Attention is a crucial cognitive ability for sports performance. The current research aimed to investigate whether long-term mindfulness meditation (MM) intervention enhances male athletes' attentional function and alters the activity of brain regions related to attention. In this experiment, we recruited 47 professional male fencer athletes completed two main trials-an MM trial and a control...
HealthcareApril 15, 2025Filipa Ćavar, Josipa Mihić, Goran Milas3 citations
Background/Objectives: Adolescence is a critical period for mental health, with depression increasing rapidly and often leading to lifelong consequences. In recent decades, the prevalence of elevated depressive symptoms among adolescents has steadily risen, making it a significant public health concern. While research supports the benefits of mindfulness-based practices in reducing adolescent...
Meditation, traditionally seen as a path to spiritual enlightenment, is commonly used in therapeutic contexts for its mental health benefits, such as reducing stress, anxiety, and depression. However, alongside these benefits, practitioners of diverse forms of meditation have repeatedly been reporting adverse effects (AEs) of meditation. While most of these AEs are transient, some of them are...
ReligionsApril 14, 2025Joanna Różycka‐Tran, Khanh Huu Truong, Klaudia T. Bochniarz et al.2 citations
(1) Background: Meditation, originally stemming from the Buddhist tradition, has been the subject of extensive psychological research, with a growing body of literature exploring its effects on various mental and physical health aspects. (2) Methods: This article consists of two studies conducted in two Vietnamese Buddhist Monasteries. Study 1 investigated brain activity during Zen meditation...
Mindfulness is the method of studying attention and discovering experience; it is increasing in educational research in Western universities and demonstrates itself in publications and curricula. Therefore, applying mindfulness in the educational system can improve the methods of learning and attention. This paper first studies modern mindfulness and its results. Then criticizes its challenges...
Communication ReportsApril 13, 2025Lucas J. Youngvorst, Carly M. Danielson-Byrnes, Susanne M. Jones
This study examines whether meditation practices can increase prosocial orientations (i.e. compassion, empathic concern), as well as the processing and provision of person-centered supportive messages. Participants (N = 217) were randomly assigned to either one of two week-long meditation practices (loving kindness or concentration) or to a no-meditation condition. Meditation practitioners...
Recurrent isolated sleep paralysis (RISP) belongs to the parasomnias of the REM sleep. Currently, there are few treatment options for this disorder. Pharmacotherapy is reserved only for the most severe cases of RISP. The first-line treatment is cognitive-behavioural therapy, the availability of which is limited. A new treatment option is meditation-relaxation therapy (MR therapy), the...
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate if integrating a holistic mindfulness modality into group therapy can decrease violence with-injury on an inpatient psychiatric unit. Design: The research used a mixed experimental design. Method: Allied Therapy Services (ATS) staff was trained in the mindfulness modality Brief Intentional Grounding and implemented it within group therapy twice...
Abstract Altered states of consciousness (ASCs), induced e.g. during psychedelic-assisted therapy, show potential to treat prevalent mental health disorders like depression and posttraumatic stress disorder. However, access to such treatments is restricted by legal, medical, and financial barriers. Circular breathwork may present a non-pharmacological and hence more accessible alternative to...
To investigate the effects of the Mindfulness-Based Health Promotion (MBHP) program on quality of life (QOL) and well-being in older adults compared to an active control group. A randomized controlled trial nested within a cohort study was conducted. Participants were allocated to either the MBHP intervention or an active control group (ACG) receiving computer-based cognitive stimulation....
ABSTRACT We conducted a randomized experiment in an academic setting to test two research questions: first, does participating in guided meditations improve student performance? Second, does mindfulness meditation reduce reliance on mental heuristics? Our results document that students who are asked to complete brief meditations immediately before exams perform better compared to students in a...
The Physical and Psychological Effects of MeditationPari Patel Meditation has many physical and psychological effects on the human body.Meditation originated from ancient Eastern culture and has been practiced for centuries.Meditation back then was considered a religious practice; however, it is not necessary to be religious to meditate.Trials conducted and respected research show that...
This review examines the neuropsychological basis of somatic meditation, exploring its relationship with embodied cognition theories and its therapeutic potential. Somatic meditation, which cultivates focused attention on internal bodily sensations (interoception), is increasingly recognized for addressing the embodied aspects of stress, trauma, and chronic pain. Drawing on insights linking...
ABSTRACT Our study investigated the effects of guided group meditation sessions on the psychological parameters of depression, stress, anxiety and anger. The present study of 212 participants followed a mixed methods approach. Data was collected using standardized psychological scales and qualitative interview pre- and post-group meditation. Findings revealed a statistically significant...
Health is a critical factor influencing key workplace outcomes, including job attitudes, behaviors, and performance. This study investigated the role of daily micro-breaks, specifically morning meditation practices, and positive affective experiences (i.e., positive affect) at work in predicting health-related outcomes, namely vitality and mental health. Using a non-experimental design, this...
Abstract Objectives In-person mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have been shown to decrease symptoms of anxiety and stress in autistic adults, who often report high levels of these symptoms. Little is known about the effectiveness of remote MBIs for this population, which may be particularly useful given the common barriers autistic adults face in accessing in-person treatment. This study...
Mindfulness improves mental health and clinical conditions including psychosis and modulates attentional processes including salience-the automatic direction of attention to prominent elements. Aberrant salience-the exaggerated significance attribution to perceived elements-is associated with psychotic experiences, but its interactions with mindfulness remain unexplored. This...
Satwavajaya, a term from ancient Indian Yoga, means "conquest of the mind." It involves controlling one's mind to achieve mental harmony. Meditation, another crucial practice, involves focused attention, mindfulness, and contemplation to enhance mental clarity and emotional balance. Yoga aims to unite the mind and body, promoting strength, endurance, flexibility, and qualities like compassion...
The postpartum period has witnessed increasing rates of depression and anxiety, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, with these conditions often co-occurring and being exacerbated by the lingering effects of long COVID. Traditional interventions, such as mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and yoga, have demonstrated effectiveness in alleviating these symptoms. However,...
NeuroscienceApril 6, 2025Chandan Srivastava, Jamie A O'Reilly, Rashmi Gupta2 citations
Over the past fifty years, research has enhanced our understanding of meditation and its effects on cognition. Meditation is particularly promising due to its long-term (trait) effects, which persist outside meditation sessions. Advances in neuroimaging have enabled the study of these effects using neural markers such as mismatch negativity (MMN), which reflects the involuntary shift of...