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Pruitt, Irene Teresa Paz. "Perspectives on the Impact of Meditative Traits on Relationships among Advanced Practitioners of Meditation." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/33071.
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This qualitative study is an exploration of advanced meditators' understandings of how the personal traits developed through meditation have influenced their relationships. The term meditation refers to self-regulation practices that train attention and awareness. A "meditative trait" refers to the lasting effects in sensory, cognitive and self-referential awareness that continue whether or not the practitioner is actively engaged in meditation. These traits may have some influence on meditators' close relationships, but there has been little research of this effect to date. Seven participants were interviewed about their experiences of meditative traits, and how they have seen these traits affect their relationships. The meditative traits that the participants identified were (1) awareness of body sensations and emotions; (2) disidentification from emotions and thoughts; (3) acceptance of situations, oneself, and others; and (4) compassion and loving kindness for oneself and others. The relational effects of these traits were (1) less reactivity in relationships, (2) greater freedom and safety for the participants and the others with whom they are in relationship, (3) a new understanding of the nature of connection between people, which included an awareness of the unity and separation that exists among people, and a deepened experience of intimacy and independence within relationships. Also included are a discussion of the connections between these themes and the existing literature, the strengths and limitations of this study, and the implications for future research and family therapy practice.Master of Science
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Järlström, Toni. "Neural effects of compassion training." Thesis, Högskolan i Skövde, Institutionen för biovetenskap, 2018. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:his:diva-15830.
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Compassion is potentially an effective emotion-regulation strategy to face the suffering of self and others. The aim of this paper is to provide an evolutionary understanding of compassion and compassion training (CT) by examining the psychological, neural and behavioral effects of loving-kindness meditation and compassion meditation. The author presents various definitions of compassion and examines the physiological and neural processes behind it. Compassion seems to have evolutionary roots but can be limited due to inherited blocks and fears. Compassion is however trainable and can potentially bypass certain evolutionary-based biases. CT results in various significant psychological effects, most notably positive affect, increased (self) compassion, and mindfulness. Evidence is however inconsistent, especially in relation to active controls. Neural effects are significant yet inconsistent across different experimental conditions. CT without a concurrent task activates (1) the right somatosensory cortices (2) the parieto-occipital sulcus, and (3) the right anterior insula. In relation to the socio-affective video task, CT activates medial orbitofrontal cortex, ventral striatum/nucleus accumbens, putamen, and anterior parts of anterior cingulate cortex; regions related to positive affect, motivational reward and affiliation. These findings converge with the reviewed psychological literature. CT also results in increased altruistic and compassionate behavior towards others, even when it’s costly to the self and under no-reciprocity conditions. Behavioral effects are mostly demonstrated in game-settings against active controls but also in one real-life situation. Together, the results suggest that CT is beneficial to individuals as well as inter-group relationships.
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Wachholtz, Amy B. "Does spirituality matter? Effects of meditative content and orientation on migraineurs /." Connect to this title online, 2006. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc%5Fnum=bgsu1143662175.
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Claus, Susan Lynne. "Mindfulness Meditation for Intimate Partner Violence." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/32520.
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This study examined meditative practices among group participants and therapists, participating in the Domestic Violence Focused Couples Treatment (DVFCT) group using the phenomenology and systems frameworks. Specifically, this inquiry explored whether or not group participants and therapists experienced intrapersonal effects as well as relational effects from meditating, both within and outside of session. Little research examines the relational impact of meditating, or the use of meditation as a strategy for helping couples who experienced intimate partner violence. Systems theory and existing research regarding mindfulness meditation contributed to the development of interview questions. Five group participants and four therapists who facilitated the Domestic Violence Focused Couples Treatment group within the last two years were interviewed. The main theme that had emerged from the study were the differences between meditating during session versus out of session for all study participants. In the study, it was noticed that group participants also experienced more relational effects then were noticed by the therapists. While the experience for the therapists and group participants varied, some similarities were found consistently through their interviews. Also included are a discussion of the connections between these themes and the existing literature, the strengths and limitations of this study, and the implications for future research.Master of Science
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Chu, Ho-tat Matthew, and 朱可達. "The effects of school-based program on mindfulness practice with lovingkindness." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2011. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B50638993.
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A growing body of research has supported the benefits of mindfulness practice. However, not many studies investigated its effects on positive human functioning. In addition, most studies treated mindfulness as skills and techniques for achieving bare awareness, without addressing its philosophical underpinnings. In the Buddhist tradition, mindfulness is paying close attention to one’s immediate experience in an attitude of lovingkindness. The essence of mindfulness will be lost if the practice is reduced to skills and techniques for achieving bare awareness.
In view of the limitations of past research, the present study compared the effects of the mindfulness practice with pure skills training and the mindfulness practice with lovingkindness. Instead of focusing on clinical problems, the present study examined the effects of mindfulness practice on the personal and social wellbeing of adolescents in school setting. Personal wellbeing was indicated by affect (positive vs. negative), general health, and emotion management whereas social wellbeing was indicated by sense of connectedness, self-report and actual prosocial behaviors. The present study also examined the psychological mechanisms that accounted for the intervention effects on personal and social wellbeing.
The participants were 188 junior secondary students (67 girls and 121 boys) from two schools. Their age ranged from 12 to 16 years (M = 13.24). They were assigned randomly to one of the three 8 week programs: Mindfulness, Lovingkindness, or Study Skills. The first program focused on skills and techniques on mindfulness practice. The second program was the same as the first program except that lovingkindness component was included. The last program focused on study skills and served as the control condition. The participants completed a battery of measures prior to and immediately after the training. To investigate the sustainability of intervention effect, they completed the same battery of measures again two months later. Four hypotheses were formulated. Hypothesis 1: Compared to the participants in the control condition, the participants in the mindfulness and lovingkindness programs would have better personal wellbeing after the intervention. Hypothesis 2: Compared to the participants in the control condition and the mindfulness program, the participants in the lovingkindness program would have better social wellbeing after the intervention. Hypothesis 3: With reference to personal wellbeing, emotion management would mediate the intervention effects on affect and general health. Hypothesis 4: With reference to social wellbeing, connectedness would mediate the intervention effect on prosocial behaviors.
Consistent with Hypothesis 1, the results showed that compared to the participants in the control condition, the participants in the mindfulness and lovingkindness programs had better personal wellbeing. As for Hypothesis 2, the participants of the mindfulness program also had significant improvement in social wellbeing although the participants of the lovingkindness program had the greatest improvement among the three programs. Consistent with Hypotheses 3, the results revealed that emotion management mediated the intervention effects (mindfulness and lovingkindness vs. control) on affect and general health. As for Hypothesis 4, connectedness mediated the intervention effect (lovingkindness vs. mindfulness and control) on self-report prosocial behaviors. It was also found that connectedness mediated the intervention effect (mindfulness and lovingkindness vs. control) on self-report prosocial behaviors. Intervention effects were still found two months after the training. These results have significant implications for school-based intervention programs on mindfulness practice.published_or_final_version
Educational Psychology
Doctoral
Doctor of Psychology
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Korrapati, Chaitanya, Renee M. Miranda, and Patricia Conner. "Effects of Mindfulness Meditation on Stress in Healthcare Professionals." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2020. https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-works/6872.
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Working in medical profession is stressful, and stress can affect performance, indirectly affecting patient care. Mindfulness has shown to decrease stress, which may improve patient care. At the East Tennessee State University Family Physicians of Bristol, there are no resources for learning mindfulness, so our goal was to educate all the medical professionals in our practice to learn mindfulness and evaluate the effect on their stress levels. First, a stress survey (Perceived Stress Scale) was administered to clinic providers. We presented instruction to clinic providers how to engage in mindfulness meditation. The technique of mindfulness meditation was taught by an expert through an audio clip. Six weeks after implementing the mindfulness meditation program, the Perceived Stress Scale was administered to the providers again to determine if their stress level had been reduced. Statistical analysis consisted of a t test. Higher scores on the Perceived Stress Scale indicate higher levels of experienced stress. The mean score in the pre-meditation condition was 16.71, and the mean score for the post-meditation condition was 12.62. The t test indicated that this difference was statistically significant, t(1,32)=2.14, p<05. The results of this study demonstrate that teaching healthcare providers skills regarding mindfulness meditation can significantly reduce their feelings of stress in the workplace. Future research should focus on examining if reducing stress has a measurable effect on patient outcomes.
