Biological Psychology
September 1, 2016
J Lutz, Annette B Brühl, Hanne Scheerer et al.
Mindful self-awareness is central to mindfulness meditation and plays a key role in its salutary effects. It has been related to decreased activation in cortical midline structures (CMS) and amygdala, and increased activation in somatosensory regions. However, findings in untrained individuals are contradictory, and scarce in experienced meditators. Using fMRI, we investigated experienced...
Data in brief
September 1, 2016
Aviva Berkovich-Ohana, Michal Harel, Avital Hahamy et al.
FMRI data described here was recorded during resting-state in Mindfulness Meditators (MM) and control participants (see "Task-induced activity and resting-state fluctuations undergo similar alterations in visual and DMN areas of long-term meditators" Berkovich-Ohana et al. (2016) [1] for details). MM participants were also scanned during meditation. Analyses focused on functional connectivity...
Journal of Caring Sciences
August 31, 2016
Reza Yazdanimehr, A. Omidi, Z. Sadat et al.
Introduction: Pregnancy can be associated with different psychological problems such as depression and anxiety. These problems are often neglected and left untreated. This study aimed to examine the effect of mindfulness-integrated cognitive behavior therapy on depression and anxiety among pregnant women. Methods: A convenient sample of 80 pregnant women were selected. Participants were...
Translational Psychiatry
August 30, 2016
Elissa S Epel, E Puterman, J Lin et al.
Meditation is becoming increasingly practiced, especially for stress-related medical conditions. Meditation may improve cellular health; however, studies have not separated out effects of meditation from vacation-like effects in a residential randomized controlled trial. We recruited healthy women non-meditators to live at a resort for 6 days and randomized to either meditation retreat or...
The Primary Care Companion For CNS Disorders
August 25, 2016
Robert G. Bota, Jessica Hazen, Ryan Tieu et al.
To determine if the use of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) in patients with a history of 2 or more episodes of major depressive disorder and other mood disorders will decrease the need for medication management and other interventions and will also decrease the need for outpatient services and the overall cost of treatment. The study patients completed MBCT group sessions between...
Journal of Clinical Oncology
August 20, 2016
Cecile A Lengacher, Richard R Reich, Carly L Paterson et al.
The purpose of this randomized trial was to evaluate the efficacy of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Breast Cancer (MBSR[BC]) program in improving psychological and physical symptoms and quality of life among breast cancer survivors (BCSs) who completed treatment. Outcomes were assessed immediately after 6 weeks of MBSR(BC) training and 6 weeks later to test efficacy over an extended...
BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine
August 18, 2016
Waleed O Twal, Amy E Wahlquist, Sundaravadivel Balasubramanian
Background: Self-report measures indicate that Yoga practices are perceived to reduce stress; however, molecular mechanisms through which YB affects stress are just beginning to be understood. While invasive sampling such as blood has been widely used to measure biological indicators such as pro-inflammatory biomarkers, the use of saliva to measure changes in various biomolecules has been...
Explore
August 18, 2016
Jacinda K Dariotis, Fallon Cluxton-Keller, Roxanne Mirabal-Beltran et al.
Context: School-based mindfulness and yoga studies generally measure stress-related outcomes using quantitative measures. Objective: This study answers the following research questions: How do youth define stress and in what ways, if any, was a mindful yoga intervention helpful to youth during stress experiences? Design and subjects: To explore youths' own perspectives on stress, stressors in...
BMC Medical Education
August 18, 2016
Declan Aherne, Katie Farrant, Louise Hickey et al.
Medical practitioners and students are at increased risk of a number of personal and psychological problems. Stress and anxiety due to work-load and study requirements are common and self-care methods are important in maintaining well-being. The current study examines perceptions of and satisfaction ratings with a mindfulness based stress reduction (MBSR) programme for 1(st) year (compulsory)...
Mindfulness
August 18, 2016
Bethany E Kok, Tania Singer
154 citations
Despite increasing interest in the effects of mental training practices such as meditation, there is much ambiguity regarding whether and to what extent the various types of mental practice have differential effects on psychological change. To address this gap, we compare the effects of four common meditation practices on measures of state change in affect, mind-wandering, meta-cognition, and...
