Conscious, Pre-Conscious and Unconscious Mechanisms in Emotional Behaviour. Some Applications to the Mindfulness Approach with Wearable Devices
Michela Balconi, Giulia Fronda, Irene Venturella, Davide Crivelli
Applied Sciences December 8, 2017 DOI: 10.3390/app7121280 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | Neurofeedback protocols |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Citations | 69 |
| Key points | Argues that conscious and unconscious mechanisms both contribute to emotion regulation and stress management, and that mindfulness and neurofeedback-style implicit training can build self-monitoring and regulation skills. Proposes that body-sensing devices may support meditation, motivation, and sustainability, and presents preliminary evidence from an intensive technology-mediated mindfulness protocol using a brain-sensing wearable, assessed via perceived stress, cognitive performance, and EEG-ERP measures. |
Abstract
Conscious, pre-conscious, and unconscious mechanisms are implicated in modulating affective processing in daily activities. Specifically, mental practice fostering awareness and control of affective reactions to external stimuli and stressful events (such as mindfulness and neurofeedback protocols) can be used to improve our ability to manage unconscious negative emotions. Indeed, it is possible to empower self-monitoring and regulation skills, as well as our ability to manage stress and negative emotions coming from everyday events and activities. This can be accomplished, on the one hand, by regularly practicing self-observation and by promoting bodily awareness and an awareness of automatic responses (e.g., uncontrolled affective reactions); on the other hand, by undergoing implicit training protocols that take advantage of brain responses. The present paper elucidates the contribution of both conscious and unconscious levels in emotion regulation and stress management, with a focus on their neural correlates and their role in mindfulness practice and on the potential of body-sensing devices for supporting meditation sessions, for fostering motivation to practice, and for making meditation more appealing and sustainable. We will finally present preliminary evidence on the effect of an intensive technology-mediated meditation protocol based on mindfulness practices and supported by a brain-sensing wearable device. The experimental procedure included three levels of outcome indices: psychometric measures related to perceived stress; neuropsychological and behavioural measures related to cognitive performance; and instrumental measures (resting-state and task-related electroencephalographic markers—EEG-ERPs).
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. | 2004 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mechanisms of mindfulness | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective | 2011 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression | 2006 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART): a framework for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness | 2012 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cited by 7
- Heart rate variability during mindful breathing meditation Frontiers in Physiology January 23, 2023
- Mindfulness in the focus of the neurosciences - The contribution of neuroimaging to the understanding of mindfulness. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience October 17, 2022
- Consumer-Grade Neurofeedback With Mindfulness Meditation: Meta-Analysis. Journal of Medical Internet Research April 17, 2025
- "Sentio ergo est": Unmasking the psychological realities of emotional misperception. Perception 2025
- From Confound to Clinical Tool: Mindfulness and the Observer Effect in Research and Therapy. Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging April 1, 2025
and 2 more in the library
Cites 26
- Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2004
- The Brain's Default Mode Network Annual Review of Neuroscience May 4, 2015
- Mechanisms of mindfulness Journal of Clinical Psychology December 29, 2005
- How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective Perspectives on Psychological Science October 14, 2011
- Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Psychosomatic Medicine July 1, 2003
and 21 more in the library