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Dorcas, Allen. "Qigong : an investigation into the psychological effects of Chinese meditation /." Thesis, Hong Kong : University of Hong Kong, 1996. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record.jsp?B17592276.
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Borchardt, Amy R. "The Effects of Meditation on Cardiovascular Recovery from Acute Stress." Ohio University / OhioLINK, 2013. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1375194481.
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Holmström, Simon. "EFFECTS OF A TWO-WEEK MINDFULNESS INTERVENTION ON ASPECTS OF ATTENTION." Thesis, Umeå universitet, Institutionen för psykologi, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-184806.
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Mindfulness is a form of meditation commonly used as a treatment against symptoms likestress, anxiety and depression that often arises in relation to chronic illnesses like cancer. Research have yielded positive results for mindfulness as a treatment for these symptoms butalso for improvements in attention in healthy people following mindfulness-training. Thepresent study used a within-group design where participants acted as their own control, withmeasures taken before and after a two-week internet-based meditation-intervention withexercises 5 days a week. This was done to investigate if mindfulness-training had any effect onthree different subsystems of attention: alerting, orienting and conflict monitoring. Analysis ofthe results yielded a significant difference in conflict monitoring from pre- to posttest whichsuggests that participants became more resilient towards distractors following mindfulnesstraining. Future research should focus on including more participants and to control fordifferences between already existing groups, for example gender- or age-related differences.Mindfulness är en form av meditation som vanligtvis användssom en behandling mot symptomsom stress, ångest och depression som ofta uppstår i samband med kroniska sjukdomar somexempelvis cancer. Forskning har visat positiva resultat för mindfulness som behandling fördessa symptom men även på förbättringar i uppmärksamhet hos friska människor till följd avmindfulness-träning. Denna studie använde en inomgrupps-design där deltagarna agerade somsin egen kontroll, med mätningar före och efter en två-veckors internetbaserad mindfulnessintervention med träning 5 dagar i veckan. Detta gjordes för att undersöka om mindfulnessträning har någon påverkan på tre olika subsystem av uppmärksamhet: Beredskap, Orienteringoch Konfliktövervakning. Analys av resultaten visade på en signifikant skillnad ikonfliktövervakning från för-test till efter-test vilket tyder på att deltagarna blev mermotståndskraftiga mot distraktorer vid uppmärksamhetsövningar till följd av mindfulnessträning. Vidare forskning borde fokusera på att inkludera fler deltagare och kontrollera förskillnader mellan redan existerande grupper som exempelvis köns- eller ålders-relateradeskillnader.
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Bennett, Spencer. "A Trip to the Beach: Experimental Investigation of Mood, the Body, and Presence in Virtual Reality Meditation." Thesis, University of Oregon, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/1794/23804.
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This study sought to explore the effects of virtual reality (VR) as a technology that can potentially improve guided meditation practices; VR guided meditation sessions and audio guided meditation sessions were compared. Specifically, this study investigated VR’s impact on an individual’s self-perception of psychological factors that reflect mood or emotion; it also examined VR’s impact on an individual’s self-perception of presence and relaxation. After examination, VR guided meditation had no significant impact on an individual’s self-perception of mood and emotion or self-reported feelings of relaxation. However, guided VR meditation had a significant impact on an individual’s self-reported perception of presence; participants who meditated with VR felt “as if they were at the beach.” Although this study demonstrated that a fairly inexpensive VR system can enhance feelings of presence, that sense of presence did not enhance feelings of well-being and relaxation; this could be attributed to the novelty effect.2020-09-06
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Blackburn, Kara Fahey. "The Effects of classroom-based mindfulness meditation on MBA student mindfulness." Thesis, Boston College, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/2345/bc-ir:104226.
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Thesis advisor: Karen ArnoldThis study was an experimental trial of a classroom-based intervention to influence mindfulness among MBA students at the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). MBA students at MIT Sloan and elsewhere are conditioned to look forward and reflect on the past only to the degree that it helps plan for the future. They are rarely taught to be aware of what is occurring in the current moment. Training students to be more mindful, that is better able to be aware of and to pay attention to present moment experience would contribute to the mission of MBA programs to create leaders by giving students meaningful insight into their own thoughts, feelings, and actions. Within the literatures of medicine, neuroscience, psychology, and education, investigators have found that mindfulness has been positively correlated with improved well-being, reduced stress, better decision-making and perspective-taking, as well as improved personal relationships (Brown and Ryan, 2003; Block-Lerner, Adair, Plumb, Rhatigan, & Orsillo, 2007; Dekeyser, Raes, Leijssen, Leysen, & Dewulf, 2008; De Dea Roglio & Light, 2009; Kabat-Zinn, 1994). While the potential benefits of mindfulness have been established in multiple fields, there is scant research on mindfulness and MBA students. This research study explored whether brief mindfulness meditation exercises, embedded in an existing course, would influence MBA students' levels of mindfulness as measured by the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) (Brown & Ryan, 2003). In the fall 2014 semester, a sample of 158 first-year MBA students from MIT Sloan participated in an experiment with modified randomization of a pre/post design. Data analysis revealed that participant scores on the MAAS decreased significantly from pretest to posttest, though less so in the treatment group. These findings suggest that the intervention was not robust enough to exert a positive influence on participants' levels of mindfulness in the graduate business school context. This research contributes to the literature by providing important information about the requisite exposure to and scalability of the intervention in research on mindfulness meditation in higher education
Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2015
Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education
Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education
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Hanson, Ida. "Minfulness meditation effects on attention : A literature review of fMRI studies." Thesis, Högskolan i Skövde, Institutionen för biovetenskap, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:his:diva-20072.
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Mindfulness meditation is known to improve attention, and neuroscience appears to be a field that can elucidate how mindfulness meditation achieves such an outcome. However, studies on mindfulness meditation have been criticized for a low methodological quality. Thus the current paper aimed to provide a literature review on the neural basis of the effects of mindfulness meditation on attention. Additionally, there was a critical examination of this research to evaluate factors that might compromise the validity of the research. The scope of the thesis was limited to studies on healthy adults using fMRI and on studies that incorporate the generally accepted elements of mindfulness meditation. A total of 17 cross-sectional and two longitudinal studies were reviewed with 510 participants in all. The main result of this literature review were that changes were observed in the mPFC. Furthermore, activation was seen in the insula, prefrontal areas and the ACC. Some of the interpretations of the selected studies were in conflict with each other. This can perhaps be explained by differences in neural activation depending on how experienced the subjects are in mindfulness meditation practices. Some prevalent methodological issues with the studies were small sample sizes, cross-sectional design, and poor or unclear instructions (e.g., not describing the instructions or the mantra employed). There were also more general problems regarding functional neuroimaging. These included movement artefacts and cardiovascular effects. However, based on the 19 studies reviewed in this paper there is tentative evidence for the beneficial effects of mindfulness meditation on attention.
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Brat, Mansi. "Effects of Zen Mindfulness Meditation on Student Counselor’s Stress, Attention, and Self-Compassion Levels." University of Toledo / OhioLINK, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1501879117818497.
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Joshi, Aditi A. "Effects of meditation training on attentional networks : a randomized controlled trial examining psychometric and electrophysiological (EEG) measures /." Connect to title online (ProQuest), 2007. http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1453198271&sid=1&Fmt=2&clientId=11238&RQT=309&VName=PQD.
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Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2007.Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 126-133). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.
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Shaw, Patricia (Patricia Hyman). "Relaxation Training in Anxiety and Stress Management Differential Effects of an Audible vs. Imaginal Meditational Focus." Thesis, North Texas State University, 1986. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc332358/.
