Frontiers in Psychology
December 16, 2020
Ute B. Thiermann, William R. Sheate, A. Vercammen
Mindfulness has emerged as a potential motivator for sustainable lifestyles, yet few studies provide insight into the relationship between mindfulness practice levels and individual engagement in pro-environmental behaviors. We also lack information about the significance of meditators’ behavioral differences in terms of their measurable environmental impact and the motivational processes...
The Oxford Handbook of Meditation
December 15, 2020
Patricia Lynn Dobkin, Kaveh Monshat
Abstract: The intention of this chapter is to re-envision mental illness within a paradigm that unites the biopsychosocial paradigm with a modern Buddhist spirituality, particularly associated with mindfulness. Emotion regulation, a balanced relationship with one’s self-concept, and social connection are usually regarded as essential components of well-being within both systems of thought....
The Oxford Handbook of Meditation
December 15, 2020
Deane H. Shapiro
Abstract Spiritual, religious, and secular traditions emphasize the importance of control over one’s thoughts, feelings and behavior, and the relevance of meditation in achieving this control. Meditation practices, in particular, can be understood as one strategy amongst others for achieving self-regulation. While the main focus in Western psychology has been on active instrumental control,...
The Oxford Handbook of Meditation
December 15, 2020
Conrad Hackett
Abstract This chapter describes which U.S. groups report meditating frequently. While there is little cross-national data available to analyze demographic characteristics associated with meditation, Pew Research Center’s nationally representative 2014 Religious Landscape Study (RLS) asked more than 35,000 U.S. adults, “How often do you meditate? Would you say at least once a week, once or twice...
The Oxford Handbook of Meditation
December 15, 2020
David W. Orme-Johnson
Abstract The Transcendental Meditation technique (TM) is a process of transcending from the active mind to the silent mind, creating a feeling of well-being that many people describe as blissful. As the mind settles, the body becomes deeply rested, as indicated by reductions of physiological stress markers. The meditator typically experiences expanded inner awareness, which corresponds to...
The Oxford Handbook of Meditation
December 15, 2020
Kieran C. R. Fox, B. Rael Cahn
Abstract The aim of this chapter is to provide an accessible introduction to the neuroscience of meditation. First, a review of studies examining the relationship between meditation and alterations in the structure of the brain’s grey and white matter (so-called morphometric neuroimaging) is offered. Next, the chapter discusses findings from functional neuroimaging methods, such as functional...
The Oxford Handbook of Meditation
December 15, 2020
Harold D. Roth
Abstract Daoism is the indigenous Chinese religious tradition that has been a major feature of this culture for over two thousand years. It is grounded in a comprehensive cosmology of the Way (Dao) that derives from the ancient practice of a meditation that emphasizes attentional focus and mental tranquility attained through an apophatic (self-negating) practice of systematically emptying...
The Oxford Handbook of Meditation
December 15, 2020
Candy Gunther Brown
3 citations
Abstract This chapter examines school-based meditation programs for children ages 4–17—including Transcendental Meditation, ashtanga yoga, and mindfulness-based stress reduction—popularized between the 1960s and 2010s in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and India. Practices entered mainstream education as promoters distanced meditation from religion, particularly Hinduism and...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
December 14, 2020
Erica R Timko Olson, Margaret M Hansen, Amber L Vermeesch
Mindfulness and Shinrin-yoku (SY) translated as forest bathing, is potentially effective to alleviate mental health issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. The purpose of this article is to provide a translational and pragmatic approach to understanding mindfulness in the context of SY and psychological wellbeing through a rapid review of the literature. The background of...
Global Advances in Health and Medicine
December 13, 2020
Christina M. Luberto, Janice H Goodman, Bonnie Halvorson et al.
Many health professions students experience elevated stress and burnout during their professional education and training. With the added challenges of COVID-19, students face a whole new set of stressors. Students in the Spring 2020 semester of our online academic course, "Mindfulness for Healthcare Providers," began confronting the COVID-19 crisis after several weeks of mindfulness meditation...
