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Tang SYQ, Chung KC. Mindfulness Practice for Surgeons. Plast Reconstr Surg 2024; 153:1203-1207. [PMID: 38810154 DOI: 10.1097/prs.0000000000011272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Sherry Y Q Tang
- From the Section of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School
| | - Kevin C Chung
- From the Section of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School
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2
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Zhong Z, Jiang H, Wang H, Liu Y. Mindfulness, social evaluation anxiety, and self-regulation: exploring their association on impulsive behavior among athletes. Front Psychiatry 2024; 15:1404680. [PMID: 38807692 PMCID: PMC11130505 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1404680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2024] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 05/30/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Athletes, due to frequent physical interactions in competitive sports, are prone to impulsive behavior. Impulsive behavior is a prevalent psychological factor in sports, often leading to performance-affecting errors. This cross-sectional survey investigated the relationship between mindfulness and athletes' impulsive behavior. Methods We sampled 403 athletes from youth training centers, universities, sports academies, and clubs in China using convenience and snowball sampling. Using AMOS v23, we analyzed the data with a structural equation model. Results Our structural equation model confirmed that mindfulness and self-regulation inversely correlate with impulsive behavior, while social evaluation anxiety positively correlates with impulsive behavior. Furthermore, self-regulation and social evaluation anxiety serve as intermediaries in the link between mindfulness and impulsive behavior. Discussions This research suggests introducing mindfulness meditation practices in competitive settings to improve athletes' social evaluation anxiety and enhance their self-regulation abilities, thereby boosting their psychological health and curbing impulsive behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhangyi Zhong
- School of Physical Education, Hunan University of Science and Technology, Xiangtan, China
| | - Hongyu Jiang
- School of Physical Education, Hunan University of Science and Technology, Xiangtan, China
| | - Huilin Wang
- School of Business, Hunan University of Science and Technology, Xiangtan, China
- Moray House School of Education and Sport, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Yang Liu
- School of Social and Political Science, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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3
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Rahmani M, van Mulukom V, Farias M. Believing in the Powers of Mindfulness: A Thematic Narrative Approach and the Development of a New Scale. Mindfulness (N Y) 2023; 14:1689-1704. [PMID: 37577035 PMCID: PMC10415486 DOI: 10.1007/s12671-023-02164-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023]
Abstract
Objectives The beliefs and expectations people bring into mindfulness practice can affect the measurement outcomes of interventions. The aim of this mixed-method study was to examine the key beliefs in the powers of mindfulness-understood as non-judgmental awareness of the present moment-to transform the individual and the society, and to develop and validate the Belief in the Powers of Mindfulness Scale (BPMS). Method In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with mindfulness meditators (n = 32), including follow-up interviews (n = 22). Qualitative data were analysed through a thematic narrative approach. Participants (n = 458) completed a questionnaire that included the new scale. Results Participants' key beliefs were thematically analysed in three transformation themes: interpersonal relationships and compassion, peace and violence, and the inner world-themes were encapsulated in the BPMS. Ideas presented in each theme were undergirded by a host of ideologies, epistemic claims, and metaphysical assumptions about the nature of mind, self, and reality-which are predicated by broader cultural trends such as expressive individualism, perennial philosophy, and New Age sentiments and ideals. The BPMS showed strong internal consistency and convergent validity, and individuals who were older and more spiritual practised mindfulness more often and for longer, and self-reported greater mindfulness skills, and scored higher on the BPMS. Conclusions Findings illustrate the persisting importance of attending to people's beliefs and expectations in mindfulness interventions and further the call for a contextual approach that accounts for cultural factors. The newly developed BPMS may assist with the measuring of peoples' beliefs and expectations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masoumeh Rahmani
- School of Social and Cultural Studies, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Valerie van Mulukom
- Brain, Belief and Behaviour Lab, Centre for Trust, Peace, and Social Relations, Coventry University, Coventry, UK
| | - Miguel Farias
- Brain, Belief and Behaviour Lab, Centre for Trust, Peace, and Social Relations, Coventry University, Coventry, UK