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The hypothesis was tested that meditation using an audible word-sound would be superior to silent repetition of the same word in producing decrements in autonomic arousal and improvements in anxiety, mood, and the ability to cope with stress. The influence of hypnotic susceptibility upon improvement was also evaluated. Thirty subjects, assigned to one of three groups: audible meditation, silent meditation, and relaxation control, met one hour weekly for six weeks to practice their respective technique and discuss their progress. All subjects were evaluated using the Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility, a medical symptom checklist, the Spielberger Trait Anxiety Scale, a self-rating of state anxiety, and factors C and Q4 of the 16PF. Finger temperature was taken as a measure of physiological arousal. Confidence ratings of the respective strategies were taken pre- and post-treatment.
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Gutiérrez, Damisela Linares [Verfasser], Stefan [Akademischer Betreuer] Schmidt, and Marc [Akademischer Betreuer] Wittmann. "Effects of meditation-induced mental states and individual differences on subjective time." Freiburg : Universität, 2021. http://d-nb.info/1235325695/34.
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Baranski, Michael Francis Stephen. "The Effects of Mindfulness Meditation on Executive Functions, Moderated by Trait Anxiety." Kent State University / OhioLINK, 2020. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1586530258186921.
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Chan, Courtney. "Healing from Racism with Compassion Meditation: Effects of Coping on Mental Health." Scholarship @ Claremont, 2017. http://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/1613.
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This study examines whether Compassion Meditation (CM) can help ethnic minority college students heal from race-related stress. The present study hypothesized that through participation in a CM intervention, the augmentation of adaptive coping strategies (i.e., self-compassion) and the reduction of maladaptive coping strategies (i.e., internalization, defined as self-blame, and detachment, defined as social isolation) would reduce depression and PTSD. Participants (N = 9) participated in an 8-session weekly CM intervention and completed three questionnaires at the beginning, middle, and end of the intervention. Results demonstrated that increasing self-compassion predicted decreases in depression, and that reducing coping via detachment predicted decreases in PTSD. In addition, all nine participants met the clinical cutoff for major depression at pre-intervention, but only five remained above the cutoff point by post-intervention. Implications for future CM interventions, research, and prevention strategies are discussed.
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Pardikes, Thomas James. "Voluntary inhibition of reflex: Effects of consistent meditative practice." Diss., Virginia Tech, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/27539.
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The present study investigated the effects of meditative practices on the regulation of autonomic function. 74 subjects (38 women; 36 men) comprised from a range of experienced and non-experienced meditators, engaged in a series of psychophysiological tasks designed to generate specific autonomic states. Regression analyses revealed that experienced meditators, as predicted, displayed greater suppression of myocardial reactivity during a highly reflexive and stressful task. Meditative practice also predicted a rise in electrodermal activity during a relaxation task, contrary to expectations. These results support the concept that meditative practices may alter aspects of autonomic function. Further, these results inform an emerging mind-body paradigm and illustrate the potential consequences of meditative practices in specific disease states and prevention.Ph. D.
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Jones, Dustin LaMar. "Mindfulness Meditation: Effects of a Brief Intervention on Cardiovascular Reactivity during Acute Stress." BYU ScholarsArchive, 2013. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/4158.
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Mindfulness has historically been cultivated via formal meditation practice and the majority of meditation research examines individuals with extensive training or participants in Mindfulness based stress reduction programs that require considerable expense, a trained facilitator, and take approximately 8 weeks to complete. However, current literature does not speak directly to those who do not have the time or ability for such commitments. Formal mindfulness meditation practice and interventions reduce stress in various populations; however, the outcomes of a one-time intervention are relatively unknown. This study aims to examine whether a one-time (20-min) mindfulness meditation intervention would improve cardiovascular variables during acute stressors in a meditation naïve sample when compared to a control group. Fifty-eight (58) normotensive undergraduate students (27 males, 31 females) with no prior meditation experience were randomly placed into either a treatment group that participated in one-time 15-minute audio training session on mindfulness meditation or a control group which listened to an audio health article. Following the training, participants participated in a psychosocial stressor modeled after the Trier Social Stress Test. Heart rate and blood pressure were assessed before and after the intervention and during the stress task. Results showed the mindfulness meditation condition group was effective in decreasing blood pressure response during the study, when compared to the control group. These results indicate that brief meditation training has beneficial effects on cardiovascular variables. These findings suggest that the benefits of a brief one-time mindfulness meditation intervention can be recognized immediately after a brief training treatment.
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Arvidsson, Tobias. "Neural Effects of Mindfulness Meditation on Emotion Regulation : Differences Between Adolescents and Adults." Thesis, Högskolan i Skövde, Institutionen för biovetenskap, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:his:diva-17165.
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The time of adolescence is marked by enhanced emotional experiences and difficulties with regulating one’s emotions. One way to improve the adolescent’s ability to regulate their emotions is to let them practice mindfulness meditation. The motivational drive behind this thesis is the question of what forms of mindfulness meditation are needed to give the highest increase in their emotion regulation-abilities. One problem is that while there exist neural studies on mindfulness meditation for adults, the research field of adolescent meditation lacks them. Because neural studies are needed to adequately answer this question, and the lack of brain imaging tools for this thesis, the focus here was to conduct some groundwork for this discussion. The first aim was to investigate the neural effects of mindfulness meditation on emotion regulation in adults and the second aim was to investigate to what extent we can generalize these neural effects to adolescents. To be able to theoretical discuss the second aim, neural and psychological studies on mindfulness meditation and emotion regulation were used as a base. The studies were grouped into five sub-categories based on age group and research field and then discussed with the help of developmental studies. Adult meditators had stronger functionality in regulatory brain regions than non-meditators during meditation and during the perception of negative stimuli. The discussion about the generalization of the adult neural patterns to adolescents showed that the findings were too diverse to come to any useful conclusions. Empirical and conceptual improvements, along with neural meditation studies on adolescents, are needed to improve the research field in both age groups.
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Adams, Jennifer. "Mindfulness and meditation interventions in dementia : experiences, adaptations and effects of well-being." Thesis, University of Hull, 2018. http://hydra.hull.ac.uk/resources/hull:16577.
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This portfolio thesis consists of three parts: a systematic literature review, an empirical paper and a set of appendices. The thesis as a whole considers the effects of meditation-based interventions for people living with dementia and age-related cognitive impairments, and their caregiver on wellbeing, including their experiences of meditation-based interventions and appropriate adaptations to these interventions. The first section is a systematic literature review that explores the domains of wellbeing which have been targeted and measured in studies of meditation-based interventions for people living with dementia and mild and subjective cognitive impairment, and the effects of these interventions. The review also considers the methodological quality of the evidence in this area. Fourteen papers were identified and synthesised using a narrative approach. The findings are discussed within the context of previous literature relating to meditation interventions for people living with dementia and age-related cognitive impairments. The clinical and research implications for these findings are also considered. The second section is an empirical study that explores how dementia dyads experience and engage with an adapted mindfulness-based intervention and what the impact of this is on subjective wellbeing. The research used a qualitative method, gathering data using a Grounded Theory approach, which due to not meeting data saturation was analysed using Thematic Analysis. Four superordinate and 11 subordinate themes emerged from the data. The results of this analysis are discussed in the context of previous literature relating to mindfulness-based interventions for people living with dementia and their caregivers, previous adaptations, the impact of these interventions on dyadic wellbeing and dyadic conceptualisations of mindfulness. The clinical and research implications for these findings are also discussed. The third section consists of a set of appendices which relate to the systematic literature review and empirical paper. Within these appendices are a reflective and epistemological statement, which includes the primary researcher’s reflections on the journey of these pieces of research, and the philosophical position and underlying assumptions of the research.
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Omonishi, Megumi. "Effects of Mindfulness Meditation and Distraction on Mood and Attention in Veterans with PTSD." Digital Archive @ GSU, 2009. http://digitalarchive.gsu.edu/cps_diss/43.
