A clinical trial tested whether adding vibration to breath-focused mindfulness meditation (VABF) reduces respiration rate or variability in trauma-exposed adults with dissociation. 128 participants were randomly assigned to VABF, breath-focus only, vibration only, or open awareness. VABF decreased respiration variability across visits, while all other interventions increased it. Respiration variability was positively associated with anxiety and anger ratings. The findings suggest respiration variability is a meaningful metric for examining regulatory processes and is modifiable through VABF, which holds promise as an intervention for trauma-exposed populations.
Sternal vibration paired with mindfulness meditation improved body awareness and increased neurite density in the corticospinal tract in trauma-exposed adults with elevated dissociative symptoms. In a study of 116 participants, those who received sternal vibration (n=60) showed significant improvements in body awareness and increased neurite density index in the left cerebral peduncle compared to those without vibration (n=56). Increased neurite density in the left and right corticospinal tracts was also observed. Decreased body dissociation correlated with increased neurite density only in the vibration group. The findings suggest sternal vibration as a low-cost neurostimulation method that may enhance interoception through neuroplastic changes.