The Effectiveness of Brief Meditation Assisted with Cardiac Biofeedback on Interoceptive Accuracy, Sensibility and Awareness: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
Konrad Rudnicki, Luna Schepers, Koen Rummens, Glen Joris, Karolien Poels
Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback July 11, 2025 DOI: 10.1007/s10484-025-09728-8 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 105 |
| Population | Participants with no prior meditation experience |
| Interventions | cardiac biofeedback-assisted meditation app-based meditation |
| Duration | 2-week intervention |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Interoceptive accuracy Interoceptive awareness Interoceptive sensibility User experience Meditation practices:brief meditation Short meditation sessions Meditators Interoception:body awareness Biofeedback:cardiac biofeedback |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key findings | Interoceptive accuracy improved in the two meditating conditions, but only among participants with positive user experience with their meditation devices. |
Abstract
The growing popularity of application-based meditation has driven the development of new technological features in this field such as the use of cardiac biofeedback, aimed at helping users train their attention to interoceptive stimuli while meditating. However, despite the innovativeness of this approach, the effectiveness of cardiac biofeedback-assisted meditation in enhancing interoception and its specific advantages in this context remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate whether a limited number of brief meditation sessions enhanced with cardiac biofeedback improves interoceptive accuracy, sensibility, and awareness more effectively than only using a meditation application. A randomized controlled trial of a 2-week intervention was conducted with participants who had no prior meditation experience (N = 105) assigned into one of three groups: a cardiac biofeedback-assisted meditation group, an app-based meditation group and a non-meditating control group. Interoceptive accuracy, sensibility and awareness were measured using the Heartbeat Discrimination Task. The findings indicated that interoceptive awareness increased from pre- to post-test across all participants, including the control group. No changes were observed in interoceptive sensibility. However, interoceptive accuracy improved in the two meditating conditions, but only among participants with positive user experience with their meditation devices.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Healthy employees in a work environment | 2003 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 41 |
| Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2000 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 145 |
| Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Working adults | 2008 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 139 |
| Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Undergraduate Chinese students | 2007 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 40 |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Replication and Exploration of Differential Relapse Prevention Effects. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2004 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 73 |
Citations in the library
Cites 15
- The meeting of meditative disciplines and western psychology: A mutually enriching dialogue. American Psychologist 2006
- The impact of a brief mindfulness training on interoception: A randomized controlled trial PLoS One September 7, 2022
- Engagement Strategies to Improve Adherence and Retention in Web-Based Mindfulness Programs: Systematic Review Journal of Medical Internet Research August 28, 2023
- The Impact of a Short Body–Focused Meditation on Body Ownership and Interoceptive Abilities Mindfulness 2023
- Trends and Developments in Mindfulness Research over 55 Years: A Bibliometric Analysis of Publications Indexed in Web of Science Mindfulness July 16, 2021
and 10 more in the library