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The purpose of this study is to investigate the usefulness of a 20-minute brief mindfulness meditation in positively affecting mood and attention. Its effects were compared with the effects from a period of distraction and a control condition. The sample consisted of 63 veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Pre-post test of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule were used to assess levels of state anxiety and mood. The Stroop Task was employed as a measure of selective attention. A one-way analysis of variance and split-plot analysis of variance were conducted. To control high comorbidity within this sample, sub-analyses were conducted excluding participants with other psychological or physical conditions. The results revealed that meditators without sleep problems indicated greater selective attention levels. A negative mood decrease was found in all participants regardless of the intervention group assignment. Implications for research and practice were discussed.
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Lykins, Emily Lauren Brown. "EFFECTS OF MINDFULNESS AND MEDITATION EXPERIENCE ON COGNITIVE AND EMOTIONAL FUNCTIONING AND EGO DEPLETION." UKnowledge, 2009. http://uknowledge.uky.edu/gradschool_diss/713.
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Mindfulness is increasingly recognized as an important phenomenon both clinically and empirically, with mindfulness-based interventions demonstrated to be efficacious across a wide variety of patient populations and disorders (i.e., Baer, 2003). Though debate regarding the exact definition of mindfulness continues, generally accepted definitions involve the common elements of intentionally directing attention toward the present moment and adopting an accepting, nonjudgmental, and/or nonreactive orientation, intent, or attitude (i.e., Baer et al., 2006; Bishop et al., 2004). Several testable predictions in the cognitive and emotional domains were derived from the operational definition of mindfulness provided by Bishop et al. (2004). Recent empirical work (i.e., Chambers, Lo, & Allen, 2008; Valentine & Sweet, 1999) has supported Bishop et al.’s predictions, providing initial validation of their operationalization of mindfulness. However, most work on the effects of meditation practice and the mindfulness construct has relied on self-report methodology. The current work transcended past research by using behavioral methods to investigate the effects of meditation practice, correlates of trait mindfulness, and validity of current conceptualizations of mindfulness. Additionally, the current work investigated relationships between meditation, mindfulness, and self-regulation using behavioral methods. This investigation was warranted as recent theoretical work suggested that increased self-control abilities may be the primary mechanism by which mindfulness-based interventions work and that higher levels of trait mindfulness may appear to be related to enhanced well-being due to the unmeasured third variable of enhanced self-regulatory abilities (Masicampo & Baumeister, 2007). Ninety-eight individuals (33 meditators, 33 age-matched nonmeditating controls, and 32 students) completed self-report and behavioral measures of attention, learning, memory, cognitive and emotional biases, and self-regulation in individual sessions. Results demonstrated that meditation practice related to few of the measured constructs, with significant group differences detected between the meditators and nonmeditators in short-term memory, long-term memory, and self-regulation only. Self-reported trait mindfulness in the nonmeditators related only to self-reported psychological well-being. These results stand in stark contrast to most of the current literature on meditation and mindfulness. The research raises more questions about the effects of meditation practice and conceptualization of mindfulness than it answers, though multiple interpretations of the data are possible.
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Quinones, Paredes David Julian. "Effects Of A Mindfulness Meditation Intervention On The Flow Experiences Of College Soccer Players." Miami University / OhioLINK, 2014. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1406716606.
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Mallik, Debesh. "Should Eastern Meditation be used in Drug Treatment Facilities?| An Examination of the Effects of Meditation and Progressive Relaxation on Substance Abstinence and Psychological Distress and Dysfunction." Thesis, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, 2016. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10002458.
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Despite the availability of various substance abuse treatments, substance misuse and the negative consequences associated with it remain a serious problem in our society. Various types of meditation have been evaluated for treatment of substance use disorders, but the research has not drawn any specific conclusions. This may be due to lack of both an equivalent control group and spiritual emphasis. Therefore, the current study included a spiritual emphasis (12-steps) and inner eye concentrative meditation (n=15), a progressive relaxation group (n=10), and a treatment-as-usual control (TAU) group (n=21). Subjects at an intensive outpatient treatment center for substance use disorder were offered either progressive muscle relaxation, raja yoga meditation, or TAU, depending on which branch of the treatment center they were receiving treatment. The meditation technique was a simple meditation technique where the attention of focus remains on the point between the eyebrows. The current study examined changes in substance use, general psychological distress and dysfunction, craving, and 12-step involvement between the three conditions over a 6-week period. Compared to the average of all groups meditation was significant in predicting abstinence from substances, ?2 (2) = 6.39, p = .0115. This finding gives some credence to spirituality being a protective factor against substance use, and suggests the benefits of using non-secular meditations in drug treatment facilities.
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Joshi, Aditi A. "Effects of meditation training on attentional networks: A randomized controlled trial examining psychometric and electro-physiological (EEG) measures." Thesis, University of Oregon, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/1794/8452.
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x, 133 p. ; ill. (some col.) A print copy of this title is available through the UO Libraries under the call number: SCIENCE QP405 .J67 2007Meditation has been defined as a "group of practices that self-regulate the body and mind, thereby affecting mental events by engaging a specific attentional set" (Cahn & Polich, 2006). We conducted a randomized, longitudinal trial to examine the effects of concentrative meditation training (40 min/day, 5 days/week for 8 weeks) on top-down, voluntary control of attention with a progressive muscle relaxation training group as a control. To determine if training produced changes in attentional network efficiency we compared, pre- and post-training, mean validity effect scores (difference between invalid cue and center cue reaction time) in the contingent capture paradigm (Folk et al., 1992). The meditation group showed a trend towards improvement of top-down attention while the relaxation group did not. Using EEG we assessed the changes in amplitudes of wavelets during periods of mind-wandering and meditation. Periods in which subjects were on- vs. off-focus during the meditation task were identified by asking subjects to make button presses whenever the mind wandered and also at probe tones, if they were off-focus. After training, the episodes of mind-wandering were significantly lower in the meditation group as compared to the relaxation group. Increased amplitudes of alpha and theta EEG frequencies in the occipital and right parietal areas were seen during the meditation task for the meditation but not the relaxation group as an effect of training. A baseline EEG trait effect of reduced mental activity was seen (meditation training: occipital and right parietal areas; relaxation training: only occipital areas). Within a given meditation session, prior to training, alpha and theta activity was lower in on-focus conditions (occurring immediately after subjects discovered they were off-focus and returned to active focus on the breath/syllable) compared to meditative focus segments. After training, we found higher alpha amplitude in periods of meditative focus as compared to periods of mind wandering for both groups. However, the meditation group showed significantly higher theta amplitude than the relaxation group during the meditative state segments.
Adviser: Marjorie Woollacott
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Wachholtz, Amy Beth. "DOES SPIRITUALITY MATTER? EFFECTS OF MEDITATIVE CONTENT AND ORIENTATION ON MIGRAINEURS." Bowling Green State University / OhioLINK, 2006. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1143662175.
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Neary, Timothy James. "The Effects of Mindfulness Meditation and Resonant Frequency Breath Training on Emotion Regulation and Physiological Responses." Thesis, Indiana State University, 2013. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3596042.
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Efficient, integrative methods to foster greater emotion regulation that are applicable to diverse populations are needed. Mindfulness meditation and resonant frequency breath training are independently positively correlated with changes in emotion regulation. The acquisition of effective emotion regulation strategies may be amplified by the interaction of mindfulness meditation practice and resonant frequency breath training. A sample of 82 undergraduate novice meditators were randomized in a four group design utilizing a control, mindfulness only, resonance only, and combined mindfulness and resonance breath training conditions delivered in a three-week intervention. Self-report measures assessed the use of emotion regulation strategies (ERQ), changes in rates of positive and negative affectivity (PANAS), acquisition of mindfulness skills (FFMQ), and sub-clinical symptoms of distress (DASS-21). Changes to low frequency heart rate variability, breath rate, heart rate, and temperature were evaluated. Results support the effect of resonance breath training on decreasing low frequency and increasing high frequency heart rate variability. The mindfulness training did not yield any effects. The effect of brief resonant breath training on heart rate variability suggests that this may be a viable intervention for re-regulation of sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system functioning.
