There is a growing body of scientific evidence that supports positive effects of mindfulness practices on physical and mental health. To further extend the knowledge about the effects of meditation that occur during and after meditation practice, this study examined changes in physiological and brain activity parameters following 8 weeks of meditation training (2 sessions per week). The current...
[1] Among all physician specialties in the United States (US), more than 50% report at least one symptom of burnout. This is twice the general population’s rate. Less than half of the physicians were satisfied with their work–life balance. [R2-R4] At least 50% of the US cardiologists are stressed. [5] Cardiologists around the globe suffer from high rates of mental health conditions that put...
This study delves into Cheng Yi’s (程頤, 1033–1107) Ruist (Confucian) contemplative practices, addressing a gap in contemplative studies from a Ruist perspective. As a seminal thinker in the Cheng-Zhu lineage, Cheng Yi developed various practices, including quiet-sitting meditation, beholding, calligraphy, restful sleep, and others. These practices incorporate techniques such as sitting postures,...
This research explores the potential influences of mindfulness and meditation practices on adolescent mental health in East Java, Indonesia. Adolescence is a critical period marked by significant physical and emotional changes, making mental health a growing concern. Mindfulness and meditation have gained recognition globally as tools for enhancing mental well-being, but their effectiveness in...
Objective: To explore the feasibility, acceptability, engagement, and impact of a virtual reality (VR) mindfulness program for students, residents, and fellows at a university medical campus. Patients and methods: A total of 30 participants consented to participate in the study from September 13, 2021 to November 12, 2022. They completed a baseline assessment and were trained to use a VR...
Abstract This comment on “Mindfulness for global public health: Critical analysis and agenda” by Doug Oman focuses on the difficulties associated with the current use and understanding of the term mindfulness. In particular, I argue that the current lack of agreement on what mindfulness practice is, or, perhaps more realistically, what mindfulness practices are, and how their effects can be...
Objective: To test the effectiveness of mindfulness training on blood pressure reduction in pre-hypertension people. Materials and Methods: A randomized control trial was used. Pre-hypertension people with systolic blood pressure (SBP) 130 to 139 and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) 80 to 89 mmHg were randomly assigned to either the intervention with 35 people or the control group also with 35...
Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) has been suggested as an effective mind-body approach for relieving stress in patients with chronic diseases. As of yet, there is no conclusive research on MBSR's role in reducing affective disorders among cancer patients. A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to determine whether MBSR has an impact on loneliness, anxiety, and depression...
Abstract: Contemplations of the insides of bodies and of corpses in early meditation literature show that seeing the body “as it is” was not bare, nonconceptual, value-neutral awareness but a matter of highlighting the body’s vulnerability and foulness and creating a sense of detachment and distaste toward it. Other meditations in the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta present Buddhist taxonomies through which...
Abstract: In classical Buddhist literature, meditative practices were usually geared toward transcendent freedom, but they also served immanent purposes. In the West, the freedom that meditation leads to is often interpreted along lines of western theories of autonomy. There is a tension between the “inner citadel” model, in which meditation creates an interior space of invulnerability to...
Abstract: The ethic of authenticity in modern western thought envisions individuals in their uniqueness in an antagonistic relationship to the surrounding cultural norms. One’s unique, authentic self is discovered or created by transcending cultural conditioning. As Buddhist meditation became intertwined with western thought, it came to be seen as a method for overcoming alienation and social...
This article explores a case study of a mindfulness teacher, Beth, and her experiences of teaching mindfulness to 11- to 16-year-olds in several English schools. It shows why Beth was drawn to teaching mindfulness, which was both to alleviate the stress amongst her pupils and improve her own mental health. It illustrates how and why she became a confident, successful mindfulness teacher: she...
Abstract Rather than understanding meditation as an objective ascertainment of private internal contents of consciousness, this chapter theorizes meditative experiences as a systemic part of the ecology of a sociocultural system. Like patients and their doctors, meditators negotiate the significance of their experiences with teachers, texts, and traditions. This dialogue shapes not only the...
In recent years, people's lives have changed dramatically due to COVID-19, and in many places people have been forced to stay at home, keep social distance from friends, or be forcibly quarantined in order to comply with outbreak control policies. This has made anxiety a psychological problem that people have to deal with. However, many people have little knowledge of the causes of anxiety or...
Abstract This chapter brings early Buddhist meditation literature—especially the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta—into conversation with ideas in phenomenology and cognitive science that address the distinction between conscious, effortful activity and habitual activity rooted in the tacit assumptions, dispositions, and categories of a particular cultural context. Some meditation practices disrupt the tacit...
The setting of policing exposes its officers to a host of negative health outcomes physiologically, psychologically, and spiritually. Policing mindsets around accessing mental health are far from fixing the epidemic of its mental health crisis or being able to sustain a healthy workforce. Policing is losing the battle with a misguided and a scientifically misinformed war on drugs. Canadian...
Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic drastically accelerated the need for studies examining the effectiveness of programs to bolster psychological well-being, particularly for at-risk groups, such as older adults (OAs). Mindfulness Training (MT) has been suggested as a well-suited program for this purpose. The present study examined the impact of a 4-week online, trainer-led MT course tailored for...
SchizophreniaSeptember 13, 2023Bo-Mi Lee, Sung-Wan Kim, Bong Ju Lee et al.
Virtual reality (VR) technology can be a supporting tool to enhance mindfulness. Recently, many research using VR-based mindfulness (VBM) has been carried out in various psychiatric disorders but not in psychosis. We investigated safety and effects of virtual reality-based mindfulness (VBM) in patients with psychosis as a pilot study. Sixty-four patients were randomly assigned to VBM or to VR...
Objective: Chronic pain is a critical public health issue affecting approximately 20% of the adult population in the United States. Given the opioid crisis, there has been an urgent focus on non-addictive pain management methods including Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). Prior work has successfully used MBSR for pain management. However, ensuring longitudinal engagement to MBSR...
Full text (opens in new tab)Voice-technologyMindfulness-meditationChronic-pain-managementHuman-computer-interaction cs.hc+1
Self-regulation is at the center of human behavior and lies at the core of a healthy adaptation to life. Self-regulation refers to individuals’ efforts to modify their thoughts, emotions, desires, and actions in line with the goals they want to achieve. Awareness and flexibility are effective cognitive skills for self-regulation. Although self-regulation is a widely researched subject, the...