobiographical memories or influence the subjective sense of retrieval mode (e.g., involuntary or voluntary). This study examined whether four sessions of mindfulness training, aimed at improving interoceptive processing over eight weeks, can alter autobiographical memory retrieval and perceived retrieval mode in a community sample. 26 participants in the mindfulness group and 30 participants in the waitlist control group completed the study (Mage = 34.80 ± 12.68). In the mindfulness group, participants showed a decrease in perceived retrieval suddenness and an increase in perceived retrieval effort for involuntary memories, and an increase in perceived generative retrieval for voluntary memories. Retrieval latency, frequency, and memory specificity did not change with training. Although heart rate acceleration was observed immediately before memory responses judged as being directly retrieved, this physiological response remained unchanged with training. Reported interoceptive sensibility and dispositional mindfulness increased significantly in the mindfulness group over time, but these changes did not predict changes in retrieval mode variables. The results suggest that mindfulness training leads to more deliberate, effortful memory retrieval, but changes in interoceptive processing may not support changes in retrieval. Clinical implications for reducing intrusive memory and its emotional impact are discussed.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Relation to Quality of Life, Mood, Symptoms of Stress, and Immune Parameters in Breast and Prostate Cancer Outpatients Early-stage breast and prostate cancer patients | 2003 | Pre-post intervention study | n = 59 |
| Exploring self‐compassion and empathy in the context of mindfulness‐based stress reduction (MBSR) Community sample | 2010 | Pre-post intervention study | |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Lowers Psychological Distress In Medical Students Second-year medical students | 2003 | Prospective nonrandomized cohort-controlled study | n = 302 |
| Intensive meditation training, immune cell telomerase activity, and psychological mediators. Retreat participants and matched controls | 2011 | Controlled trial with wait-list control group | n = 60 |
| The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Training for Children with ADHD and Mindful Parenting for their Parents Children aged 8-12 with ADHD and their parents | 2011 | Within-group waitlist controlled trial | n = 22 |
Citations in the library
Cites 21
- Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Assessment January 27, 2006
- Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences November 8, 2004
- Active interoceptive inference and the emotional brain Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences October 11, 2016
- Effects of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy on Body Awareness in Patients with Chronic Pain and Comorbid Depression Frontiers in Psychology June 30, 2016
- The Effect of Mindfulness-based Programs on Cognitive Function in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Neuropsychology Review August 4, 2021
and 16 more in the library