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Bassi, Merfat Mohammed. "A Somatic Mindfulness Project Exploring the Effects of Meditation on Art Appreciation in the Gallery Setting." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2019. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1609113/.
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This dissertation describes the effects of a somatic mindfulness project on the way participants interact with and respond to works of art in a gallery setting. The study begins with a critique of Descartes' philosophy, Cartesianism, which emphasizes the role of the mind over that of the body and senses and argues that this thought continues to affect education even today. By contrast, phenomenology and mindfulness practices attempt to overcome Descartes' legacy by focusing on the importance of the body in lived experience. In particular, this study uses a phenomenological framework to conduct mindfulness on the relationship between the body and the perception of art. To do so, I utilized several phenomenological techniques for gathering data, including observations, video, and interviews, and I also created a unique method to analyze the data using a phenomenological verbal (written) description and visual (through photographic paintings) description. These techniques worked together to express the moment of reversibility between the meditative body and the artworks in the gallery setting. In sum, the findings of this study show that meditation changes the perceptual experience for different people in different ways. Another finding is that different forms of meditation may work better for some people than others. The findings of this study suggest that if art teachers are interested in using meditation, they need to be familiar with multiple forms of meditation. Also, they need to consider the role of the environment, as well as that of the artworks, in creating a wholistic meditative mood.
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Reavley, Nicola, and n/a. "Evaluation of the effects of a psychosocial intervention on mood, coping and quality of life in cancer patients." Swinburne University of Technology, 2006. http://adt.lib.swin.edu.au./public/adt-VSWT20070703.142553.
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The popularity of non-mainstream cancer treatments raises complex issues for patients
and medical practitioners and it is vital to scientifically evaluate effectiveness and
investigate mechanisms of action of complementary treatments. This thesis describes
sociodemographic, medical and psychological characteristics of participants in The
Gawler Foundation program, which incorporates meditation, social support, positive
thinking and a vegetarian diet. It describes program impact in terms of: Profile of Mood
States (POMS), Mini-Mental Adjustment to Cancer (Mini-MAC), Functional Assessment
of Chronic Illness Therapy (FACIT) and salivary cortisol levels. Compliance with
program recommendations for up to 12-months and effects on adjustment were explored.
This thesis also describes the development of a scale to assess the effects of meditation.
Program participants (n=112) were predominantly female, well-educated, younger in age
with good social support. Over 60% reported metastatic disease and 50% had been
diagnosed for over a year. Improvements in all measures were found at program
completion, with Spiritual wellbeing particularly linked to improvement in quality of life
(QOL). Those with higher levels of mood disturbance and lower QOL at baseline
benefited more than those who were less well adjusted.
Analysis of three, six, and 12-month follow-up data showed high compliance with
program recommendations. Improvements seen at program completion were mostly not
maintained at follow-up, although improvements from baseline were. These results
suggest that the program has significant beneficial effects on adjustment but that these
may not be fully maintained at follow-up, possibly due to difficulty incorporating program
recommendations into everyday life and increasing disease severity. Study limitations
include self-selection, high drop-out rates and lack of a control group.
Initial investigation suggested that quality of meditation experience was linked to
improved adjustment and this thesis describes the initial development of a scale to assess
the effects of meditation, which was divided into two sections: Experiences During
Meditation and Effects of Meditation in Everyday Life, and trialled on 236 participants.
Scale evaluation involved factor analysis, reliability and validity analysis. The
Experiences During Meditation scale had five subscales: Cognitive effects, Emotional
effects, Mystical experiences, Relaxation and Physical discomfort. The Effects of
Meditation in Everyday Life scale had a single factor structure, with the final scale
consisting of 30 items.
Construct validity was explored by assessing correlations with the measures: Perceived
Control of Internal States, Mindful Attention Awareness Scale, FACIT Spiritual wellbeing
subscale, POMS-Short Form and Physical Symptoms Checklist. It is anticipated that the
scale may be useful for clinicians and researchers and may contribute to improved
understanding of the effects of meditation practices.
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Mulhollem, Marcella L. "Yoga and Meditation Prevalence and Patterns: A Sociological Investigation of Gender, Race, and Socioeconomic Interaction and Motivating Mediation Effects." University of Akron / OhioLINK, 2021. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1616669517730551.
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MacLeod, Cynthia J. "Effects of Collaboratively Fostered and Integrated Spiritual Maturation in a Meditation Group Known as the Process Group." Thesis, Michigan School of Professional Psychology, 2013. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3587933.
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This qualitative case study of a meditation group known as the Process Group examines the group's collaboration on practices that foster spiritual maturation following spiritual opening into the first phase of enlightenment. Twenty-one participant accounts provide an intimate portrait of stabilizing and integrating Unity consciousness, maintaining a co-creative relationship with the Divine, and actively expressing this in the world, especially through creative altruism. Using the hermeneutical research method known as intuitive inquiry, analysis of the data employed traditional and non-traditional approaches that were supported with member validity checks. Findings generated a clear picture of optimal group functioning in higher stages of consciousness, practices that lead to and sustain nondual awareness in day-to-day interaction, and conditions that generate creative altruism. Findings are distilled into lenses that can be operationalized into training programs for teams interested in altruistic activity. The Process Group demonstrates that peak spiritual experiences can be supported with group practices that deepen the spiritual opening process and the mutually affecting relationship with the Divine over time, increasing relational intelligence and creative expression. Findings also demonstrated that spiritual maturation can increase individuation and communion simultaneously and interactively. This is a portrait of spiritual practice that facilitates fully embodied enlightenment, active incarnation in the world, presenting the healed versions of what is possible in the clearest human interaction, and maturation that proceeds in cooperation with the Divine.
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Baker, Nancy Coyne. "Does Daily Practice of Meditation or Coherent Breathing Influence Perceived Stress, Stress Effects, Anxiety,or Holistic Wellness in College Freshmen or Sophomores?" Thesis, Boston College, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/2345/2618.
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Thesis advisor: Patricia A. TabloskiThis randomized pilot intervention study examined the influence of two self regulatory techniques, coherent breathing and meditation, in reducing perceived stress and anxiety scores, and increasing holistic wellness scores in college freshmen and sophomores. Too much stress is well documented throughout the literature to have adverse effects on physical, mental and spiritual health. Stress has been identified by college students as a barrier to academic performance. Both coherent breathing and meditation inhibit the secretion of stress hormone production responsible for the persistent state of sympathetic dominance experienced with daily living. A total sample of 37 Boston College freshmen and 3 sophomores was recruited for random assignment into three groups, meditation, n=14, coherent breathing n=14, and reading group as a control, n=12. The instruction of the intervention techniques was conducted through an 8 hour weekend workshop on two dates, October 2010, and September 2011. Participants were asked to practice their respective techniques daily for three weeks. All groups met once weekly throughout the duration of the study. Univariate ANOVA was conducted on pre and post test change of scores for the following instruments: Cohen's Perceived Stress Scale(PSS), Speilberger's State-Trait Anxiety Index, (STAI), and the Mind Body Spirit Wellness Behavior Characteristic Index (MBS-WBCI). The two self regulatory stress management techniques of coherent breathing and meditation demonstrated positive effects for this self selected small sample of freshmen and sophomores at Boston College. Participants of both intervention groups experienced reductions in perceived stress, state and trait anxiety scores, as well as increases in holistic wellness scores, as compared with controls. The favorable results achieved from this study strongly support future research investigations with larger samples and expanded populations. The implementation of mandatory college life skills courses incorporating these techniques could advance the potential for evaluating these techniques in a true randomized sample. The college environment provides an ideal opportunity for introducing prevention and early intervention techniques addressing mental health issues for students in their formative years
Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2012
Submitted to: Boston College. Connell School of Nursing
Discipline: Nursing
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Lavery-Thompson, Trevor. "Effects of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction on Flow State and Self-Compassion During Music Practice." Thesis, University of Oregon, 2019. http://hdl.handle.net/1794/24195.
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The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) on flow state and self-compassion in musicians while practicing. Specifically, the following research questions were addressed: (1) What effects, if any, will MBSR have on musicians' flow state and self-compassion during individual practice? and (2) What is the relationship between the constructs of flow and self-compassion?