Religions
August 16, 2016
Richard Payne
The concept of “ritual syntax” is developed by relating it to cognitive studies of ritual, providing a fuller theoretical basis. Developing theoretical grounding requires differentiating between the members of five pairs of concepts: production is not the same as analysis, syntax is not the same as semantics, ritual is not the same as the mental, cognition is not the same as the mental, and...
Frontiers in Nutrition
August 15, 2016
Michael V Stanton, Justin Matsuura, Jennifer Kaci Fairchild et al.
Despite substantial evidence for their effectiveness in treating disordered eating and obesity, mindfulness-based treatments have not been broadly implemented among Veterans. A number of reviews have reported mindfulness to be beneficial in promoting healthy eating behaviors and weight loss among non-Veteran samples. We discuss this approach in the context of the Veterans Affairs system, the...
Asian Studies
August 10, 2016
Sebastjan Vörös
19 citations
In the article, I critically evaluate some common objections against contemporary approaches to mindfulness meditation, with a special focus on two aspects. First, I consider the claim that de-contextualized contemporary approaches may have serious ethical consequences (the so-called problem of “mindful sniper/zombie”); second, I investigate the suggestion that it may be misleading to construe...
August 10, 2016
Jana S. Rošker
This article addresses the modifications of the term mindfulness in sinicized meditation practices derived from Indian Buddhism. It attempts to shed some light on these modifications from two different aspects: first the classical Daoist meditation practices were analysed, and this showed why and in what way did the Daoist terminology function as a bridge in the initial phase of translating...
Journal of Applied Gerontology
August 10, 2016
Autumn M Gallegos, Jan A Moynihan, Wilfred R Pigeon
This secondary analysis examined changes in sleep quality associated with participation in a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program among healthy older adults. Data were collected at baseline, 8-weeks post-treatment, and a 6-month follow-up from adults aged ≥ 65 (N = 200), randomly assigned to MBSR or a waitlist control. Group differences were examined using mixed analysis of...
Asian Studies
August 10, 2016
Olga Markič, Urban Kordeš
5 citations
The article highlights some of the parallels encountered in the areas of mindfulness and first-person scientific approaches to research into consciousness. It thus considers the possibilities of using mindfulness as a scientific method in the area of cognitive science. We are well aware that both first-person research approaches in cognitive science and mindfulness as a type of Buddhist...
JMIR Mental Health
August 8, 2016
Helané Wahbeh, Barry Oken
Background: Mindfulness meditation interventions improve a variety of health conditions and quality of life, are inexpensive, easy to implement, have minimal if any side effects, and engage patients to take an active role in their treatment. However, the group format can be an obstacle for many to take structured meditation programs. Internet Mindfulness Meditation Intervention (IMMI) is a...
Religions
August 8, 2016
Brendan Ozawa-de Silva
This article argues that the emerging project of contemplative science will be best served if it is informed by two perspectives. First, attention should be paid not only to non-analytical and/or mindfulness-based practices, but to a fuller range of contemplative practices, including analytical styles of meditation. Second, the issue of ethics must be addressed as a framework within which to...
Mental Health, Religion & Culture
August 8, 2016
This research aims to examine how traditional insight meditation in Thailand is trained and to investigate the impact of this practice on happiness and perceived stress. The fuller meaning of mindfulness and how to interweave mindfulness in daily practice is discussed. The intervention was a seven-day traditional insight meditation retreat in Thailand. The final sample included 656...
Mindfulness
August 1, 2016
Elise M. Clerkin, Laurel D. Sarfan, E. M. Parsons et al.
This cross-sectional study tested social anxiety symptoms, trait mindfulness, and drinking to cope with social anxiety as potential predictors and/or serial mediators of drinking problems. A community-based sample of individuals with co-occurring social anxiety symptoms and alcohol dependence were recruited. Participants (N = 105) completed measures of social anxiety, drinking to cope with...