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4
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Chen Y, Hansen C, Vu HT. Meditation as panacea: A longitudinal semantic network analysis of meditation coverage in campus newspapers from 1997-2018. JOURNAL OF AMERICAN COLLEGE HEALTH : J OF ACH 2023; 71:894-903. [PMID: 33983100 DOI: 10.1080/07448481.2021.1909042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Media framing of health issues reflects public opinion and impacts readers' perceptions and behavior. This study examines how meditation - a recommended stress coping strategy for college students - is framed in campus newspapers from 1997-2018. PARTICIPANTS A total of 494 articles were analyzed. METHODS Semantic network analysis was used to automatically detect frames and the longitudinal trend. RESULTS Five major frames emerged: (1) building a meditation community within a campus community, (2) meditation benefits, (3) yoga for enhancing mind and body awareness, (4) meditation techniques, and (5) secularizing meditation on campus. There is a shift in coverage from interest in religion to secular views of health benefits throughout the years. Discussions of adverse effects that have emerged from the literature were entirely absent. CONCLUSIONS The trend of secularizing meditation practices on college campuses is evident. Emphasizing the techniques and benefits could encourage participation and build a learning community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yvonnes Chen
- William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA
| | - Cole Hansen
- Undergraduate student in Business Analytics, School of Business, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA
| | - Hong Tien Vu
- William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA
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5
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Tulver K, Kaup KK, Laukkonen R, Aru J. Restructuring insight: An integrative review of insight in problem-solving, meditation, psychotherapy, delusions and psychedelics. Conscious Cogn 2023; 110:103494. [PMID: 36913839 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2023.103494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2022] [Revised: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2023] [Indexed: 03/13/2023]
Abstract
Occasionally, a solution or idea arrives as a sudden understanding - an insight. Insight has been considered an "extra" ingredient of creative thinking and problem-solving. Here we propose that insight is central in seemingly distinct areas of research. Drawing on literature from a variety of fields, we show that besides being commonly studied in problem-solving literature, insight is also a core component in psychotherapy and meditation, a key process underlying the emergence of delusions in schizophrenia, and a factor in the therapeutic effects of psychedelics. In each case, we discuss the event of insight and its prerequisites and consequences. We review evidence for the commonalities and differences between the fields and discuss their relevance for capturing the essence of the insight phenomenon. The goal of this integrative review is to bridge the gap between the different views and inspire interdisciplinary research efforts for understanding this central process of human cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kadi Tulver
- Institute of Computer Science, University of Tartu, Estonia.
| | | | | | - Jaan Aru
- Institute of Computer Science, University of Tartu, Estonia.
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Grasmann J, Almenräder F, Voracek M, Tran US. Only Small Effects of Mindfulness-Based Interventions on Biomarker Levels of Inflammation and Stress: A Preregistered Systematic Review and Two Three-Level Meta-Analyses. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24054445. [PMID: 36901875 PMCID: PMC10003032 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24054445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2023] [Revised: 02/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 02/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have a positive effect on biomarkers of inflammation and stress in patients with psychiatric disorders and physical illnesses. Regarding subclinical populations, results are less clear. The present meta-analysis addressed the effects of MBIs on biomarkers in psychiatric populations and among healthy, stressed, and at-risk populations. All available biomarker data were investigated with a comprehensive approach, using two three-level meta-analyses. Pre-post changes in biomarker levels within treatment groups (k = 40 studies, total N = 1441) and treatment effects compared to control group effects, using only RCT data (k = 32, total N = 2880), were of similar magnitude, Hedges g = -0.15 (95% CI = [-0.23, -0.06], p < 0.001) and g = -0.11 (95% CI = [-0.23, 0.001], p = 0.053). Effects increased in magnitude when including available follow-up data but did not differ between type of sample, MBI, biomarker, and control group or duration of the MBI. This suggests that MBIs may ameliorate biomarker levels in both psychiatric and subclinical populations to a small extent. However, low study quality and evidence of publication bias may have impacted on the results. More large and preregistered studies are still needed in this field of research.