A two-group pre-test/post-test experimental design was used to address these research questions. Participants (N = 63) included students enrolled in an ensemble at a large comprehensive university in the Pacific Northwest. Results from a repeated measure ANOVA found non-significant changes in flow and self-compassion. Additionally, analysis from a Pearson’s Correlation found non-significant correlations between flow and self-compassion. Further implications from this study have the potential to aid music teachers with a better understanding of some methods and techniques to help students improve their focus and attention while playing music.
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Broome, John Richard Napier. "Stress management and organisation development : effects of transcendental meditation on psychological, physiological, and organisational variables at the worksite." Doctoral thesis, University of Cape Town, 1995. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/9652.
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Bibliography: p. 348-363.This study evaluated the effectiveness of a stress reduction intervention (SRI) offered to employees at one worksite where 80 were employed. 41 Volunteers (aged 21-65) participated in Transcendental Meditation (TM), and 18 (aged 19-46) in Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR). Two groups did not attend the SRI. These were 11 non-volunteers for the SRI (aged 25-58) who served as on-site controls, while 16 outside attendees (aged 27-44) of a personal productivity workshop served as offsite controls. All subjects completed a standardised stress symptoms questionnaire (SCL-90-R) before and after the SRI. On-site subjects also had blood pressure, heart and breath rates measured by a trained nurse and completed a company climate questionnaire-before and after the SRI. Structured interviews were conducted at three year followup. An hypothesis that test groups would show significant reductions in psychological stress symptoms was supported at 6-week (TM p<0,0001, PMR p<0,001) and 5,5 month followup (p<0,0002, paired-t). TM groups showed significant reductions in blood pressure at 5,5 month followup (p<0,05). Overall company climate showed improvement at 6 weeks which tended to reverse at 5,5 months, following retrenchment of 10 staff. Psychological and physiological variables were found to be positively correlated. Non-volunteer on-site controls appeared to benefit almost as much as those who received training, whereas off-site controls did not. Company effectiveness improved over three years following the intervention though causality was not addressed.
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Kalmendal, André. "Mindfulness and working memory : Evaluating short-term meditation effects on working memory related tasks and self-reported health benefits." Thesis, Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för psykologi (PSY), 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-59904.
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The effects of short-term meditation is a debated subject. There is studies that indicates that there is none or limited effect. Research of mindfulness meditation has also shown positive effects on working memory related tasks and sustained attention, but it can also show reduction of stress and depression. This study evaluate the effects of short-term guided meditation in a group of 10 persons in comparison with a control group. Results indicated no difference in memory tasks such as digit-span but the experimental group showed significant improvements in self-reported stress and mindful assets such as Acting with awareness and Acceptance without judgement. The results are consistent with previous research in this area.Effekten av kortsiktig meditation är omdiskuterad. Det finns studier som indikerar att det inte finns någon eller limiterad effekt. Tidigare forskning kring meditation har också visat positiva effekter på arbetsrelaterade uppgifter och bibehållen uppmärksamhet men även på stressreducering och depression. Den här studien utvärderar effekten av guidad meditation vid tre tillfällen på en experimentgrupp av tio personer i jämförelse med en kontrollgrupp. Resultaten visar inte att mindfulness hade signifikant påverkan på arbetsminnet men signifikant positiv påverkan på stressreducering och på mindfulnessdrag som Agera med medvetenhet och Acceptera utan fördomar. Resultaten går i linje med tidigare forskning inom det här området.
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Quaglia, Jordan T. "From Intra- to Inter-personal: Effects of Mindfulness Training on Emotion Regulation in Social Contexts." VCU Scholars Compass, 2016. http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/4121.
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The social and emotional lives of people are highly interdependent. Incipient evidence suggests that attention may also play an essential role in determining one’s social and emotional well-being. Mindfulness, as a manner of attending, entails greater moment-to-moment awareness to internal and external events, and is thought to have both intra- and inter-personal benefits. Here a study of mindfulness training (MT) examined whether training mindful attention would improve emotion regulation in social contexts as indexed by neural, behavioral, and experience sampling measures. More specifically, 60 participants in romantic relationships were randomly assigned to either four brief (20 min.) MT sessions or a structurally-equivalent control procedure. Romantic partners of these participants also completed questionnaires and experience sampling measures. Findings across the variety of measures supported hypotheses that MT would benefit social emotion regulation. Relative to control participants, those in MT demonstrated greater early attention to facial expressions on an Emotional Go/No-Go task, as indexed by the N200, a neural marker of conflict monitoring. Response time and accuracy during this task revealed more sustained efficient discrimination of facial expressions for MT participants. During day-to-day social interactions, MT participants reported more positive and less negative emotion as well as less negative emotion lability from one interaction to the next. A mediation analysis found improved accuracy on the Emotional Go/No-Go task mediated the relation between MT and more positive emotion during daily social interactions. Given that social emotion regulation places unique demands on attention for which mindfulness appears well-suited, research on both topics can build from these findings to better understand both intra- and inter-personal benefits of MT.
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Spring, Noah Z. "Effects of Dialectical Behavior Therapy Mindfulness Skills Training on Older Adults with Chronic Pain." Xavier University / OhioLINK, 2011. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=xavier1396715022.
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Johnson, Tessa Christine. "The Effects of Yoga on Cognitive Function in Neuropsychiatric Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials." Master's thesis, Temple University Libraries, 2018. http://cdm16002.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/504517.
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KinesiologyM.S.
Yoga has been increasingly utilized as a potential intervention to improve cognitive functioning in patients with neuropsychiatric disorders. However, evidence-based review is limited. Further, whether the observed yoga-related changes in cognitive function are systematically related to specific neuropsychological domains or specific neuropsychiatric disorders remains underexplored. Thus, the aim of this review is to systematically evaluate randomized controlled trials that objectively measure global cognitive function and/or other neuropsychological domains (e.g., attention, executive functioning, social cognition, etc.) in neuropsychiatric populations. Four broad clusters of neuropsychiatric disorder are discussed: focal neurobehavioral syndromes; major neuropsychiatric disorders; neurological conditions with cognitive, emotional, and behavioral features; and comorbid neuropsychiatric and neurological conditions.
Temple University--Theses
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Ayon, Mary Alice. "The Effects of Holistic Coping Strategies on Perceived Stress and Absenteeism in Hospital Nurses." ScholarWorks, 2014. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/49.
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The demanding work environments of professional nurses often contribute to high levels of stress that impact their professional practice and well-being. Although there is a significant amount of research regarding stress and absenteeism, a gap in the literature exists about the effects of holistic coping strategies on nurses' perceived stress and absenteeism. Based on the biopsychosocial model, the purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate effects of holistic coping strategies on perceived stress and absenteeism in 128 hospital nurses. An online cross-sectional survey design used the Perceived Stress Scale-10 to measure nurses' perceptions of stress. The independent grouping variable was self-reported use of meditation, massage, or exercise. Absenteeism data were collected using nurses' attendance records provided by the hospital nursing administration office. Multiple linear regression analysis and t tests were significant for increased absenteeism with the use of meditation, but showed no change in absenteeism with massage or exercise. There was no significant relationship found between use of massage, meditation, or exercise, and perceived stress. Consideration of these findings may be of interest to hospital administrators in addressing perceived stress and absenteeism in nursing personnel. Positive social change is achieved for society, community, and the individual by preventing burnout and by addressing the financial and attendance issues related to nurse shortages in hospitals.
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Kopencey, Sarah M. "Effects of A Mindfulness-Based Mobile Application on Empathy and Mindfulness with Psychotherapists." Antioch University / OhioLINK, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=antioch1514559320341008.
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Linton, Rachael. "Sound Vision: patterns of vibration in sound, symbols and the body : a thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the Master of Design, Institute of Communication Design, Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand." Massey University, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10179/1018.
