Increasing autobiographical memory specificity: Using kindness meditation to impact features of memory retrieval.
PloS one January 1, 2023 Amanda Lathan, Barbara Dritschel 5 citations
People who have recovered from depression remain vulnerable to future episodes, partly because of lingering problems in how they recall personal memories. A small randomized trial tested whether four weeks of self-compassion meditation could improve autobiographical memory retrieval in 50 adults with remitted depression. Compared with a coloring control group, the meditation group retrieved more specific memories. Both groups showed increases in positive memories and memories recalled from a first-person (field) perspective. No changes occurred in how remote the memories were. The findings suggest self-compassion meditation may help correct cognitive patterns that increase depression risk, though larger studies are needed.