This component develops a constraint-based framework for the empirical specification of tranquil states in meditation research. The manuscript proposes that tranquil states are characterized by the co-attenuation of default mode network activity and salience-network baseline drive, while distinguishing this configuration from broader trait effects, altered states, or generalized reductions in...
Yoga-based practices have been increasingly studied as neurocognitive and psychophysiological interventions capable of modulating brain function and emotional regulation. The proposed framework integrates insights from neuroscience, cognitive psychology, and contemplative traditions to explain how yoga promotes self-regulation and cognitive flexibility. Yoga involves a dynamic interaction...
Cognitive fusion, a key construct in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), describes the overidentification with internal thoughts that compromises psychological flexibility and contributes to maladaptive emotion regulation. Cognitive defusion techniques aim to reduce this entanglement, promoting adaptive functioning and improved mental health. This study examined the psychometric properties...
Focused attention (FA) and open monitoring (OM) meditation are theorized to confer distinct neurobehavioral influences, yet the specific cognitive mechanisms underlying these effects remain poorly understood. This study leveraged computational modeling to formally test and distinguish how these two mindfulness states modulate theoretical processes of attention control. We analyzed flanker task...
Mindfulness meditation (MM) is a promising cognitive strategy that may facilitate motor learning by improving attention and reducing anxiety. Our study aimed to investigate the effects of guided MM on motor learning in healthy young adults. The study was conducted as randomised controlled trials where 24 meditation-naive participants underwent either a 10-min MM session or seated rest (CT)...
Meditation facilitates brain-body integration by synchronizing neural oscillations with autonomic rhythms. Nonetheless, the effects of heartfulness (heart-centered) and bell (sound-based) meditation on electroencephalography (EEG) and autonomic markers remain insufficiently explored. In this randomized, exploratory pilot study, nine healthy male university students were allocated to the...
Extensive research documents that mindfulness meditation (MM) and loving-kindness meditation (LKM) have benefits for emotional, social, and mental health outcomes. Despite this work documenting the benefits of meditation practice, research also demonstrates that meditation does not always have equivalent effects for all people. So, who is most likely to benefit from meditation practice? In this...
Rajayoga meditation is form of meditation that is offered by Rajayoga Education and Research Foundation of Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University. It is free of ritual and mantras and can be performed anywhere and anytime. The Rajayoga meditation practice can have beneficial effects on modulating anxiety and cortisol levels in breast cancer patients undergoing surgery. To evaluate the impact...
Digital mental health interventions (DMHIs), such as mindfulness-based apps, have become popular mental health resources and can be associated with benefits such as reducing stress, anxiety, and depression. However, there are limited data on the impact of DMHIs on improving mental health outside of controlled research settings, and what factors may facilitate or inhibit such potential impact....
Mindfulness has promise for enhancing emotion regulation in autistic individuals. Electroencephalography (EEG) emerges as an ideal, objective measure of neural responses before and after mindfulness practice. In a study with 39 autistic individuals, EEG analysis assessed the impact of mindfulness in the participants in a randomized controlled clinical trial of the Emotion Awareness and Skills...
Distinct meditation styles may influence neuro-autonomic activity differently, yet direct comparative evidence remains limited. This study examined the effects of 21 days of heartfulness and bell meditation on resting electroencephalography (EEG) rhythms and galvanic skin response (GSR) in healthy student participants. Twenty-two university students were screened, of which nine students (19-20...
The purpose of this study was to conduct a scoping review to map the existing literature on the use of mantra meditation in sport contexts, clarify its conceptual distinctions from related constructs such as self-talk, and identify directions for future research. This study employed a comprehensive literature search, combining electronic database searches (including Web of Science, Psychology &...
Non-pharmacologically induced altered states of consciousness that promote mental health and wellbeing are a growing focus of clinical and basic research. Previous work has revealed the mood-augmenting, belief-altering, and self-transcendent effects of aesthetic-chills-inducing audiovisual stimulation. The current study investigated how a guided loving kindness meditation (LKM) combined with...
A growing number of advanced neuroimaging studies have been used to evaluate the nature of consciousness. Such studies have focused on various states of consciousness as well as ways of inducing altered states of consciousness. Various states of consciousness include the normal waking state, sleep states, the brain under anesthesia, and the impact of disorders such as seizures or schizophrenia....
Contemplative practices encompass a range of mental and physical exercises that cultivate awareness, steadiness, and compassion. While contemplative practices have been shown to treat trauma, their application toward historical trauma is limited. To address this gap, our scoping review aims to answer the following research questions: (1) What contemplative practices have been applied toward...
Different forms of meditation, like Vipassana and Shoonya, require distinct attentional features. For instance, Vipassana, which involves systematically scanning different body parts, may demand a sustained yet dynamic focus with a temporally stable and regular attentional emphasis. In contrast, Shoonya meditation has been described as involving a non-directed or defocused attentional stance,...
This article proposes a dual-self states framework in which reflective and experiential modes of consciousness are understood as dynamic configurations along a processing continuum. The reflective/experiential self-state corresponds to narrative, denotational, and self-referential consciousness underpinned by default mode network activity. The experiential self state is characterized as an...
Empathy is a core neurobiological capacity that enables humans to perceive, understand, and respond to others' experiences, yet its deliberate modulation as a therapeutic target is still in its early stages of scientific development. This manuscript presents a hybrid narrative-scoping review synthesizing evidence across pharmacological, neurostimulation, and behavioral approaches aimed at...
As artificial intelligence (AI) improves, current alignment strategies may falter in the face of unpredictable self-improvement and the sheer complexity of AI. Rather than trying to control behavior, we show how four principles from contemplative traditions can help intrinsically align (super) intelligence. First, mindfulness enables self-monitoring and recalibration of emergent subgoals....
Mindfulness-based interventions are gaining recognition as effective therapeutic tools for psychological distress in oncology. However, the widespread adoption of mindfulness in Western clinical contexts has raised ethical and philosophical concerns, particularly regarding the Westernisation and cultural appropriation of Buddhist wisdom. This paper examines the ethical implications of employing...