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Historical and contemporary views such as those held within Buddhist and Hindu religion support the idea that sound, colour and form in motion have the ability to alter physiological and psychological aspects of human function. Within these, religions, distinctive singing and meditation techniques can be used to aid concentration, calm and balance the mind, and soothe the body. A meditative technique adopted by Hindu and Buddhist practitioners is to draw the mind into a centred point of focus, blocking out external distractions that inhibit concentration. The sound based meditation Om, for example, is a most powerful mantra, capable of healing and elevating consciousness (Beck, 1995). Vocal sounding and chant as well as gazing at or visualising images are techniques that have been utilised in ancient religious practice to aid people to develop their natural capabilities to shift energy within body and mind. Contemporary neuroscientists are interested in the states of mind that Buddhist monks claim to enter into while sounding. Equipped with technology for analysing brainwave activity, experiments have revealed that electromagnetic stimuli such as sound, light and colour can have physical affect upon the practitioner’s brain. Researchers have developed new therapeutic tools and techniques to benefit the health and well-being of individuals from these findings. This thesis traces the therapeutic use of sound, light, colour and form in motion from ancient Hindu and Buddhist religion into its use in complementary therapy. Sound Vision is the name of the film which fulfils the practical component of this research. Inspired by the visual form and motion of sound, this thesis contemplates: if we could see sound, what would it look like and could those images function as a healing art form? Sound Vision translates ancient and contemporary techniques of therapy into a digital audio/visual medium to function as visual therapy and aid for meditation. The themes of this research are foremost to visualise sound and secondly to deduce aspects of sound and vision that have therapeutic qualities. Chapter Three of this thesis thematically outlines qualities of sound that have been found to be capable of exciting or calming its listener. The same process has been applied for vision, specifically how light and colour affect the viewer as well as for form in motion. An interim presentation of the preliminary film, Dance of Light, was exhibited in November 2008 and here formative feedback was gained through unobtrusive observation and discussions with viewers toward the development of Sound Vision. Aspects of the film were found to provoke feelings of unease and tension while other aspects incited focus and calm. Sound Vision, serves as a prototype apply healing using light therapy to create positive physical and psychological outcomes. From the research presented within this thesis, Sound Vision employs various digital methods and techniques which are recognised with ability towards healing. Explorations to further this thesis’ research may include Neurological brainwave analysis and patient testing to determine which kinds of video footage produce particular desirable results.
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Pakulanon, Sasima. "Evaluation of two mind and body methods’ effects on stress reactivity, alexithymia, and their consequences." Thesis, Université Paris-Saclay (ComUE), 2019. http://www.theses.fr/2019SACLS593.
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Cette thèse a pour but d’évaluer et de comprendre les effets de deux méthodes de régulation émotionnelle, la méditation de pleine conscience et le yoga sur les réactions au stress, l’alexithymie et les variables liées. Quarante participants en bonne santé ont été répartis au hasard dans trois groupes, yoga, méditation et groupe contrôle. Les résultats montrent que 8 semaines de méditation (1 session par semaine avec un instructeur et 2 sessions de pratique personnelle) améliorent significativement la capacité à être centré sur le présent moment et la concentration. Les 8 semaines de yoga ont amélioré de façon significative la variabilité de la fréquence cardiaque (augmentation HF(n.u.), diminution LF(n.u.) et LF/HF). Nous n’avons toutefois pas mis en evidence d’effet d’interaction groupe X temps pour l’alexithymie. Une analyse qualitative a alors été effectuée afin de mieux comprendre les processus derrière les changement obtenus par les interventions. Il semble que la méditation de pleine conscience soit l’intervention la plus efficace pour l’alexithymie. Les différences individuelles comme la personnalité, les attitudes, la confiance en l’efficacité de l’intervention aussi bien que le niveau d’activité physique sont des facteurs qu’il faudrait prendre en compte dans le choix de la méthode la plus adaptée à un profil particulier. En dépit des limites de cette étude due principalement au faible nombre de sujets dans les groupes, il semble que le yoga et la méditation sont des interventions efficaces pour la gestion du stress, et la méditation de pleine conscience le programme le plus adaptée pour l’alexithymieThe thesis aims to investigate the effects of two techniques of emotional reglulation, mindfulness meditation and yoga, on stress reactivity, alexithymia, and its relevant variables. Forty-four healthy particiants were ramdomly allocated into 3 groups; mindfulness meditation, yoga and control. The results showed that the 8-weeks of mindfulness meditation (one session/week with an instructor and two sessions as home-practice) significantly improved mindfulness skill and concentration. While, the 8-weeks of yoga significantly ameliorated heart rate variability, (increased HF(n.u.), decreased LF(n.u.) and LF/HF). However, there was no significant interaction effect of group x time for stress hormones. Furthermore, there was no significant interaction effect of group x time for alexithymia. We add a qualitative analysis to better understand the process behind the changes following theinterventions. It indicated that the mindfulness meditation seemed to be the most effective intervention for alexithymia. Individual differences such as personality, attitudes and confidence on the effectiveness of intervention as well as the level of physical activity should be taken into account in the choice of the most appropriate intervention for a specific profile. Despite the study limitations due to the small subjects number in the different groups, it appears that mindfulness meditation and yoga seem to be an effective intervention for stress management, and mindfulness meditation would be suggested for alexithymia
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Tipsord, Jessica M. 1980. "The effects of mindfulness training and individual differences in mindfulness on social perception and empathy." Thesis, University of Oregon, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/1794/10357.
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xv, 173 p. : ill. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number.Both Buddhist scholars and psychological researchers have suggested that mindfulness practice may result in greater empathy, but previous research has found mixed results. In addition, Buddhist philosophy suggests that mindfulness should influence the perception of and felt connection to others. Little research, however, has examined such an influence. The present studies examined the effect of dispositional mindfulness, as well as short- and long-term mindfulness meditation practice, on trait and state empathy, social perception, and felt connection to others. Study 1 manipulated mindfulness with a guided meditation CD and found that participants in this condition experienced more serenity and less negative emotion relative to control conditions. Study 1 also clarified the relationship between dispositional mindfulness (measured with the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire), empathy (Interpersonal Reactivity Index), and felt connection (Allo-Inclusive Identity Scale). Results showed that different facets of mindfulness had different correlates. Higher observing scores were related to greater empathic concern and perspective taking; higher nonreactivity scores were related to less personal distress; and higher describing scores were associated with greater felt connection to others. Mindfulness was also associated with social perception such that higher nonreactivity scores were associated with greater ease in making emotion inferences from short video clips and higher describing scores were associated with making more mental state inferences in a modified empathic accuracy task. In Study 2, a randomized 8-week mindfulness intervention caused increases in dispositional mindfulness, especially describing scores, relative to a waitlist control condition. The intervention also resulted in increased serenity and joy and decreased negative affect and tension. Except for changes in serenity, these changes were fully mediated by increases in dispositional mindfulness. Those in the intervention condition decreased in personal distress to others' suffering, increased in the amount of mental state inferences they made for empathic accuracy targets, and increased in their ability to make inferences at times when the targets were actually having a thought or feeling. Thus, mindfulness training not only resulted in intrapersonal changes such as greater serenity and less tension; it also increased cognitive and emotional abilities important for empathy toward other people.
Committee in charge: Bertram Malle, Co-Chairperson, Psychology; Sanjay Srivastava, Co-Chairperson, Psychology; Sara Hodges, Member, Psychology; Mark Unno, Outside Member, Religious Studies
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Leung, Mei-kei, and 梁美琪. "The neuroplastice effect of meditation." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10722/197094.
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The human brain is a plastic and malleable organ that can be shaped by daily experience. Experience such as learning modifies the architecture and functioning of the brain. Meditation is an experiential process of cultivation of different mental states in the attention or emotion domains. Whilst the effect of meditation practice on the cultivation of attention has mainly been observed in attentional neural systems, its effects on emotion processing are less well understood. Among the many forms of meditation, loving-kindness meditation (LKM) is one that is loaded on emotion processing because it focuses on cultivating positive emotional qualities, such as compassion and kindness, and at the same time, it works to reduce negative emotions. The neuroplastic effect of LKM is worth investigation because of its potential effect on changing neural activity in brain regions for empathy and theory-of-mind. Furthermore, to provide a complete picture of the effect of LKM on affective processing, it is worth exploring the functional connectivity of regions for emotion processing, for example the amygdala.
