Psychiatry research
December 1, 2024
Zev Schuman-Olivier, Richa Gawande, Timothy B Creedon et al.
10 citations
Mindfulness training helps people change health behaviors partly by improving how they listen to and trust internal bodily signals, a process called interoceptive appreciation. In a randomized trial with 274 primary care patients who had depression, anxiety, or stress disorders related to chronic illness, those who received Mindfulness Training for Primary Care showed greater initiation of a chosen health behavior action plan compared to a low-dose mindfulness group. The effect was mediated by interoceptive appreciation: among patients without depression, listening to bodily signals played a key role; among those with moderate-to-severe depression, trusting bodily signals was more important. Regaining body trust may be a crucial step for behavior change in depression.
Journal of integrative and complementary medicine
April 1, 2025
My Ngoc To, Nicole Nicotera, Kaipeng Wang
1 citation
Nearly 6% of U.S. adults practice combined mind-body practices (seated meditation plus movement-based practices like yoga, Tai Chi, or qigong). Higher education levels were linked to greater use of all forms of mind-body practices. Racial-ethnic disparities appeared for movement-based and combined practices. People with moderate or severe psychological distress were about twice as likely to engage in combined practices (moderate distress: relative risk ratio 1.92; severe distress: relative risk ratio 1.96), as were those with chronic pain. The authors suggest healthcare providers recommend combined mind-body practices as an additional resource for patients with psychological distress or mild chronic pain, and that increasing access in educational settings could reduce racial-ethnic disparities.
Psychiatry research. Neuroimaging
March 1, 2025
Michael Datko, Jacqueline Lutz, Richa Gawande et al.
1 citation
Mindfulness training for primary care patients with anxiety or depression increased activity in the dorsal medial prefrontal cortex when anticipating pain, and this brain change was strongly linked to initiating health behavior changes. Greater increases in this brain response correlated with higher levels of action plan initiation, suggesting that mindfulness strengthens emotion regulation and goal-directed behavior in the face of discomfort.
Frontiers in public health
January 1, 2026
My Ngoc To, Ramona Beltrán, Keli King
A scoping review of 35 intervention studies found that contemplative practices—such as creative, relational, ritual, and stillness exercises—are increasingly used to heal historical trauma, especially in Indigenous communities. Most interventions occurred at the community or group level, and more than half used contemplative practices as a core component. Seven healing mechanisms were identified: establishing safety and belonging, revitalizing culture, increasing well-being, processing emotion, raising consciousness, changing narratives, and growing empowerment. The review calls for recognizing culturally grounded practices in contemplative science and for research partnerships with BIPOC communities.