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Tse B. Questioning the Universality of Mindfulness-Based Programs: Reflections From a Self-Construal Perspective. Front Psychol 2022; 13:908503. [PMID: 35774965 PMCID: PMC9237573 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.908503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2022] [Accepted: 05/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
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8
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Mckay F. Am I going mad?: Adverse meditation events and the anthropology of ethics. ANTHROPOLOGY TODAY 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/1467-8322.12710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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9
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Pagis M, Tal O. Collective mindfulness: Somatic attention to group and self in meditation practice in Israel. ANTHROPOLOGY TODAY 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/1467-8322.12708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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10
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Rethinking Mindfulness in Education within Two Frameworks: Articulating the “Threefold Model of Mindful Wisdom” with the “Theory of Mental Interference”. RELIGIONS 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/rel13010066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The existent trend of implementing mindfulness-based programs (MBPs) into public education came along with an increasing scientific record regarding the definitional construct of mindfulness, effects of various mindfulness-based interventions and their basic mechanisms. In terms of the rising definitional discourse in the interdisciplinary field of mindfulness, the “threefold model of mindful wisdom” (TMMW) was proposed. In the present paper’s quest of rethinking mindfulness in education, the relevance of the TMMW for didactics in modern Western educational systems (with special interest on the region of Germany) is examined, affirmed in several points and—with the aid of the “Theory of Mental Interference” (TMI)—methodically linked to individual learners’ needs. The TMI has been developed at the University of Hamburg since 1984 by Wagner and colleagues. This is compatible with the TMMW with regard to the concept of self and basic psychological mechanisms of “mindful exercises”. Its basic approach conceives the epistemic level of cognitive processes (1) to be unbiased by affect and (2) to be different from a level of mental interference, which in case of an arising default habitually interferes with the cognitive processes. Implications for further research, for modern educational systems and for MBPs in education are discussed.
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Abstract
Mindfulness has grown from an obscure subject to an immensely popular topic that is associated with numerous performance, health, and well-being benefits in organizations. However, this growth in popularity has generated a number of criticisms of mindfulness and a rather piecemeal approach to organizational research and practice on the subject. To advance both investigation and application, the present paper applies The Balance Framework to serve as an integrative scaffolding for considering mindfulness in organizations, helping to address some of the criticisms leveled against it. The Balance Framework specifies five forms of balance: 1) balance as tempered view, 2) balance as mid-range, 3) balance as complementarity, 4) balance as contextual sensitivity, and 5) balance among different levels of consciousness. Each form is applied to mindfulness at work with a discussion of relevant conceptual issues in addition to implications for research and practice. Plain Language Summary In order to appreciate the value of mindfulness at work researchers and practitioners might want to consider both the benefits and potential drawbacks of mindfulness. This paper presents a discussion of both the advantages and possible disadvantages of mindfulness at work organized in terms of the five dimensions of an organizing structure called The Balance Framework.
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Wilson MM, Gearity BT. Fractured Understanding of Mindfulness: A Response to Clarifying the Mindfulness Muddle. JOURNAL OF SPORT PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/21520704.2020.1870375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Meagan M. Wilson
- Graduate School of Professional Psychology, The University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA
| | - Brian T. Gearity
- Graduate School of Professional Psychology, The University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA
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13
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Affiliation(s)
- David Saunders
- Clinical and Research Fellow, Child and Adult Psychiatry, Yale Child Study Center
| | - Hedy Kober
- Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Department of Psychology, Cognitive Science Program, Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University School of Medicine
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Brandmeyer T, Delorme A. Meditation and the Wandering Mind: A Theoretical Framework of Underlying Neurocognitive Mechanisms. PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2020; 16:39-66. [PMID: 32598855 DOI: 10.1177/1745691620917340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