This thesis reports two studies examining the neuroplastic effect of compassionate meditation. Study One (Chapter 2) examines the impact of long-term LKM practice on gray matter, neural activity and amygdalar functional coupling during emotion processing. The LKM expert meditators, relative to the matched meditation novices, had significantly more gray matter in the right angular and posterior parahippocampal gyri; they also had greater activity in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex during negative emotion processing, and stronger functional coupling between the left amygdala and dorsal anterior cingulate, premotor and primary somatosensory cortices during positive emotion processing. Taken into consideration the neural functioning underlying theory-of-mind, executive control, mirror neuron, dorsal and ventral neural systems, LKM expertise may influence brain structures and functioning associated with empathic responses, affective regulation, as well as understanding, sharing, and cultivating positive emotions.
To further confirm the direct effect of meditation and the corresponding neuroplastic changes, Study Two (Chapter 3) examined the longitudinal neuroplastic changes induced by a 6-week attention-based compassion meditation (ABCM) program compared with a matched active-control relaxation program. The ABCM training significantly reduced anxiety and enhanced mindfulness compared with relaxation training. Both the right amygdala activity and left amygdala-ventral insula coupling dropped significantly during negative emotion processing after ABCM compared with relaxation trainings. These decreases correlated with more compassion practice and an increase in the perspective-taking score respectively, suggesting ABCM influences neural substrates for empathic responses. Although both trainings induced comparable gray matter increases in the left temporopolar area (TPA), only the TPA enlargement in the ABCM group correlated with an increase in social desirability at the trend-level. Since the TPA is an important paralimbic relay between the limbic and prefrontal cortices for socioemotion processing, ABCM may have unique impacts on socioemotion processing.
Taken together, the findings of the studies reported in this thesis add to the literature of neuroplastic changes associated with loving-kindness compassionate meditation. The data carry important implications for the design of intervention programs that incorporate the cultivation of attention-based compassion for alleviating affective dysregulation.published_or_final_version
Psychology
Doctoral
Doctor of Philosophy
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Ronald, Camacho. "Effects of Art Therapy on Dissociation Related to a Veteran’s Experience with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder." Digital Commons at Loyola Marymount University and Loyola Law School, 2019. https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/etd/801.
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This paper depicts a U.S. veteran and graduate student’s experience using meditation, artmaking, and journaling to target the effects of trauma and its symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and dissociation. This is a self-study utilizing art as the main method for communication and knowing. The data was gathered by using a combination of Pat Allen’s Open Studio Process and elements of the Art Therapy Trauma Protocol using bilateral artmaking in a five-session process conducted in a local art studio in San Diego. The meditation was conducted as a contemplative practice with attention and intention focusing on traumatic experiences. Fragmented memories and phenomenological experiences were stimulated during the research process through metaphoric content in the art and archetypal visualizations during meditation. These were explored through the multiple phases of meditation, artmaking, observing, and journaling. This process allowed for integration and healing through meaning making, bilateral stimulation, and somatic experiencing.
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Pozneanscaia, Cristina. "The Effects of Mindfulness-based Interventions on Functioning of Children and Youth with ADHD : A Systematic Literature Review." Thesis, Högskolan i Jönköping, Högskolan för lärande och kommunikation, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hj:diva-43848.
Full textAbstract:
Background: Given the incomplete benefits of the pharmacological therapy for ADHD and its over-prescription in children over the last decades, there is an explicit need for alternative treatments. Mindfulness-based Interventions (MBIs) are a family of emergent self-regulation practices including meditation, yoga and body-awareness exercises, found to be an effective therapy for ADHD. Due to poor methodological design and significant risk of bias across studies, mindfulness approach remains an investigational treatment. Aim: This systematic review sought to identify and critically appraise the evidence on the functioning outcomes of MBIs in children and youth with ADHD. Method: The literature search was conducted in 7 databases for psychology and social sciences to identify controlled trials – randomized- and non-randomized, evaluating MBIs published in peer-reviewed journal in English between 2000-2019. Only studies focusing on children and youth aged 7-18 years with documented ADHD symptoms were considered for inclusion. Results: Six controlled trials were included and analysed. Meditation, breathing techniques, self-awareness and yoga exercises were the most common activities implemented across the 6 studies. Significant reduction of inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms; and improvements of sustained attention, working memory and emotional regulation were reported across studies, with small to large effect size. Conclusion: Despite the limitations, MBIs do prove to be an effective complementary treatment for reduction of the core ADHD symptoms and improvement of executive functioning (EF). Further research is needed to elucidate how these interventions improve social functioning and participation of children and youth with ADHD, which would enable a wider implementation of these practices at the community level.
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Manocha, Ramesh Women's & Children's Health Faculty of Medicine UNSW. "Does meditation have a specific effect?: a systematic experimental evaluation of a mental silence orientated definition." Publisher:University of New South Wales. Women's & Children's Health, 2008. http://handle.unsw.edu.au/1959.4/43564.
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Meditation and its underlying ideas are increasingly popular in Western society but the practice itself has been subjected to little high quality scientific scrutiny. In this thesis I describe the outcomes of a research programme aimed at addressing this deficiency. A comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis of the entire English-speaking database of randomised controlled trials clearly demonstrates that the extant data is characterised by a number of methodological and conceptual flaws. As a result there is currently no consistent evidence of a specific effect associated with meditation. The most fundamentally important of these flaws, I propose, is the lack of a consistent and meaningful definition of meditation. Exploring the original descriptions of the meditative experience reveals that a key feature of meditation is the experience of mental silence. Despite this, Western definitions characterise meditation as a method of relaxation, focusing of attention or cognitive modification. The poor performance of meditation in scientific studies may be explained by the fact that definitions of meditation used by Western scientists do not appear to reflect the understanding of meditation as described in the Eastern traditions from which it originated. To explore the salience of the mental silence concept I first conducted a survey of 348 meditators who used a single homogenous form of meditation called Sahaja Yoga which focuses on the experience of mental silence as its defining feature, to assess their functional health and its relationship with their meditative practices. This survey demonstrated that these meditators had not only better mental and physical health but also that a consistent relationship between health, especially mental health, and selfreported experience of mental silence existed. To investigate the possibility of whether or not this relationship was causal, a series of increasingly rigorous clinical studies were implemented. Two separate observational and case control studies of participants suffering from 1) menopausal symptoms, and 2) attention deficit hyperactivity disorder demonstrated promising outcomes. These were followed by a small but well-designed RCT of meditation for asthma, then the largest RCT of meditation for occupational stress currently in the literature. The latter two studies were specifically designed to exclude non-specific ??placebo?? effects. The outcomes of these studies provided strong evidence that mental silence is associated with a specific, therapeutic effect. Finally, in a heuristic physiological study mental silence meditators manifested reductions in skin temperature during meditation thereby contradicting the ??reduced physiological arousal?? conceptualisation of meditation. This and other data are discussed and the possibility that the mental silence experience is associated with a unique pattern of physiological activity is proposed. In conclusion, there is credible evidence to support the idea that Sahaja Yoga meditation, and hence the mental silence experience that typifies it, is associated with unique effects. The ramifications for the fields of meditation research, consciousness and religious studies and healthcare are discussed. Future studies are proposed that focus on further examination of the mental silence state and potential mechanisms by which its specific effects may occur with emphasis on immunogenetic markers and neuroimaging.
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Primprao, Disayavanish Strand Kenneth H. Padavil George. "The effect of Buddhist insight meditation on stress and anxiety." Normal, Ill. Illinois State University, 1994. http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/ilstu/fullcit?p9510422.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (Ph. D.)--Illinois State University, 1994.Title from title page screen, viewed March 24, 2006. Dissertation Committee: Kenneth H. Strand, George Padavil (co-chairs), Larry D. Kennedy, John R. McCarthy. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 132-142) and abstract. Also available in print.