December 13, 2020
Robert Weis, Sullivan D. Ray, Tema A. Cohen
Abstract COVID-19 brought significant challenges to college students in Spring 2020 Mindfulness-based interventions might help students cope with COVID-19-related stressors in at least three ways: by cultivating attention that is self-directed rather than reactive to a rapidly changing situation;by teaching the acceptance and regulation of negative thoughts and feelings;and by encouraging...
Frontiers in Psychiatry
December 11, 2020
Background: Fostering greater resiliency to stress, optimal psychosocial development and promoting better mental health and well-being in youth is an important goal of the Canadian and American elementary school systems ( 1 , 2 ). Recent research on mindfulness and philosophy for children (P4C) has yielded promising results regarding innovative interventions that may be implemented in...
Frontiers in Psychiatry
December 10, 2020
Christina Spinelli, Etienne Paradis-Gagné, Megan Per et al.
Forensic inpatients (i. e., individuals found not responsible for a criminal offense on account of mental illness) represent an often marginalized and difficult-to-treat population. This has led to the need for research exploring the effectiveness of novel interventions. A Canadian forensic hospital has developed an 8-weeks mindfulness and yoga training program (MTP). This pilot study examined...
Scientific Reports
December 10, 2020
Johan C. Karremans, Gesa Kappen, Melanie P. J. Schellekens et al.
There is increasing scientific interest in the potential association between mindfulness and romantic relationship wellbeing. To date, however, experimental studies using active control groups and testing dyadic effects (i.e. examining both actor and partner effects) are lacking. In the current study, romantically involved individuals engaged for 2 weeks daily in either guided mindfulness...
The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine
December 10, 2020
R. Nicastro, Françoise Jermann, Sophie Bluteau Blin et al.
Introduction: Mindfulness-based programs are a promising option for patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), who face attention, hyperactivity, and emotion dysregulation issues in their daily life. Objective: To examine the implementation and impact of specific mindfulness training for adults with ADHD in a French-speaking unit. Methods: Thirty-eight adults with ADHD were...
IEEE India Conference
December 10, 2020
R. Ganesan, Kanishka Sharma
Electroencephalogram (EEG) is investigated for changes in the pattern of brain activity during meditation. Correlation between the neural activity in each region with those of other regions of the brain are studied. EEG recorded from fifteen practitioners of the peace and angelic meditations, being part of the Rajayoga meditation of Prajapita Brahmakumaris World Spiritual University is analyzed...
Brain and Behavior
December 10, 2020
Elke R. Gizewski, Ruth Steiger, Michaela Waibel et al.
4 citations
BACKGROUND: Meditation is increasingly attracting interest among neuroimaging researchers for its relevance as a cognitive enhancement technique and several cross-sectional studies have indicated cerebral changes. This longitudinal study applied a distinct and standardized meditative technique with a group of volunteers in a short-term training program to analyze brain metabolic changes....
Systematic Reviews
December 7, 2020
Marie-France Perrier, Nalia Gurgel-Juarez, Heather Leslie Flowers et al.
Background and purpose: Although mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) are becoming increasingly popular, the application of MBIs with children and adolescents is still in its infancy. Mapping the existing literature is necessary to help guide pediatric mindfulness interventions. Our purpose is to synthesize the evidence of reported MBIs for children and adolescents with and without physical,...
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
December 7, 2020
Cortland J. Dahl, Christine D Wilson-Mendenhall, Richard J. Davidson
Research indicates that core dimensions of psychological well-being can be cultivated through intentional mental training. Despite growing research in this area and an increasing number of interventions designed to improve psychological well-being, the field lacks a unifying framework that clarifies the dimensions of human flourishing that can be cultivated. Here, we integrate evidence from...
BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation
December 7, 2020
Hiromitsu Miyata, Daisuke Kobayashi, Akifumi Sonoda et al.
Background: Empirical data have suggested that mind-body practices that originated in Eastern traditions can cause desirable changes to psychological traits, the brain, somatic physiological functions, etc. Martial arts in Japan refer to the physical/mental practices that were developed based on historical combat techniques. Today, martial arts are considered activities that seek embodiment...