During the practice of meditation, the tendency of the mind to wander away from the object of focus is ubiquitous. The occurrence of mind wandering in the context of meditation provides individuals a unique and intimate opportunity to closely examine the nature of the wandering mind by cultivating an awareness of ongoing thought patterns, while simultaneously aiming to cultivate equanimity (evenness of temper or disposition) and compassion toward the content of thoughts, interpretations, and bodily sensations. In this article we provide a theoretical framework that highlights the neurocognitive mechanisms by which contemplative practices influence the neural and phenomenological processes underlying spontaneous thought. Our theoretical model focuses on several converging mechanisms: the role of meta-awareness in facilitating an increased moment-to-moment awareness of spontaneous thought processes, the effects of meditation practice on key structures underlying both the top-down cognitive processes and bottom-up sensory processes implicated in attention and emotion regulation, and the influence of contemplative practice on the neural substrates underlying perception and perceptual decoupling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tracy Brandmeyer
- Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco.,Centre de Recherche Cerveau et Cognition, Université Paul Sabatier.,Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR 5549
| | - Arnaud Delorme
- Centre de Recherche Cerveau et Cognition, Université Paul Sabatier.,Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR 5549.,Swartz Center for Computational Neuroscience, Institute of Neural Computation, University of California, San Diego
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15
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Mckay F. Equanimity: The somatization of a moral sentiment from the eighteenth to late twentieth century. JOURNAL OF THE HISTORY OF THE BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES 2019; 55:281-298. [PMID: 31313322 DOI: 10.1002/jhbs.21990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Over the past 40 years, mindfulness-based therapies (MBTs) have gained a reputation among the biomedical community for their ability to contribute to health, mental capital, and human flourishing. Recently, however, critical mindfulness scholars have questioned the moral import of MBTs, claiming that, in modernizing meditation, they strip Buddhist practices of their ethical and soteriological content. Inspired by Harrington and Dunne's (2015, p. 630) recent call to historicize this present discontent, I offer an account for this perceived "de-ethicization" of mindfulness, locating it in a long history of changes in the ontological infrastructures supporting moral reasoning from the eighteenth century onwards. Through the example of equanimity-a virtue that has been a part of Western and Eastern character ethics and theories of flourishing from the ancient period to the modern age-I show how, from the eighteenth century, research in the natural sciences on nervous diseases, stress, and relaxation, provided a frame for rethinking moral equanimity as a somatic experience of physiological calm. This transformation reaches its peak in the late twentieth century in research on mindfulness, which builds upon that tradition by folding into its ambit Eastern conceptions of equanimity as well. Insofar as modern MBTs continue to somatize moral virtues, I argue that they raise questions about the degree to which they are conducive to human flourishing and well-being, as opposed to the related but narrower notions of health and mental capital.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francis Mckay
- Berkeley Center for New Media, University of California, Berkeley, California
- The Transformations of the Human Program, The Berggruen Institute, Los Angeles, California
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16
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Aival-Naveh E, Rothschild‐Yakar L, Kurman J. Keeping culture in mind: A systematic review and initial conceptualization of mentalizing from a cross‐cultural perspective. CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY-SCIENCE AND PRACTICE 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/cpsp.12300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jenny Kurman
- Department of Psychology University of Haifa Israel
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17
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Thupten J. The question of mindfulness’ connection with ethics and compassion. Curr Opin Psychol 2019; 28:71-75. [DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2018.10.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2018] [Revised: 10/23/2018] [Accepted: 10/27/2018] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
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18
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Abstract
Mindfulness is increasingly lauded as a mark of well-being around the world, but less often is its opposite, mindlessness, articulated in discussions of mental health. In Thailand, where people follow the kinds of Theravāda forms of Buddhism that have inspired today's global mindfulness movement, "mindlessness" is understood as a culturally salient mark of distress. In this article I address what mindlessness looks like for people in and around the Northern Thai city of Chiang Mai, where mindlessness can be thought of as ephemeral and passing as a fleeting forgetfulness that necessitates re-reading a page in a book, or as long lasting and powerful as a destabilizing condition to be treated in the in-patient ward of a psychiatric hospital. I emphasize local meanings and contexts of mindlessness, and their entanglement with broader discourses in the mindfulness movement, in order to point to mindlessness as a type of local and potentially international idiom of distress. I do this to argue for both the continued importance of cultural concepts of distress in our psychiatric nosology, and for further study into the slippages that can occur when local idioms like mindfulness go global.
