A mind full of self: Self‐referential processing as a mechanism underlying the therapeutic effects of mindfulness training on internalizing disorders
Yan-Li Lin, C. P. Callahan, J. Moser
Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews September 1, 2018 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.06.007 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | Mindfulness training |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | The authors propose that change in self-referential processing is a key but under-examined mechanism through which mindfulness training produces therapeutic benefits for internalizing disorders. They conclude that internalizing disorders involve excessive self-referential processing and emotion dysregulation, that mindfulness training has moderate effects on reducing internalizing symptoms, and that it shifts individuals from narrative self-focus to present-centered experiential awareness, accompanied by reduced activation in overactive self-referential brain regions implicated in internalizing disorders. |
Abstract
HIGHLIGHTSInternalizing disorders characterized by aberrant self‐referential processing and emotion dysregulation.Mindfulness training modulates self‐referential processing and reduces internalizing symptoms.Change in self‐referential processing may be key mechanism underlying therapeutic effects of mindfulness training. ABSTRACT The aim of the current review is to advance the hypothesis that change in self‐referential processing is a key but under‐examined mechanism through which mindfulness training confers its therapeutic benefits for individuals with internalizing disorders. Consequently, we integrated neuroscientific studies on aberrant self‐referential processing in internalizing disorders with contemplative science scholarship examining the effects of mindfulness training on the self‐referential system. Reviewing these literatures yielded four major conclusions: (1) internalizing disorders can be characterized by excessive self‐referential processing and emotion dysregulation; (2) mindfulness training has moderate effects on reducing internalizing symptoms; (3) mindfulness training promotes the shifting from narrative self‐focus to present‐centered experiential awareness; (4) such mindfulness‐induced changes in self‐reference is accompanied by reduced activation in overactive self‐referential brain regions that have been implicated in internalizing disorders. Clinical and research implications related to delineating the role of self‐referential processing in producing the therapeutic effects of mindfulness training are discussed.
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 25
- Mindfulness Meditation and Psychopathology Annual Review of Clinical Psychology December 11, 2018
- The (In)flexible self: Psychopathology, mindfulness, and neuroscience. International journal of clinical and health psychology : IJCHP 2023
- Effects of Mindfulness Meditation on Self-Transcendent States: Perceived Body Boundaries and Spatial Frames of Reference. Mindfulness May 1, 2020
- Self-transcendent experiences as promoters of ecological wellbeing? Exploration of the evidence and hypotheses to be tested Frontiers in Psychology November 14, 2022
- Punishment on Pause: Preliminary Evidence That Mindfulness Training Modifies Neural Responses in a Reactive Aggression Task Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience July 23, 2021
and 20 more in the library
Cites 31
- A default mode of brain function Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 16, 2001
- Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Assessment January 27, 2006
- Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2004
- How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective Perspectives on Psychological Science October 14, 2011
- Default Mode Network Activity and Connectivity in Psychopathology Annual Review of Clinical Psychology March 29, 2012
and 26 more in the library