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19
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The contemplative exercise through the lenses of predictive processing: A promising approach. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2019; 244:299-322. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2018.10.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
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20
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Arpaia J, Andersen JP. The Unease Modulation Model: An Experiential Model of Stress With Implications for Health, Stress Management, and Public Policy. Front Psychiatry 2019; 10:379. [PMID: 31231255 PMCID: PMC6567485 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2019] [Accepted: 05/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Stress has a pervasive, global, and negative influence on individual health. Stress also has negative effects on families, organizations, and communities. Current models of stress are either too general or too detailed to guide effective interventions across the spectrum of medical and social conditions that are stress-related. A new model is needed that explains how stress can have such varied effects and describes how to reduce its harm. The model must also capture both the dynamic nature of stress and its ability to persist and cause chronic effects. The model must guide those who use it in selecting effective interventions and in developing more effective interventions. Ideally, the model will be helpful to people who are experiencing stress and do not have access to professional help. The authors propose a model in an attempt to address the above concerns. The proposed model is called the Unease Modulation Model (UM Model). Briefly, the UM Model separates stress into several elements common to people's experience. The model describes how these elements interact and how those interactions lead to recurring states that are associated with health or illness. Finally, the model enables the person under stress to identify the elements where they will have the most leverage to evoke change and apply specific, effective techniques for that purpose. While the model is experiential, it is also based on mathematical theories of perception, nonlinear dynamics, neurophysiology, and cognitive psychology. In spite of this underlying sophistication, it can be used by those without a medical education. The proposed model has been taught successfully to patients in a clinical setting. The model is now being used in an international training program with police officers to address the long-term stress associated with the career and reduce decision-making errors regarding use of force. This article introduces the model by defining components based on patient descriptions of stress and integrating those into a formal structure. We then demonstrate how the model can be applied to a number of medical and psychiatric conditions. The article concludes by briefly discussing the model's application to family and societal stress-related difficulties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Arpaia
- Private Practitioner, Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Joseph P. Arpaia, MD, LLC, Eugene, OR, United States.,Department of Couples and Family Therapy, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, United States
| | - Judith P Andersen
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON, Canada
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Bender SL, Roth R, Zielenski A, Longo Z, Chermak A. Prevalence of mindfulness literature and intervention in school psychology journals from 2006 to 2016. PSYCHOLOGY IN THE SCHOOLS 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/pits.22132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
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22
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Van Dam NT, van Vugt MK, Vago DR, Schmalzl L, Saron CD, Olendzki A, Meissner T, Lazar SW, Gorchov J, Fox KCR, Field BA, Britton WB, Brefczynski-Lewis JA, Meyer DE. Reiterated Concerns and Further Challenges for Mindfulness and Meditation Research: A Reply to Davidson and Dahl. PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2018; 13:66-69. [PMID: 29016240 PMCID: PMC5817993 DOI: 10.1177/1745691617727529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
In response to our article, Davidson and Dahl offer commentary and advice regarding additional topics crucial to a comprehensive prescriptive agenda for future research on mindfulness and meditation. Their commentary raises further challenges and provides an important complement to our article. More consideration of these issues is especially welcome because limited space precluded us from addressing all relevant topics. While we agree with many of Davidson and Dahl's suggestions, the present reply (a) highlights reasons why the concerns we expressed are still especially germane to mindfulness and meditation research (even though those concerns may not be entirely unique) and (b) gives more context to other issues posed by them. We discuss special characteristics of individuals who participate in mindfulness and meditation research and focus on the vulnerability of this field inherent in its relative youthfulness compared to other more mature scientific disciplines. Moreover, our reply highlights the serious consequences of adverse experiences suffered by a significant subset of individuals during mindfulness and other contemplative practices. We also scrutinize common contemporary applications of mindfulness and meditation to illness, and some caveats are introduced regarding mobile technologies for guidance of contemplative practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas T. Van Dam
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
| | - Marieke K. van Vugt
- Institute of Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Engineering, University of Groningen
| | - David R. Vago
- Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, Departments of Psychiatry and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
| | - Laura Schmalzl
- College of Science and Integrative Health, Southern California University of Health Sciences
| | | | | | - Ted Meissner
- Center for Mindfulness, University of Massachusetts Medical School
| | - Sara W. Lazar
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School
| | | | - Kieran C. R. Fox
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University
| | | | - Willoughby B. Britton
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University
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Van Dam NT, van Vugt MK, Vago DR, Schmalzl L, Saron CD, Olendzki A, Meissner T, Lazar SW, Kerr CE, Gorchov J, Fox KC, Field BA, Britton WB, Brefczynski-Lewis JA, Meyer DE. Mind the Hype: A Critical Evaluation and Prescriptive Agenda for Research on Mindfulness and Meditation. PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2018; 13:36-61. [PMID: 29016274 PMCID: PMC5758421 DOI: 10.1177/1745691617709589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 499] [Impact Index Per Article: 83.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
During the past two decades, mindfulness meditation has gone from being a fringe topic of scientific investigation to being an occasional replacement for psychotherapy, tool of corporate well-being, widely implemented educational practice, and "key to building more resilient soldiers." Yet the mindfulness movement and empirical evidence supporting it have not gone without criticism. Misinformation and poor methodology associated with past studies of mindfulness may lead public consumers to be harmed, misled, and disappointed. Addressing such concerns, the present article discusses the difficulties of defining mindfulness, delineates the proper scope of research into mindfulness practices, and explicates crucial methodological issues for interpreting results from investigations of mindfulness. For doing so, the authors draw on their diverse areas of expertise to review the present state of mindfulness research, comprehensively summarizing what we do and do not know, while providing a prescriptive agenda for contemplative science, with a particular focus on assessment, mindfulness training, possible adverse effects, and intersection with brain imaging. Our goals are to inform interested scientists, the news media, and the public, to minimize harm, curb poor research practices, and staunch the flow of misinformation about the benefits, costs, and future prospects of mindfulness meditation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas T. Van Dam
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Marieke K. van Vugt
- Institute of Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Engineering, University of Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - David R. Vago
- Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, Departments of Psychiatry and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Laura Schmalzl
- College of Science and Integrative Health, Southern California University of Health Sciences, Whittier, CA, USA
| | - Clifford D. Saron
- Center for Mind and Brain, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | | | - Ted Meissner
- Center for Mindfulness, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Shrewsbury, MA, USA
| | - Sara W. Lazar
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Catherine E. Kerr
- Department of Family Medicine, Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Jolie Gorchov
- Silver School of Social Work, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Kieran C.R. Fox
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Brent A. Field
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Willoughby B. Britton
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Julie A. Brefczynski-Lewis
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, School of Medicine, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA
| | - David E. Meyer
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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Vago DR, Zeidan F. The brain on silent: mind wandering, mindful awareness, and states of mental tranquility. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2017; 1373:96-113. [PMID: 27398642 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.13171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2016] [Revised: 06/08/2016] [Accepted: 06/13/2016] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Mind wandering and mindfulness are often described as divergent mental states with opposing effects on cognitive performance and mental health. Spontaneous mind wandering is typically associated with self-reflective states that contribute to negative processing of the past, worrying/fantasizing about the future, and disruption of primary task performance. On the other hand, mindful awareness is frequently described as a focus on present sensory input without cognitive elaboration or emotional reactivity, and is associated with improved task performance and decreased stress-related symptomology. Unfortunately, such distinctions fail to acknowledge similarities and interactions between the two states. Instead of an inverse relationship between mindfulness and mind wandering, a more nuanced characterization of mindfulness may involve skillful toggling back and forth between conceptual and nonconceptual processes and networks supporting each state, to meet the contextually specified demands of the situation. In this article, we present a theoretical analysis and plausible neurocognitive framework of the restful mind, in which we attempt to clarify potentially adaptive contributions of both mind wandering and mindful awareness through the lens of the extant neurocognitive literature on intrinsic network activity, meditation, and emerging descriptions of stillness and nonduality. A neurophenomenological approach to probing modality-specific forms of concentration and nonconceptual awareness is presented that may improve our understanding of the resting state. Implications for future research are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- David R Vago
- Functional Neuroimaging Laboratory, Brigham & Women's Hospital and Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Fadel Zeidan
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
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Lindahl JR, Fisher NE, Cooper DJ, Rosen RK, Britton WB. The varieties of contemplative experience: A mixed-methods study of meditation-related challenges in Western Buddhists. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0176239. [PMID: 28542181 PMCID: PMC5443484 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0176239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 125] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2016] [Accepted: 04/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Buddhist-derived meditation practices are currently being employed as a popular form of health promotion. While meditation programs draw inspiration from Buddhist textual sources for the benefits of meditation, these sources also acknowledge a wide range of other effects beyond health-related outcomes. The Varieties of Contemplative Experience study investigates meditation-related experiences that are typically underreported, particularly experiences that are described as challenging, difficult, distressing, functionally impairing, and/or requiring additional support. A mixed-methods approach featured qualitative interviews with Western Buddhist meditation practitioners and experts in Theravāda, Zen, and Tibetan traditions. Interview questions probed meditation experiences and influencing factors, including interpretations and management strategies. A follow-up survey provided quantitative assessments of causality, impairment and other demographic and practice-related variables. The content-driven thematic analysis of interviews yielded a taxonomy of 59 meditation-related experiences across 7 domains: cognitive, perceptual, affective, somatic, conative, sense of self, and social. Even in cases where the phenomenology was similar across participants, interpretations of and responses to the experiences differed considerably. The associated valence ranged from very positive to very negative, and the associated level of distress and functional impairment ranged from minimal and transient to severe and enduring. In order to determine what factors may influence the valence, impact, and response to any given experience, the study also identified 26 categories of influencing factors across 4 domains: practitioner-level factors, practice-level factors, relationships, and health behaviors. By identifying a broader range of experiences associated with meditation, along with the factors that contribute to the presence and management of experiences reported as challenging, difficult, distressing or functionally impairing, this study aims to increase our understanding of the effects of contemplative practices and to provide resources for mediators, clinicians, meditation researchers, and meditation teachers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jared R. Lindahl
- Cogut Center for the Humanities, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, United States of America
| | - Nathan E. Fisher
- Department of Religious Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, United States of America
| | - David J. Cooper
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University Medical School, Providence, Rhode Island, United States of America
| | - Rochelle K. Rosen
- Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, Rhode Island, United States of America
| | - Willoughby B. Britton
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University Medical School, Providence, Rhode Island, United States of America
- Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, Rhode Island, United States of America
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26
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Sanada K, Alda Díez M, Salas Valero M, Pérez-Yus MC, Demarzo MMP, Montero-Marín J, García-Toro M, García-Campayo J. Effects of mindfulness-based interventions on biomarkers in healthy and cancer populations: a systematic review. Altern Ther Health Med 2017; 17:125. [PMID: 28231775 PMCID: PMC5324275 DOI: 10.1186/s12906-017-1638-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2016] [Accepted: 02/16/2017] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Background Only a small number of articles have investigated the relationship between mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) and biomarkers. The aim of this systematic review was to study the effect of MBIs on specific biomarkers (cytokines, neuropeptides and C-reactive protein (CRP)) in both healthy subjects and cancer patients. Methods A search was conducted using PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO and the Cochrane library between 1980 and September 2016. Results A total of 13 studies with 1110 participants were included. In the healthy population, MBIs had no effect on cytokines, but were found to increase the levels of the neuropeptide insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). With respect to neuropeptide Y, despite the absence of post-intervention differences, MBIs may enhance recovery from stress. With regard to CRP, MBIs could be effective in lower Body Mass Index (BMI) individuals. In cancer patients, MBIs seem to have some effect on cytokine levels, although it was not possible to determine which specific cytokines were affected. One possibility is that MBIs might aid recovery of the immune system, increasing the production of interleukin (IL)-4 and decreasing interferon gamma (IFN-γ). Conclusions MBIs may be involved in changes from a depressive/carcinogenic profile to a more normalized one. However, given the complexity and different contexts of the immune system, and the fact that this investigation is still in its preliminary stage, additional randomized controlled trials are needed to further establish the impact of MBI programmes on biomarkers in both clinical and non-clinical populations.
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Compson JF. Is Mindfulness Secular or Religious, and Does It Matter? MINDFULNESS IN BEHAVIORAL HEALTH 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-64924-5_2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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Dahl CJ, Lutz A, Davidson RJ. Reconstructing and deconstructing the self: cognitive mechanisms in meditation practice. Trends Cogn Sci 2015; 19:515-23. [PMID: 26231761 PMCID: PMC4595910 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2015.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 284] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2015] [Revised: 07/06/2015] [Accepted: 07/07/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Scientific research highlights the central role of specific psychological processes, in particular those related to the self, in various forms of human suffering and flourishing. This view is shared by Buddhism and other contemplative and humanistic traditions, which have developed meditation practices to regulate these processes. Building on a previous paper in this journal, we propose a novel classification system that categorizes specific styles of meditation into attentional, constructive, and deconstructive families based on their primary cognitive mechanisms. We suggest that meta-awareness, perspective taking and cognitive reappraisal, and self-inquiry may be important mechanisms in specific families of meditation and that alterations in these processes may be used to target states of experiential fusion, maladaptive self-schema, and cognitive reification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cortland J Dahl
- Center for Investigating Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI 53705-2280, USA; Waisman Laboratory for Brain Imaging and Behavior, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1500 Highland Avenue, Madison, WI 53705-2280, USA
| | - Antoine Lutz
- Center for Investigating Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI 53705-2280, USA; Waisman Laboratory for Brain Imaging and Behavior, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1500 Highland Avenue, Madison, WI 53705-2280, USA; Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, INSERM U1028, CNRS UMR5292, Lyon, France; Lyon 1 University, Lyon, France
| | - Richard J Davidson
- Center for Investigating Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI 53705-2280, USA; Waisman Laboratory for Brain Imaging and Behavior, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1500 Highland Avenue, Madison, WI 53705-2280, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI 53705-2280, USA.
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Ozawa-de Silva C. Mindfulness of the kindness of others: The contemplative practice of Naikan in cultural context. Transcult Psychiatry 2015; 52:524-42. [PMID: 25525059 DOI: 10.1177/1363461514562922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Mindfulness in the Buddhist tradition involves a variety of practices, and contemporary secular forms of mindfulness practices, therapies, and interventions can similarly be broadened to include more of these forms. The Japanese practice of Naikan takes one mindfulness practice from the Buddhist tradition--that of recollecting the kindness of others--and asks clients to engage in this practice for 1 solid week, 15 hours per day. Difficult interpersonal relationships and a perceived lack of social support are chief sources of stress, and Japanese selfhood in particular has been described as interdependent and highly social in nature. It is unsurprising therefore that Japanese would be drawn to relational forms of practice like Naikan, and that they would find particular benefit from such practices. Recent ethnographic and survey work I have conducted at 2 Naikan centers suggests that Naikan significantly improves positive mental health, perceived connection with others, and perceived meaning in life, even up to 6 months later, thereby potentially undercutting factors contributing to depression and suicide. Naikan practice is not entirely limited to Japan, however, and its use in Europe and North America prompts us to ask about the culturally specific and universal aspects of mindfulness practices, and how we may construct mindfulness interventions that are best suited for addressing the mental health problems that face our communities.
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Abstract
Mindfulness meditation and other techniques drawn from Buddhism have increasingly been integrated into forms of psychotherapeutic intervention. In much of this work, mindfulness is understood as a mode of awareness that is present-centered and nonevaluative. This form of awareness is assumed to have intrinsic value in promoting positive mental health and adaptation by interrupting discursive thoughts that give rise to suffering. However, in the societies where it originated, mindfulness meditation is part of a larger system of Buddhist belief and practice with strong ethical and moral dimensions. Extracting techniques like mindfulness meditation from the social contexts in which they originate may change the nature and effects of the practice. The papers in this issue of Transcultural Psychiatry explore the implications of a cultural and contextual view of mindfulness for continued dialogue between Buddhist thought and psychiatry. This introductory essay considers the meanings of mindfulness meditation in cultural context and the uses of mindfulness as a therapeutic intervention in contemporary psychiatry and psychology.
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